Two iconic Rockies are on the Hall of Fame ballot for first time

Two more Colorado stars could join the two Rockies players recently inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum—icons Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki are both on this year’s ballot for the first time.

Neither CarGo nor Tulo is expected to be voted into the Hall of Fame but both became eligible this year by rule. The Hall is open to players who spent 10 seasons in Major League Baseball and have been retired for five full seasons. This means it’s already been a half-decade since the sweet-swinging outfielder and the defensive monster shortstop last suited up. Where does the time go? It felt like just yesterday these were the boys of our Colorado summers leading the Denver Nine to well, not much team success but a lot of highlights.

Gonzalez and Tulowitzki are joined on the ballot by 14 new candidates: Curtis Granderson, Félix Hernández, Adam Jones, Ian Kinsler, Russell Martin, Brian McCann, Dustin Pedroia, Hanley Ramírez, Fernando Rodney, CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki and Ben Zobrist. Another 14 former players are returning from last year, including Billy Wagner who fell just short of the 75% vote requirement in order to get into the Hall. In 2024, the closer got voters 73.8 percent of all ballots cast and this will be his 10th and final time on the ballot. Andruw Jones (61.6 percent) and Carlos Beltrán (57.1 percent) are the only other candidates who received at least 50 percent of the BBWAA vote in 2024.

Last year, Rockies legend Todd Helton was voted in along with Adrian Beltre and Joe Mauer. That came on the heels of the 2020 induction of Colorado’s Larry Walker. We’ll find out if CarGo and Tulo make it this year on Jan. 21, when the votes get announced on MLB Network. That group will get enshrined in July next summer in Cooperstown.

The case for both to make Cooperstown is below:

Gonzalez is a three-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove Award winner, and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner in the outfield. He finished third in the National League Most Valuable Player Award balloting in 2010, the same year he led the NL in batting average (.336), hits (197), and total bases (351.) CarGo topped the .300 batting average mark in three seasons, while totaling 100-or-more RBI in two seasons and reaching 100 runs scored plateau once. The left-handed hitter notched at least 20 home runs in six seasons, recorded 20 or more stolen bases in four seasons and led NL outfielders in assists with 12 in 2011. CarGo was pretty clutch too, appearing in four postseason series with the Rockies over three seasons, hitting .412 with 14 hits in nine games. CarGo last played for the Cubs in 2019—spending 1,247 games of his 1,377-game career wearing purple.

Tulowitzki famously finished second in the 2007 National League Rookie of the Year voting while carrying the Rockies to the NL pennant. The shortstop is a five-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove Award winner and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner. He finished in the top 10 of his league’s Most Valuable Player Award voting three times. Tulo totaled 20 or more home runs in seven seasons, 100-plus runs scored twice, 20-plus stolen bases once and batted .300 or better in four seasons. He led NL shortstops in fielding percentage four times, double plays three times, assists once and putouts once. Tulo struggled a bit more in the clutch but got his teams there more often, appearing in nine postseason series over four seasons, batting .213 with four home runs and 22 RBI in 35 games. Tulowitzki last played for the Yankees in 2019, warping up an injury-shortened 1,291-game career where 1,048 of those contests came for Colorado.

To stay on the ballot for 2026, each player will need to get at least five percent of the vote—which could happen. Neither player is expected to make the Hall of Fame as their career stats fall about halfway short of many benchmarks but both had primes similar to many of the game’s legends.

Wagner is expected to get in on his final hurrah on the ballot while first-timer Ichiro may be just the second unanimous first-ballot Hall of Famer.