The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown is the most selective form of immortality in baseball. A plaque there suggests a career that has not just passed the box-score test, but the test of time, the test of memory, the test of voter examination and the test of historical debate. The classic magic numbers are not irrelevant: 3,000 hits, 500 home runs, 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts are still short cuts into the realm of legacy arguments. However, the present-day Baseball Hall of Fame debate has changed. Now WAR and JAWS help voters in separating accumulators on a single dimension, and players whose peaks transformed the sport.

JAWS, invented by Jay Jaffe and run by Baseball-Reference, is an average of career WAR plus the maximum seven-year peak of a player’s best WAR, with dominance and longevity being weighted equally. It is designed to evaluate the candidates against the average Hall of Famer who is in the position and not to reward just durability. The official BBWAA rules of the Hall continue 75% of the votes and direct the elector to consider record, ability, integrity and sportsmanship, character and team contributions.

Each MLB game counts as these legends continue to fill out their resumes, be it the pursuit of 3,000 hits by an old veteran or a winning pick for the World Series.

The living legends: On the doorstep of immortality

The discussions about Mike Trout Hall of Fame are all but settled, the only question that remains is the level to which he rises. The active WAR leaderboard at Baseball-Reference has Trout in the top spot among active players with 88.7 bWAR in late April 2026 and his 2026 start has demonstrated that he is a true power, despite years of injury interruptions. He started 2026 with 404 career home runs after hitting 26 in 2025 and rapidly surpassed 410 early this season. The area that Trout compares to is no longer that of future star; it is Mickey Mantle country: inner-circle peak, historic rate production, and a career that only diminishes with availability.

The ace generation is already more complex since one name has shifted to the status of candidate waiting period lock. In July 2025, Clayton Kershaw declared that he would retire after the 2025 season, becoming the 3,000-strikeout club and having had 223 wins, a 2.53 ERA and 3,052 strikeouts. His first-ballot case is overwhelming with three Cy Young Awards, an MVP, live-ball era ERA argument, and postseason rings.

Justin Verlander is the still pitching interlocutor to a more ancient concept of greatness. MLB includes him as being a member of the 3,500-strikeout club in 2025, and up-to-date career summaries note his 266 wins and over 3,550 strikeouts. He spent 2025 with Giants and came back to Tigers in 2026 but was hospitalized with hip inflammation after a single rough start. Already three Cy Youngs and an MVP and a high strikeout rate already make him a near-certain Cooperstown candidate, even though 300 wins is now a remote possibility.

Prime performers building resumes in real time

The great Black Swan case of Shohei Ohtani is the legacy left behind by the sport. In 2025, he batted an average of .282 and had 55 home runs, 102 RBI and 146 runs as he won his fourth consecutive MVP; he was also back on the mound, which makes the two-way debate not calculable by standard milestones. Early 2026 has only reinforced the myth: in his first four pitching appearances, he has recorded a 0.38 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 24 innings, and has already contributed six homers as a hitter by April 26. It might not matter whether Ohtani has never hit 500 homers or 3,000 strikeouts.

The most modern JAWS case is that of Mookie Betts. At 75.3 bWAR, Baseball-Reference ranked him third among active players but has already earned MVP-level peak, elite defense, positional versatility and multiple World Series rings. His 2025 projection, .258, 20 homers, 82 RBI, was not Betts at his best, but still performed well in a championship setting. He began 2026 on the 10-day IL with low initial production, but his case is already plaque-worthy.

Aaron Judge has made late arrival a historic power pace. By 2025, he batted at .331, with 53 homers, and received his third MVP and became the first player with 368 lifetime homers. Early 2026 moved him into the high 370s and Baseball-Reference already ranked him fifth among active hitters with an active position-player WAR board with 63.6 bWAR. Health is the key: with Judge remaining on the field, 500 home runs ceases to be a rosy estimate; it is the main one.

The next wave: Projecting the future

Juan Soto is building a new type of monument. The 43 homers, 105 RBI, 127 walks and sixth Silver Slugger of his 2025 season with the Mets added to his plate-discipline profile prompting Ted Williams comparisons without him even having to imitate Williams in batting average. In April 2026, a right calf strain cost him 15 games, but he came back on April 22, and through April 26, had a.304/.418/.413 early-season line. Should health prevail, 3,000 hits and 500 homers are both within his reach.

Ronald Acuña Jr. is the future MLB Hall of Famer. His historic 2023 40-70 season redid the power-speed template and in 2025 came back with a.290 average, 21 homers and 74 runs in 95 games. An X-ray scare of the left wrist was negative and given a day-to-day label, leaving the 2026 perspective intact at present. The Cooperstown road is not as sure as the one Trout, Ohtani, or Betts, have walked to, but his ceiling is unparalleled in history.

The 2026 season is not just a schedule. It constitutes a live database of players statistics, injuries, rebounds and milestones of MLB that will determine tomorrow's candidates for Cooperstown.

1994 Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project Class.

Here we are!  Again!!

