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.

Standing at 6' 9" and born in the former Czechoslovakia, Zdeno Chara was a Third Round Pick in 1996 by the New York Islanders, but while he made the team a year later, he never figured into their long-term plans.  A trade to obtain the disgruntled Alexei Yashin sent Chara to Ottawa, and it would be evident in a few years that it was the Slovak Defenseman who was the best player in the deal.

In the world of Pro Football, retirements often trickle through many months, sometimes years after a player last appears in an NFL game.  This means that we are constantly adding players, even potential first ballot Hall of Famers to our futures.

Today, we are adding new names for you to vote on in the 2025 and 2026 Football Sections.

Added to 2025 are:

Clay Matthews III:  The third generation of the Matthews clan, was an excellent Linebacker who played most of his career with Green Bay.  A six-time Linebacker, Matthews won the PFWA Defensive Player of the Year in 2010, and owns a Super Bowl Ring.

Delanie Walker:  Walker blossomed late in his career as a Tight End when he was with the Tennessee Titans, where he went to three Pro Bowls.

Earl Thomas:  Thomas had a great run with the Seattle Seahawks where he won a Super Bowl while earning seven Pro Bowls at Safety.  A three-time First Team All-Pro and two-time Second Team All-Pro, Thomas’ career imploded with the Baltimore Ravens, and his stature within the football community took a pounding that could cost him a Hall of Fame bust.

Eric Reid:  Reid is best known for his solidarity in kneeling with Colin Kaepernick, but the Safety was a Pro Bowl Selection in 2013.

Marcell Dareus:  Dareus won a National Championship in Alabama, and the Defensive Tackle would later go to Pro Bowls when he played for the Bills.

Reshad Jones:  Jones played his entire career with Miami where he went to two Pro Bowls.  The Safety also had three 100 Tackle seasons.

Terrell Suggs:  Suggs was a member of Baltimore’s two Super Bowl winning teams, and he was also named the Defensive Player of the Year in 2011.  A seven-time Pro Bowl and one-time First Team All-Pro, Suggs had 139 Sacks and is the current all-time leader in Tackles for Loss with 202.

Vontaze Burfict:  Burfict was a controversial figure over his career, which was largely spent in Cincinnati.  The Linebacker went to the Pro Bowl in 2013.

They join Adam Vinatieri, Antoine Bethea, Aqib Talib, Brynden Trawick, Cameron Wake, C.J. Anderson, Darren Sproles, DeMaryius Thomas, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Donald Penn, Eli Manning, James Develin, Joe Staley, Jon Condo, Kyle Long, Luke Kuechly, Marshal Yanda, Matt Byant, Michael Bennett, Mike Pouncey, Patrick DiMarco, Patrick Chung, Roosevelt Nix, Ryan Kalil, Travis Frederick, Vernon Davis, Zach Brown and Zak DeOssie.

The entire 2025 list can be found here.

Added to 2026 are:

Dontari Poe:  Poe had a nice career as a Defensive Tackle/Nose Tackle in the NFL, where he went to two Pro Bowls as a Kansas City Chief.

Frank Gore:  The five-time Pro Bowl Running Back compiled 16,000 Rushing Yards, which places him third all-time.  Gore is also currently four in Yards from Scrimmage (19,985), fifth in All-Purpose Yards19,992) and twenty-third in Touchdowns (100).

Golden Tate:  Tate was a Pro Bowler in 2014, with the Wide Receiver also winning a Super Bowl as a Seahawk.

L.P. Ladoucer:  Ladoucer went to the 2014 Pro Bowl, and the Long Snapper was a career Dallas Cowboy.

Larry Fitzgerald:  Fitzgerald was an Arizona Cardinal for his entire pro career, and is second all-time in Receptions (1,432) and Receiving Yards (17,492).  A Pro Bowl Selection three times, the Wide Receiver had 121 Touchdowns, sixth most ever.

Mitchell Schwartz:  A Right Guard who had his best years with Kansas City, Schwartz was a one-time First Team and three-time Second Team All-Pro.  He has a Super Bowl Ring with the Chiefs.

Richie Incognito:  Incognito has a controversial career, but the Offensive Lineman was still a four-time Pro Bowler.

Stephen Gostkowski:  The Place Kicker who replaced Adam Vinatieri in New England had a great career himself, as he won three Super Bowls and was an All-Decade player.

Todd Gurley:  At one time, Gurley was considered one of the best Running Backs, and he was named the 2017 AP Offensive Player of the Year.  He had three Pro Bowls over his career.

They join Alex Smith, Anthony Costanzo, Anthony Sherman, Dez Bryant, Don Mulbach, Drew Brees, Greg Olsen, Jason Witten, Johnathan Joseph, Jordan Reed, Julian Edelman, Jurrell Casey, LeSean McCoy, Malcolm Butler, Marshawn Lynch, Matt Schaub, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Iupati, Phillip Rivers, Sean Lee, Thomas Davis and Tramon Williams

The entire 2026 list can be found here.

We will be presenting the 2027 Football Futures shortly.

As always, we here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to thank you for your support.