Ah, November.
Let’s first begin with what Notinhalloffame.com is thankful for…
Hall of Fame Season amps up every time this year!
Today, the Baseball Hall of Fame has announced the 2026 Ballot, which will be sent to the Baseball Writers of America. Each committee member will return their ballot, which may include up to 10 names from a list of 27 players. This contains 15 returning names and 12 new candidates.
To enter the Baseball Hall of Fame, a candidate must receive at least 75% of the vote.
Here are the 2026 candidates:
The Returning Candidates:
Carlos Beltran: 70.3% last year and is now on his fourth ballot. Have the voters punished Beltran for his role in the 2017 Houston Astros cheating scandal? Probably. Beltran has the stats for the Hall (435 HR, 1,587 RBI) and the accolades (nine All-Stars, two Silver Sluggers, and three Gold Gloves), and it is a matter of time for a player who looked like a fringe first-ballot entry. This could be the year. Ranked #13 on notinhalloffame.com.
Andruw Jones: 66.2% last year and is now on his ninth ballot. Jones has progressed well, especially given that he had a lower than 8% in his first two years. The five-time All-Star won ten Gold Gloves, smacked 434 Home Runs, 1,289 RBIs, and was the 2005 NL MVP runner-up. There may only be two years left, but we would bet on an induction in one of them. Ranked #22 on notinhalloffame.com.
Chase Utley. 39.8% last year and is now on his third ballot. Utley is a six-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger at Second Base who owns a World Series Ring (Philadelphia 2008). He has 259 Home Runs, 1,885 Hits, and a bWAR over 60. Ranked #31 on notinhalloffame.com.
Alex Rodriguez: 37.1% last year and is now on his fifth ballot. No player on the ballot has a better resume than A-Rod, but he has two PED suspensions on a resume with three MVPs, 10 Silver Sluggers, and two Gold Gloves. Boasting 3,115 Hits, 696 Home Runs, and 2,086 RBIs, Rodriguez can make a claim as one of the ten best players ever, but his Hall of Fame voting has no momentum from year to year. This is not a Hall of Fame path. Ranked #4 on notinhalloffame.com.
Manny Ramirez: 34.3% last year and is now on his tenth and final ballot. Ramirez is in the same expensive boat as Rodriguez, as he also has the stats (555 Home Runs, 1,831 RBIs) and the awards (12 All-Stars, nine Silver Sluggers, and two World Series rings) that eclipse many Hall of Famers. However, again, like A-Rod, Ramirez also has two PED suspensions and has treaded water on the ballot since he debuted. Nothing will change in his last year on the Modern ballot. Ranked #11 on notinhalloffame.com.
Andy Pettitte: 27.9% last year and is now on his eighth ballot. Pettitte looks like he will miss Cooperstown, and despite the solid metrics (256-153, 2,448 SO & 60.2 bWAR) and five World Series rings, he was also popped for PEDs. However, last year Pettitte had his highest percentage by ten percent, so if there is a run to be had for the Hall, he needs an even bigger jump on this ballot. Ranked #39 on notinhalloffame.com.
Felix Hernandez: 20.6% last year and is now on his second ballot. “King Felix” won a Cy Young Award with the Mariners, where he had a lifetime record of 169-136 with 2,524 Strikeouts. He was also a five-time All-Star and twice led the AL in ERA. Hernandez’s 20.6 debut on the ballot is a promising start for eventual induction. Ranked #66 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Bobby Abreu: 19.5% last year and is now on his seventh ballot. Abreu’s percentage is growing, with last year’s total his highest to date. He is a two-time All-Star with 2,470 Hits, 288 Home Runs, and a bWAR of just over 60. Ranked #72 on notinhalloffame.com.
Jimmy Rollins: 18.0% last year and is now on his fifth ballot. Rollins’s 18.0% from last year was his best result, and the three-time All-Star needs a significant jump this year. He is a former World Series winner with the Phillies, won four Gold Gloves and one Silver Slugger, and has 231 Home Runs and 2,455 Hits. Ranked #108 on notinhalloffame.com.
