With no strong first-year candidates crowding the Hall of Fame ballot released Monday, the odds have increased for Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones to head the Cooperstown Class of 2026.
The slugging center-fielders were the top finishers last year among players who failed to realize the required 75 per cent for election.
Beltran had 70.3 per cent and Jones 66.2 per cent but finished behind Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner. No other players were mentioned on even half the ballots.
Ballot Returnees
Other holdovers from last year are Manny Ramirez, Mark Buehrle, Felix Hernandez, Andy Pettitte, Francisco Rodriguez, Dustin Pedroia, Alex Rodriguez, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Omar Vizquel, David Wright, Bobby Abreu, and Torii Hunter.
This is the 10th and last year on the ballot for Ramirez. Players stay on the ballot for up to 10 years if they get at least five per cent of the vote.
Beltran, who played for the Houston Astros and both New York teams, is a nine-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner who hit .279 with 435 home runs during a 20-year career.
10 Gold Gloves
Jones hit just one fewer home run but also played three less seasons. One of two players to homer in his first two World Series at-bats, he won 10 consecutive Gold Gloves – a feat achieved previously only by incumbent Hall of Famers Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Ken Griffey Jr., and Ichiro, a 2025 inductee. He once had a 51-homer season for the Atlanta Braves.
Probably the strongest ballot newcomer this year is Hamels, whose career WAR of 59.0 topped the dozen players added. He was MVP of both the NLCS and World Series in 2008 while pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Braun’s 47.2 WAR was boosted by his MVP season in 2011 with the Milwaukee Brewers, for whom he played his entire career. The former NL Rookie of the Year, whose primary position was left field, was a six-time All-Star who batted .300 and reached triple digits in runs batted in six times each.
Other first-timers include former Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello, former Championship Series MVPs Daniel Murphy and Howie Kendrick, and outfielders Alex Gordon, Shin-Soo Choo, Nick Markakis, and Hunter Pence. Versatile Edwin Encarcion and pitcher Gio Gonzalez have also been added.
To make the ballot, a player must be retired for at least five years.
Year-End Deadline
The voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) ends Dec. 31 with results announced on MLB Network at 6 p.m. EST Jan. 20.
Ballots are counted by BBWAA secretary-treasurer Jack O’Connell and Ernst & Young partner Mark Moran.
Winners will be inducted, along with anyone chosen by the Eras Committee on Contemporary Players, at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown on July 27.
The top vote-getter for the Class of 2025 was Suzuki, who missed unanimous election by a single vote. He finished with 99.7 per cent of votes cast.
Players chosen for the Baseball Hall of Fame not only receive far more invitations to sign and speak but also are able to charge more for signatures and appearances just by adding the letters “HoF” to their autographs. Many Hall of Famers journey to Cooperstown every Induction Weekend to sell memorabilia and pose for pictures at vendors’ tables set up on Main Street, which is pedestrian-free for the occasion.
