The Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2025 class is official with Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner voted in, meaning it’s already time to look ahead to next year’s ballot.
Suzuki and Sabathia were shoo-ins in their first year of eligibility, but at first glance it seems unlikely that any of new players on the 2026 ballot were good enough to ever make the Hall of Fame.
Longtime left-handed pitcher Cole Hamels has the best career WAR (59) among the players scheduled to debut next year and Ryan Braun (47.1%) was an MVP winner, but neither of them has the credentials probably necessary to be earn induction – even if voters take a more liberal approach over their 10 years on the ballot.
The leading 2025 vote-getters who will return to the 2026 ballot are Carlos Beltran (70.3%), Andruw Jones (66.2%) and Chase Utley (39.8%), along a handful of other holdovers. In addition to Hamels and Braun, 2026 first-timers will include Edwin Encarnacion, Howie Kendrick, Shin-Soo Choo and Alex Gordon.
Here’s a look at the potential newcomers on next year’s Baseball Hall of Fame ballot:
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2026 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot
(ordered by WAR)
Cole Hamels (59 WAR): 3.43 career ERA, 4-time All-Star, 2008 NLCS and World Series MVP
Ryan Braun (47.1): 2011 NL MVP, 6-time All-Star, 5-time Silver Slugger
Edwin Encarnacion (35.5): 3-time All-Star, 424 career home runs
Howie Kendrick (35.0): .294 career average, 2019 NLCS MVP, 2011 All-Star
Shin-Soo Choo (34.6): .377 career on-base percentage, 2018 All-Star
Alex Gordon (34.5): 8-time Gold Glover, 3-time All-Star, 2 Platinum Glove awards
Nick Markakis (33.6): 2,388 career hits, 3-time Gold Glover, 2018 All-Star
Hunter Pence (30.9): 4-time All-Star, 244 home runs, 2012 and 2014 World Series champion
Gio Gonzalez (28.3): 2-time All-Star, won 21 games in 2012
Matt Kemp (21.4): 3-time All-Star, 2-time Gold Glove winner, 2-time Silver Slugger
Also eligible: Jason Kipnis, Daniel Murphy, Rick Porcello, Matt Wieters, Jeff Samardzija, Chris Davis
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