Omar Vizquel: 17.8% last year and is now on his ninth ballot. Vizquel looked to be headed toward the Baseball Hall of Fame, but the defensively gifted Shortstop was accused of domestic violence, and his support plummeted to his lowest mark last year (17.7) from 52.6% in 2020. 11 Gold Gloves and over 2,800 Hits won’t matter. This case is dead. Ranked #55 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Dustin Pedroia: 11.9% last year and is now on his second ballot. Pedroia helped the Red Sox win two World Series Championships and, individually, was an MVP with four Gold Gloves, four All-Stars, and a Silver Slugger. He compiled 1,805 Hits. While 11.9% may not seem like much, we have seen players with weaker debuts make the Hall of Fame. Ranked #73 on notinhalloffame.com.
Mark Buehrle: 11.4% last year and is now on his sixth ballot. Beuhrle is going nowhere on the ballot, having debuted at 11% and only breaking that for the first time last year. Buehrle had a career record of 214-160 with 1,870 Strikeouts and was a five-time All-Star who won a World Series with the Chicago White Sox. Ranked #68 on notinhalloffame.com.
Francisco Rodriguez: 10.2% last year and is now on his fourth ballot. Despite Rodriguez having similar numbers to Wagner, he has fallen since his 10.8% debut, though last year was his second-best result. K-Rod was a World Series Champion with the Angels, and recorded 457 Saves with six All-Star Games and two Rolaids Relief Awards. Ranked #105 on notinhalloffame.com.
David Wright: 8.1% last year and is now on his second ballot. Playing for the New York Mets for his entire career, Wright played at Third Base, where he was a seven-time All-Star and won two Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves. Ranked #90 on notinhalloffame.com.
Torii Hunter: 5.1% last year and is now on his sixth ballot. Hunter remains in jeopardy of falling off the ballot, having never made double digits in the vote. Hunter collected 2,452 Hits, smacked 353 Home Runs, and went to five All-Stars, winning nine Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers. Ranked #93 on notinhalloffame.com.
The following are making their debut on the ballot:
Cole Hamels: Posting a record of 163-122, Hamels was the NLCS MVP and World Series MVP in the Phillies' 2008 Title. He is a four-time All-Star and boasts 2,560 Strikeouts. Ranked #70 on notinhalloffame.com.
Ryan Braun: Playing his entire career with the Milwaukee Brewers, Braun won the 2007 NL Rookie of the Year and 2011 NL MVP, was also a six-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger winner. Braun, who had 1,963 Hits and 352 Home Runs, has a candidacy marred by a 2013 PED suspension and his even worse initial attempt to frame the tester. Ranked #101 on notinhalloffame.com
Alex Gordon: Gordon won a World Series Championship with Kansas City in 2015, and he earned three All-Star and eight Gold Glove Awards. He had 1,643 Hits and 190 Home Runs. Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.
Shin-Soo Choo: A one-time All-Star, Choo had 1,671 Hits with 218 Home Runs. Unranked on Nothinhalloffame.com.
Edwin Encarnacion: Encarnacion blasted 424 Home Runs over his career with three All-Star selections in tow. Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.
Howie Kendrick: An All-Star once, Kendrick had 1,747 Hits with a lifetime .294 Batting Average. Late in his career, he won a World Series with Washington in 2019. Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com
Nick Markakis: Markakis accumulated 2,388 Hits with 189 Home Runs and was also a one-time All-Star, who won a Silver Slugger and three Gold Gloves. Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.
Hunter Pence: Pence won two World Series rings with the San Francisco Giants and was selected to four All-Star games. He compiled 1,791 Hits with 244 dingers. Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.
Gio Gonzalez: A two-time All-Star, Gonzalez went 131-101 with 1,860 Strikeouts. Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com
Matt Kemp: The NL MVP runner-up in 2011, when he won the Home Run Title, Kemp won two Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers, and went to three All-Star Games. He belted 287 Home Runs with 1,808 Hits. Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.
Daniel Murphy: An All-Star three times, Murphy won two Silver Sluggers, the 2019 NLCS MVP, and had 1,572 Hits with a .296 Batting Average. Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.
Rick Porcello: Porcello won the 2016 AL Cy Young and two years later helped the Red Sox win the World Series. He had a 150-125 record with 1,561 Strikeouts. Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.
Jason Kipnis, Matt Wieters, Jeff Samardzija, Chris Davis, Kelvin Herrera, and Edinson Volquez all played enough seasons to qualify for the ballot but were left off.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate those who have made the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.
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