If you have been following our Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project, you know we have asked the question: What if the PFHOF had begun in January 1946?

After soliciting and obtaining a passionate group of football fans and historians, we sent out a ballot for a Preliminary Vote, in which each voter selected 25 names as their semi-finalists and five names for the Senior Pool. We then asked the group to vote for their 15 Finalists in the Modern Era and 3 in the Senior Category. The final stage was to vote for their five Modern Era inductee and one Senior inductee.

This is the result of the 49th official class. 

Below are the final results of this project based on 32 votes.

Remember that we have reverted back to the top five candidates entering the Hall in the Modern Era

This is for the “Modern Era”

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1994:

This is for the “Senior Era”, 

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1994.

This is for the “Coaches/Contributors”, 

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1994.

About the 1994 Inductees:

Randy White, DT, DAL 1975-88: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1994 on his 1st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.

Randy White was a superstar at the University of Maryland, where in 1974 he won the Lombardi Trophy and was the ACC Player of the Year.  The Cowboys took notice, and they would select him with the second overall pick.

White was eased into greatness as a backup Linebacker, but in his third year he became the starting Right Defensive Tackle, which was his natural fit.  That was the year that White broke out and established himself among the best in the game.  White went on a 10-year Pro-Bowl streak, with seven of those years seeing him ascend to First Team All-Pro honors.  It was also especially sweet, as in that first year, White would win Super Bowl XII, sharing the game MVP with a fellow defensive teammate, Harvey Martin.

White was an exceptional pass rusher who had only 52 official Sacks (the stat was not recorded until 1982).  He missed only one game, and he was one of the most popular players in team history.  White would be named to the 1980s All-Decade Team and the Cowboys Ring of Honor in 1994.

Tony Dorsett, RB, DAL 1977-87 & DEN 1988: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1994 on his 1st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.

A stud Running Back at the University of Pittsburgh, Tony Dorsett had an immediate impact with the Dallas Cowboys, who drafted him second overall in the 1977 Draft.  That year, Dorsett won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award with 1,007 Rushing Yards and four postseason touchdowns on the way to a Super Bowl win.  Not a bad rookie year!

Dorsett never won another Super Bowl, but he remained a superstar and one of the elite rushers over the next eight seasons.  He had eight 1,000-yard years, with all of those seasons seeing him finish in the top nine in that category.  He was a dual threat in that era with his receiving skills and was also perennially in the top nine in Yards from Scrimmage, appearing on that list from 1977 to 1985.

After the 1987 season, the Running Back would sign with the Denver Broncos for one final season. Dorsett would have 12,739 Rushing Yards, 3,554 Receiving Yards, and 90 Touchdowns. 

Joe DeLamielleure, G, BUF 1973-79 & 1985 & CLE 1980-84.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1994 on his 4th Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

Joe DaLamielleure had the best years of his NFL career with the Buffalo Bills and was adept at opening holes for O.J. Simpson to plow through.  DeLamielleure had five of his six Pro Bowls as a Bill and was a three-time First Team All-Pro.  It was also noted how well the Offensive Guard handled Pittsburgh Steeler Defensive End, Joe Greene, one of the few players who got the better of “Mean Joe”.

DeLamielleure spent the second half of his career with the Cleveland Browns, though he returned for a final season with Buffalo in 1985.  In 2003, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  Six years prior, DeLamielleure was chosen for the Bills Wall of Fame.  His run with the Cleveland Browns was also stellar.

John Riggins, RB, NYJ 1971-75 & WAS 1976-79 & 1981-85.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1994 on his 4th Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.

While everyone (and rightfully so) thinks of John Riggins in a Redskins uniform.  That wasn’t where he started, as the former Kansas Jayhawk was a New York Jet for the first five years of his career.  While wearing the green, the 1971 First Rounder was a Pro Bowl Selection and cracked over 1,000 Yards rushing in 1975, which was his last season with the Jets.

Riggins signed with Washington as a Free Agent afterward, but his first two seasons were poor, and a knee injury marred his second year. He powered back in 1978 with 1,014 Rushing Yards, and 1,153 in 1979.  Riggins was finally the Running Back they needed, but they would not have him in 1980, as a contract dispute kept him out for the entire year.  

The Redskins saw Riggins return, and while the 1981 and 1982 regular seasons were average, his '82 playoffs were phenomenal.  Riggins rushed for 166 Yards (a then-record) in Washington's Super Bowl XVII Championship, and he also had 610 Rushing Yards overall in the playoffs.  The Running Back was on a roll, and in 1983, Riggins had rushed for 1,347 Yards and a league-leading 24 Touchdowns.  Riggins was a First Team All-Pro and the Bert Bell Award winner that season, and he again led the NFL in Rushing Touchdowns with 14 the season after.  Without his run from '82 to '84, there was no way that Riggins would get into Canton!

He played one more year before retiring, and he accumulated 13,442 Yards From Scrimmage with 116 Touchdowns.

