Felix Hernandez Earns Historic Gain in Baseball HOF Voting
NWL Everett AquaSox

Felix Hernandez Earns Historic Gain in Baseball HOF Voting

Published on January 20, 2026 under Northwest League (NWL)
Everett AquaSox News Release


Former Everett AquaSox and Seattle Mariners Hall of Famer Felix Hernandez saw historic gains in voting totals, rising to 46.1% (up from 20.6% in 2025, his first year of eligibility). His rise in percentage is the largest by any returning candidate since 1967, finishing percentage points ahead of Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio (1982-83).

Players must achieve 75.0% to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and must receive at least 5.0% of the votes to remain on the ballot. Players can remain on the ballot for a maximum of 10 years.

"Félix Hernández is the King. Once you compare him to his peers, his numbers shine as Hall-worthy."- Eno Sarris, The Athletic

According to ballot tracking data provided by Ryan Thibodaux, Félix's surge is among the greatest since Thibodaux began tracking ballots in 2009. On publicly revealed ballots prior to today's announcement, Félix gained 49 votes, the 2nd-most, trailing only Hall of Famer Scott Rolen, who gained 54 votes in 2020.

"There are all sorts of fun ways these days to measure a player's peak...it told me everything I needed to know about whether Hernández fit the fame part of the Hall of Fame. His greatness and superstar charisma were undeniable." - Jayson Stark, The Athletic

Félix was particularly successful on the ballots of first-year Hall of Fame voters. Of the 37 confirmed first-time voters by Thibodaux, he was named on 28 ballots (75.7%).

"Many voters rely on the qualification that a player must be the most dominant at their position for a decade. Hernández was that pitcher." - Ryan Divish, The Seattle Times

Hernández will look to join Ichiro Suzuki, Edgar Martinez and Ken Griffey Jr. as the players enshrined with a Mariners cap in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in the coming years.

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Northwest League Stories from January 20, 2026


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