Troy Trevor Tulowitzki knows the honor and excitement to have his name on the 2025 National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.
“It’s like I’m living out a dream,” Tulowitzki told The Epoch Times during a phone conversation from his home in Central Texas. “It validates the hard work I put in during my career; the grind, the sacrifices.
“Having my name on the ballot is surreal. First, I made it to the big leagues. Then, I was selected for all-star games and now the Hall of Fame ballot. Amazing.”
Retiring mid-way through the 2019 season with the New York Yankees due to a culmination of injuries spread out over several years, Tulowitzki tells of not giving much thought to being considered for the Hall of Fame. Posts on social media of his being among the 28 names to be considered by voting members of the BBWAA (Baseball Writers’ Association of America) passed along to the former shortstop, complete with congratulations, is how Tulowitzki initially learned of his latest baseball honors.
Included among the 14 newcomers to the 2025 ballot isn’t something that Tulowitzki has campaigned for.
Having played for ten seasons, and retired for five years, Tulowitzki, the first-round MLB draft pick (seventh overall) of the Colorado Rockies in 2005, is automatically eligible for the ballot.
Today, Tulowitzki is living his life great distances from the three franchises—Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, and New York Yankees—with which he put his stamp on the game. He is an assistant coach for head coach Jim Schlossnagle’s baseball program at the University of Texas at Austin. Primarily, Tulowitzki works on the players’ hitting and infield skills.
“When I was done playing, I always wanted to give back to the game,” says Tulowitzki, who caught pro scouts’ eyes while playing at Cal State University at Long Beach. “I’ve always been a teacher at heart.”
Tulowitzki reflects on his pro career now as having gone by so fast; like a snap of the finger. During his 10th season in Colorado, Tulowitzki, who is in a virtual tie with Omar Vizquel with the highest fielding average for shortstops of all-time, was traded to Toronto. His leadership qualities, along with his slick defensive play and clutch hitting, were a welcome to the Blue Jays.
“I think Troy was the big key to our turnaround when we acquired him at the trade deadline in 2015. He came in, took charge, and solidified our defense, which we needed. He had incredible fundamentals, and was always in the right place. Troy was a threat every time he stepped into the batter’s box. He was the ultimate pro,” former Blue Jays’ skipper John Gibbons recalls in an email to The Epoch Times.
When the Hall of Fame vote is announced on Tuesday live on MLB Network from the baseball shrine in Cooperstown, New York, Tulowitzki doesn’t have any grand plans for a “watch party.” There’s a better than good chance that the man who led the Rockies’ charge during the 2007 season when the club won the National League pennant won’t be tuned into the announcement.
“Obviously, I’m curious about how the vote will be. I know I will hear about it,” Tulowitzki said of what could potentially be another feather put in his career’s hat of achievements. “I’m fine with my career as it is now.”
Being added to the already exclusive list of 348 Hall of Fame members, especially in his first year of eligibility, is a stretch. There have been many who have ultimately crossed over the line, and received at least the necessary 75 percent of votes for election, who have needed several years on the ballot to reach that threshold, such as fellow 2025 ballot-eligible former pitcher Billy Wagner, who is in his 10th and final year on the BBWAA ballot.
One person who Tulowitzki has discussed the Hall of Fame process with is 2024 inductee Todd Helton. Colorado teammates for eight seasons, Tulowitzki recalls speaking with Helton, who played his entire 17-year career with the Rockies, multiple times about his playing the waiting game for induction. Helton made the BBWAA cut on his sixth try.
“When Todd finally broke through, and made it to the Hall of Fame, I thanked him, again, for everything he did for me,” said Tulowitzki, who has yet to visit Cooperstown.
As he continues to reflect on his career that has resulted in being considered for the Hall of Fame, it’s the big hits and times spent with teammates that have Tulowitzki feeling somewhat melancholy. The playoff runs will always be special. Then, getting to play for the Yankees, the club that his favorite player growing up, Derek Jeter, starred for and who eventually was welcomed into Cooperstown, is another highlight of many that Tulowitzki fondly looks back on.
Being so “locked in,” as Tulowitzki labeled his commitment to winning and getting better individually, seems to have gone as planned.
Seemingly constantly battling injuries, where he missed the entire 2018 season, and only in three of his 13 seasons had Tulowitzki played 140 or more games, this clearly added to a few more bumps in his projected Hall of Fame career. There’s a smile in Tulowitzki’s voice when remembering that he hit his final home run as a Yankee in 2019.
Five times an all-star, two times a Rawlings Gold Glove winner (prestigious defensive award at his position), and twice awarded a Silver Slugger Award (recognized as the best offensive player at his position in the league), clearly, the good times out weight the disappointments when placed on the injured list.
Along with his hero Jeter, at his healthiest, it could be argued that Tulowitzki performed at the level of Alex Rodriquez and Cal Ripken Jr. What matters most for Tulowitzki and others associated with the 2025 ballot is what the 385 members of the BBWAA who vote have to say.
There are no regrets for Tulowitzki on his playing days. He already has earned the proverbial sundae. If a cherry is placed on top of it, whether with the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2025 or in nine years going forward, or beyond, Tulowitzki will always have a sweet taste in his mouth for baseball.
