Beginning next year, the National Baseball Hall of Fame's voting may never quite feel the same.
That's because San Francisco Giants legend Buster Posey will be on the ballot for the first time. And the all-time great catcher is set to change everything.
Why?
Because Posey finished his career with exactly 1,500 hits.
And he's viewed as a shoo-in to be a Hall of Famer.
For all of baseball history up until now, that wouldn't have been enough.
But the three World Series titles, a career.302 average, the brilliant work behind the plate, the MVP award -- they all add up to make Posey a Hall of Famer.
And once Posey gets in with 1,500 hits, it changes the whole scope of things.
MORE: An Air Force Captain will pitch for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic
Voters have already begun to shift a bit toward recognizing the best peaks and not just the major counting numbers.
When Posey is in, that will shift even more.
Guys like David Wright and Dustin Pedroia, who were among the best players in baseball before injuries cut their careers short, will have major Hall of Fame cases.
Surely there will be more players from this era that come along and feel similarly, including starting pitchers, who will never accumulate the win totals of their predecessors.
Not every voter will change overnight, of course.
But assuming Posey gets in quickly as expected, he'll always be a comparison point. And it could open the doors for some incredible ballplayers who previously couldn't quite make it in.
More MLB news:
- Team USA's projected WBC lineup is incredible
- Dominican Republic's projected WBC lineup is fierce
- Red Sox are paying Manny Ramirez same 2026 salary as Dodgers are paying Shohei Ohtani
- Why Blue Jays let Bo Bichette leave in free agency for the Mets
- MLB looking at realignment into East-West arrangement
- Hunter Pence's nephew has the best name and a 100 MPH fastball