Lynn Swann, WR, PIT 1974-82.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1994 on his 7th Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

One of the most recognized players of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Super Bowl era in the 1970s, Lynn Swann, was part of all four of their titles during their dynastic run.

Swann was the player with whom Pittsburgh used their First Round Pick in 1974 (24^th overall), and in his rookie season, he was mostly used as a Punt Returner, where he excelled, leading the NFL in Punt Return Yards.  Swann and the Steelers won their first Super Bowl that year, and the following season, he was a far more integral cog in the Pittsburgh offense. 

Swann's 1975 season would see him lead the NFL in Receiving Touchdowns (11), and in Super Bowl X, Swann had 161 Receiving Yards and a TD, impressive considering he was not expected to play due to injury.  Arguably, this was the performance that earned him a spot in Canton.

The Wide Receiver, who was a Pro Bowl in 1975, would be again in 1977 and 1978, with the latter season earning a First Team All-Pro.  Swann helped them win two more Super Bowls, and in the 16 postseason games he played, he had 907 yards and 9 TDs.  

Swann would later be inducted into the Steelers Hall of Honor in 2017.

Pete Retzlaff, TE-E-FL, PHI 1956-66.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1994 on his 20th Senior Ballot.  Was never inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In this era of sports specialization, it is hard to imagine that football players used to change positions regularly.  Pete Retzlaff played various offensive positions, but he could always be counted on to catch the ball. 

On five different occasions, Pete Retzlaff had seasons of 50 or more receptions.  Considering the era in which he played, that tally becomes even more impressive.  His best offensive seasons occurred after he moved to Tight End, where he was one of the few at that position who were sure-handed.  He continued to post impressive stats and received the Bert Bell Award in 1965.

Retzlaff was not the best blocker, which may limit his overall performance in the Tight End slot.  Still, with the numbers he could put up at a time when it was not common, the fact that he was not the League’s best blocker could be forgiven somewhat.

Chuck Noll, Head Coach, PIT 1969-91.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1994 on his 1st Coach/Contributor Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.

Chuck Noll played seven years in the NFL, all for Cleveland under Paul Brown.  Much like Brown, Noll would become an iconic figure in a blue-collar town and achieve similar success.

After establishing himself as a Defensive Coordinator with the San Diego Chargers and Baltimore Colts, Noll was named Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1969, inheriting a team that had never won anything of note.  Under Noll, the Steelers became a league juggernaut, winning four Super Bowls in the 1970s.  He kept the team as contenders throughout his 22 Years in that capacity, and under him, the culture completely changed to where Pittsburgh remains one of the most high-profile teams in the NFL.

Noll retired after the 1991 Season with a record of 194-148-1.

As a Coach, Noll would be named to the 1970s All-Decade Team, the 1980s All-Decade Team, and the 100^th Anniversary Team.

Freddie Freeman was a baseball superstar in Atlanta, where he won an MVP and a World Series ring.  When he was a free agent in 2022, Freeman opted to return to the area where he was raised, and he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Freeman quickly proved his value after joining the talented Dodgers team. In his first two seasons (2022–2023), he reached new heights, posting over 200 hits each year and leading the National League in doubles twice. He demonstrated excellent strike zone control, using a focused "gap-to-gap" approach, and achieved a career-high 211 hits in 2023, the most by a Dodger in more than sixty years. He has become a key fixture in the All-MLB First Team. 

The 2024 season solidified Freeman’s status as a Dodgers legend. During that postseason, despite battling a tough ankle injury, he delivered one of the most heroic runs in World Series history. In Game 1 against the Yankees, he created unforgettable drama by hitting the first-ever walk-off grand slam in Fall Classic history. He then set a major league record for consecutive World Series games with a home run and was eventually named the World Series MVP. This display of resilience was the driving force behind the Dodgers' eighth championship and further established his reputation as a big-game performer.

The 2025 season marked another peak of efficiency for Blue. Freeman continued to be a dominant force in the middle order, batting .295 with 24 home runs and securing his ninth All-Star selection. During this time, he achieved several historic milestones, cementing his status as a perennial MVP candidate and leading a record-setting 97-win team. As he heads into the 2026 season, he is just 30 home runs away from reaching 400 and is nearing 2,500 hits, making his eventual Hall of Fame induction almost guaranteed.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB.  Once that is done, we will examine how each team honors its past players, coaches, and executives.  As such, it is important to us that the New England Patriots will be inducting Rob Gronkowski into their Hall of Fame.

Gronkowski was chosen via an online vote that pitted him against Adam Vinatieri and Logan Mankins. 

A four-time First Team All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl selection with the Patriots, Gronkowski played there from 2010 to 2018, where he helped them win two Super Bowls while scoring 79 Touchdowns with 7,861 Yards.  Gronk was already named to the NFL 100th Anniversary Team and is considered a lock to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2027, his first year on the ballot.

Gronk’s selection makes him the 38th inductee to the Patriots Hall of Fame.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Rob Gronkowski for his impending honor.