It is onward and upward at Notinhalloffame.com where we have a new add-on to our Football Futures, those who are eligible in 2027.

Those players are:

Alejandro Villanueva:  A two-time Pro Bowler at Left Tackle, Villanueva played most of his career with Pittsburgh.

Alex Mack:  Mack played at Center where he went to seven Pro Bowls, which he had at least one each for all three of the teams he played for (Cleveland, Atlanta & San Francisco). He was also a three-time Second Team All-Pro.

Andrew Whitworth:  Whitworth had one of the better second half careers of any Offensive Lineman, where the Left Tackle went to four Pro Bowls, earned two First Team All-Pros, and in his finale, won the Super Bowl with the Rams and Walter Payton Man of the Year.

Ben Roethlisberger:  “Big Ben” was the consensus Rookie of the Year, and would lead Pittsburgh to two Super Bowl Titles.  A six-time Pro Bowl Selection, Roethlisberger is in the top ten all-time in Pass Completions, Passing Yards and Touchdown Passes.

Brandon Brooks:  Brooks went to three Pro Bowls and the Right Guard won a Super Bowl Ring with the Eagles.

Emmanuel Sanders:  The Wide Receiver had a good career where he went to two Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl with Denver.

Eric Weddle:  Weddle returns to the futures after a brief, yet fruitful comeback with the Rams, winning the Super Bowl.  The Safety led the NFL in Interceptions in 2011, went to six Pro Bowls and secured two First Team All-Pros.

Joe Haden:  Haden had 29 INTs in a career split between Pittsburgh and Cleveland, where he was a three-time Pro Bowl Selection.

K.J. Wright:  Wright was a Pro Bowl Linebacker in 2016 and would win a Super Bowl Ring with Seattle.

Malcolm Jenkins:  Jenkins was a three-time Pro Bowl Safety who won two Super Bowls, one with New Orleans and one with Philadelphia.

Ryan Fitzpatrick:  The journeyman Quarterback had flashes of brilliance over his career and was 10 Yards shy of 35,000 over his career.

Ryan Kerrigan:  Kerrigan played most of his career with Washington and was a four-time Pro Bowl at Linebacker.

Sam Koch:  Koch played his entire career with the Ravens where the Punter went to the 2015 Pro Bowl, won a Super Bowl, and finished his career seventh in Punting Yards. 

The entire 2027 list can be found here.

As always, we here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to thank you for your support, and we encourage you to give us your opinions and cast your votes.

A master of the changeup, Cole Hamels was in the hunt for an extended period of time as one of the top southpaws in Baseball.

Hamels was taken in the First Round of the 2002 Draft (17^th Overall) by Philadelphia, and he worked his way to the rotation in 2006 with a decent rookie year (9-8, 4.08 ERA).  The southpaw went to his first All-Star Game as a sophomore (15-5. 3.39 ERA) while also securing his first of four top-ten Cy Young finishes.  There was no All-Star for Hamels in 2008, but that was likely his most fulfilling season in Baseball.  Hamels had another good year, acing the Phils to the World Series, where he won both the NLCS MVP and World Series MVP.  It looked like he was destined for stardom, but perhaps it was just meant to be "very good."

The Phillies made the 2009 World Series, but Hamels struggled.  Hamels was still a solid player, but with the addition of Roy Halladay in 2010, he was no longer considered the top hurler.  He rebounded in 2011, going to his second All-Star Game, and in 2012, he had his best individual campaign with career-highs in Wins (17) and Strikeouts (216).  Hamels was again an All-Star and a top-ten finish for the Cy Young.  

He had his last strong year in Baseball, earning a fourth and final All-Star year in 2016 (15-5, 200 SO), but by the following year, he was beset with shoulder problems.  He dropped to the middle tier of Pitchers over the next two seasons, and with Philadelphia dropping out of contention, he was dealt to the Texas Rangers during the 2015 Season.  After two ineffective years, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs, but his decline was in full swing.  He signed with Atlanta in 2020, but injuries held him to one Game.

Leaving Baseball after 2020, Hamels had a lifetime record of 163-122, 2,560 Strikeouts with a bWAR of 59.0.  That is good, but is he Hall of Fame worthy?  A win for Hamels might be surviving the first year on the ballot.

You can't talk about Chris Davis without discussing the spectacularly good and the abysmally bad.  Over the last half of his career, no other baseball player may have gone from one extreme to the other quicker than the former First Baseman.

Davis came up through the Texas Rangers system, and the scouting reports about the First Baseman never changed: Low Average, colossal power, lots of Strikeouts, and slow.  He made the Rangers roster first in 2008, but he bounced up and down from Texas and Triple-A often in his first three years, though he did prove he could go deep against Major League pitching.  He was traded to Baltimore during the 2011 Season, and it was in Maryland where he showed the best and worst of what he could do.

Davis had his first 30 Home Run year in 2012 (33) and did so with a solid .270 Batting Average.  He then joined the 50-Home Run Club in 2013, winning the Home Run Title (53) and RBI Title (138), and batting a career-high .286.  Davis was third in MVP voting, went to his only All-Star Game, and captured his only Silver Slugger.  He was third in MVP voting, but there were still a lot of doubt in his overall game.

Davis belted 26 Home Runs in 2014 but batted less than .200.  The following year, he won his second Home Run Title with 47 Home Runs, but he also led the league in Strikeouts (208).  He again was the infamous first-place finisher in whiffs in 2016 (219), but his Home Run tally dropped to 38, and he batted .221.  

Power and Average dropped afterward, and Davis infamously set the MLB record for the longest streak without a Hit (54 At Bats).  He morphed into a chronically hurt player, who could not hit, let alone for power, and he limped into retirement after the 2020 Season.

Davis was much-watch television every time he batted, but two Home Run Titles can not negate a bWAR that is barely over 11.  He will get on the ballot but will be fortunate to gain a vote.

At the University of Nebraska, Alex Gordon was considered by all of the experts not just to be the best Cornhusker on the diamond but the best baseball player in all of the NCAA.  The winner of the Dick Howser Trophy and Golden Spikes Award, unsurprisingly, was Kansas City’s first pick (second overall) 2005 Amateur Draft.

A three-time All-Star, Alex Gordon led the American League in Doubles in 2012 and has had a pair of 20 Home Run seasons and another four where he exceeded 15.  Gordon has not always had the best Batting Average, but he did bat .303 in 2011.  Realistically it was Gordon's defense that has given him his greatest value to Kansas City.

Gordon played multiple positions in the field for KC, but it was at Leftfield where he truly shone.  He captured seven Gold Gloves, a Platinum Glove, and three Wilson Defensive Awards.

Gordon retired after the 2020 season, and while COVID-19 rendered his swansong less than impactful, he was still the heart of the team throughout the 2010s.  We don't think that Gordon will make it to the Baseball Hall of Fame, but you can't have a top twenty list of the best Royals of all time without Gordon on it.