Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across Major League Baseball. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in New York Yankees fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Elected to the Hall of Fame earlier in 2025, CC Sabathia was recently honored in a ceremony at Yankee Stadium. It was a moment used for many to reflect on whether Sabathia should be inducted into Monument Park, an honor reserved for Yankee greats. One of our
writers, Michael Zeno, argued why that should be the case here. It was only fair that we ask you, the Yankee fan, what your thoughts are on this.
The first thing these results tell you is that, according to the fans, there is no clear-cut answer, aside from the fact that 68 percent of fans (a little over two-thirds) would like to see Sabathia honored in Monument Park in some capacity. The question is just whether he should just get a plaque, or a number retirement as well.
Things were not as easy and simple as signing CC Sabathia and winning the World Series in 2009, but the left-hander’s role in helping New York win that 27th title was as big as anyone’s. Sabathia’s production between 2009 and 2012 was among the best in the sport, and he was the emotional leader of the team for even longer.
A particular point that Michael raised in his article that resonated with me was that Sabathia chose to go into the Hall of Fame as a Yankee. Here is a Hall of Fame pitcher who spent the majority of his career in the Bronx, including multiple of his most memorable campaigns. It might just be that simple. Eventually, they could run out of jersey numbers, but that won’t be a problem for at least a few generations, and what a good problem to have.
Beyond the CC poll, we also have an MLB-wide survey to review that serves as a pulse-check of sorts for who fans think will win it all in 2025.
How can you not be romantic about baseball? A Milwaukee Brewers team that no one saw as a genuine World Series contender at the start of the year is now the leading favorite to take home the Fall Classic for the first time in franchise history, and even then, they couldn’t crack 25 percent. With powerhouses playing below expectations, 2025 seems like a particularly wide-open year.
Back to Milwaukee being on top of this poll, regardless of where they were at the start of the year, their presence here is justified, cruising as the best team in baseball for a while. The Brew Crew got to this point with a lineup nearly void of a weak spot, in which eight of its nine positions have accumulated at least 2.0 bWAR, with the exception being shortstop. Milwaukee is hoping to host its first World Series since Harvey’s Wallbangers fell in seven to the Cardinals 43 years ago.
Perhaps more important than the Brewers taking the top spot in the poll is what the next two teams (the turbulent-but-defending-champion Dodgers and the NL East-leading Phillies) on the list have in common with Milwaukee. Illustrating a crooked power dynamic between the two leagues, or at the very least the perception of one, the three teams with the most votes are all in the National League. Furthermore, the close proximity of each AL club in this poll indicates a parity that only adds to the unpredictability of it all.
The Blue Jays, Tigers, and Yankees ended up in what by all accounts is a technical tie, and the two AL West teams (Astros and Mariners) plus the Red Sox might even have something to say about that. It’s not as if these other three have done so much to separate themselves from the pack in a meaningful way. The good news for the Yankees is that, according to MLB fans as a whole, they basically have as good a chance as any other AL club of getting to the World Series. And once you get there, it’s anybody’s game.
