On Monday, Major League Baseball announced the new ballot for the Hall of Fame Class of 2026. The ballot includes 27 names — 15 holdovers and 12 newly eligible players. Each member of the BBWAA who receives a ballot can vote for up to 10 players. The Hall of Fame voting results will be announced on January 20, at 6p ET on the MLB Network.
Unfortunately, for the second year in a row I was snubbed and did not receive a ballot. While some have speculated it is because “unpaid intern” is in my title, others believe it’s because I’m not a member of the BBWAA.
Regardless, I’m going to share with you my analysis of the ballot, and my choices for the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame Class.
THEY ABSOLUTELY BELONG IN COOPERSTOWN
- Carlos Beltran
- Manny Ramirez
- Alex Rodriguez
There’s not a single intelligent baseball fan who watched these three players perform, that can sincerely say they were not Hall of Fame caliber players throughout their career. Plus, unlike good players like Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, these three players were superstars before they ever banged a garbage can or took any steroids.
All three — like Barry Bonds and Rogers Clemens — belong in the Hall of Fame.
GOOD PLAYERS BUT NOT WORTHY OF COOPERSTOWN
- Bobby Abreu
- Mark Buehrle
- Shin-Soo Choo
- Edwin Encarnacion
- Gio Gonzalez
- Alex Gordon
- Matt Kemp
- Howie Kendrick
- Nick Markakis
- Daniel Murphy
- Hunter Pence
- Rick Porcello
- Francisco Rodriguez
- Jimmy Rollins
Last year, Bobby Abreu received support from 19.5% of the voters in his sixth year on the ballot, Jimmy Rollins received 18% in his year four, and Mark Buehrle received 11.4% in his year five. I disagree with those who voted for them. I never watched Abreu at the plate, Rollins in the field, or Buehrle on the mound and thought, “now, that’s a Hall of Famer”.
NOT AUTOMATIC CANDIDATES BUT THEY DESERVE CONSIDERATION
- Ryan Braun
- Cole Hamels
- Felix Hernandez
- Torii Hunter
- Andruw Jones
- Dustin Pedroia
- Andy Pettitte
- Chase Utley
- Omar Vizquel
- David Wright
Over the next six weeks, you will hear strong arguments for all ten of these players. You will also hear some compelling arguments against their candidacy. Either way, I wouldn’t be shocked if any of them made the Hall of Fame and I wouldn’t be appalled if they didn’t.
THE SRNY BALLOT
If I’m going to earn my ballot someday, I have to prove that I can make the hard choices. After careful consideration, I decided to add two players from the “not automatic” list. Keep in mind that players need to be included on 75% of the BBWAA ballots to earn induction.
- Carlos Beltran (finished with 70.3% in last year’s voting)
- Manny Ramirez (finished with 34.3% last year’s voting)
- Alex Rodriguez (finished with 37.1% in last year’s voting)
- Andruw Jones (finished with 66.2% in last year’s voting)
- Dustin Pedroia (finished with 11.9% in last year’s voting)
Jones and Pedroia are different players, but with similar pedigrees. Jones played 12 of his 17 seasons in Atlanta, making the playoffs in his first 10 years. In addition to being a great hitter, he won 10 consecutive Gold Glove Awards in centerfield from 1998-2007. If he gains induction, he will join his former Braves’ teammates Chipper Jones, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz.
Pedroia was the ultimate heart-and-soul player on the Boston Red Sox teams that won World Series in 2007, 2013 and 2018. Fenway Park was his home for his entire 14-year career, which was cut short by injuries. Pedroia finished his career with an .805 OPS and four Gold Glove Awards at second base.
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