Rangers legend Pudge Rodriguez holding steady early in HOF voting

The votes keeps trickling in and so far, so good for Texas Rangers legend Pudge Rodriguez.

Rodriguez, who is eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame for the first time in 2017, has been named on 83 percent of the 81 ballots received by Ryan Thibodaux, who tracks ballots and keeps a running tally on a Baseball Hall of Fame tracker spreadsheet open to the public.

Players need to be on at least 75 percent of ballots to be inducted. So far, former Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell (90 percent), 1980s star Tim Raines (89 percent), Rodriguez (83 percent) and Padres closer Trevor Hoffman (75 percent) sit above the threshold.

But there’s a long way to go. Only 18 percent of the estimated 435 ballots are known. Thibodaux estimates 327 votes are needed to reach 75 percent. The percentages continue to fluctuate as more ballots are submitted.

Rodriguez has been on 65 of the first 79 ballots compiled which means he needs to be on approximately 262 more before the Dec. 31 deadline. The 2017 Hall of Fame class will be announced on Jan. 6.

This story was originally published December 21, 2016 at 4:04 PM with the headline "Rangers legend Pudge Rodriguez holding steady early in HOF voting."