As an annual tradition, MLB and the hallowed corridors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum confer to elect a new class of legends. The fabled establishment in Cooperstown, New York, houses the plaques and memorabilia of the game’s greatest players, honoring them in perpetuity.
After the list of 12 first-time nominees, who will be added to the existing 15 hopefuls, was announced earlier in November, MLB experts are busy prognosticating who will be elected to the Hall. To be enshrined in Cooperstown, one must receive 75% of the votes turned in by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). Once on the ballot, contenders are removed from the ballot if they are named on fewer than 5% of ballots or have been on the ballot 10 times without election.
While there is a maximum of ten honors per year allowed, it is possible, and not unprecedented, that MLB’s voting could result in zero players earning the call from the Hall. A full inspection of this year’s ticket unearthed the real possibility that the 2026 HOF class could be empty, which would be the tenth time, and first since 2013, such an event has occurred.
Fifteen former MLB players remain on the 2026 Hall of Fame ballot. From those very good and solid major-leaguers on this list, most realistically have little or no chance of garnering enough votes for enshrinement.
Heading that list of also-rans are three who were mightily involved in the PED/steroid era of the 2000s. Manny Ramirez (10th and final year on ballot) and Alex Rodriguez (5th year) accumulated ridiculous numbers, but like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens before them, their election is highly unlikely. Andy Pettitte enters his eighth year of eligibility, and his statistics alone are legitimate comps to pitchers already in Cooperstown. His admitted use of HGH, in all probability, sealed his fate of being locked out of the Hall.
Red Sox infielder Dustin Pedroia was trending towards Cooperstown, but his career ended abruptly due to injuries at age 33. He only received 11.9% of the votes last year, his first on the ballot. Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez has a case for immortality, as he was arguably the best pitcher in MLB during his peak years, which included the 2010 Cy Young Award. He will have to improve tremendously from his 20.6% support last season to be considered a viable contender.
Here are three valid possibilities of those who have previously been on the ballot for enshrinement this year or in the near future:
2. Andruw Jones: To put his candidacy into perspective, read this statistic carefully. There are four MLB players in the history of the game who won 10 Gold Gloves and hit 400 home runs in their careers. They are Ken Griffey, Jr., Willie Mays, Mike Schmidt, and Jones. If being a part of that list is not indicative of a Hall of Fame career, most would argue that Cooperstown is a sham. Jones’ vote totals are seriously trending towards induction; he started at 7.3 in his first year and tallied 66.2% in 2025.
3. Carlos Beltran: He was the closest also-ran in 2025, earning 70.3% of the votes in just his third year of eligibility. With a lifetime .307 batting average as a switch-hitter, Beltran made his mark when it mattered most in the postseason by belting 16 homers in just 65 playoff games. His jump from 46.5% in 2023 to his current percentage puts him firmly on the cusp of Cooperstown.
Twelve former MLB players are on the contenders list for the first time in 2026, but many of them belong in the category of “Hall of Very Good” instead of the Hall of Fame.
Players such as Gio Gonzalez, Howie Kendrick, and Daniel Murphy had excellent careers and memorable moments, but their numbers and accolades pale in comparison with current HOFers.
One retired star stands out in the 2026 first-timer class. Cole Hamels, a pitcher from the Philadelphia Phillies among others, may receive the most love from voters this year.
Hamels won the NLCS and World Series MVP as a 24-year-old in 2008 while leading the Phillies to a world championship. He then settled in as a consistent frontline performer over 15 seasons in MLB. He was a four-time All-Star who also received Cy Young votes four different times. He went 163-122 with a 3.43 ERA and 1.18 WHIP.
Hamels will most likely not reach anywhere near the 75% threshold this time. Due to the thin class of new candidates, though, he should register a strong first-year result that should gain momentum in the near future.
…Andruw Jones.
The bad news for him is he is in his ninth year on the ballot, and if he does not earn election to the Hall this year or next, he will be removed from further consideration.
For this writer’s money, however, he was as consistent both offensively and defensively as any centerfielder during his career. He hit 435 career home runs, which are more than Hall of Fame outfielder Billy Williams, to go along with his ten Gold Gloves and was a five-time All-Star.
Offensive numbers pop off the page and matter to the BBWWA voters. Winning ten straight (1998-2007) defensive awards at the most demanding outfield position, especially smack dab amidst the steroid era, demands healthy respect and attention.
Let the debates begin. All will be settled one way or another when the voting is announced on January 20, 2026, on the MLB Network.
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