Fish On First's 2026 Hall of Fame Ballot

[Louis Addeo-Weiss]

As the end of the 2025 calendar year draws near, so does the deadline for tenured BBWAA members to vote on the next class of inductees for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Ballots must be postmarked by December 31, and on January 20, we will learn which newcomers and ballot holdovers garnered the minimum 75 percent needed for enshrinement.

Although Fish On First staffers do not partake in the official voting, we carefully analyze the candidates every year. If FOF was solely responsible for the class of 2026 HOF selection, who would make the cut?

Ten of our staffers submitted ballots this year. Just as the BBWAA does, voters were permitted to choose up to 10 candidates. Players named on at least five ballots garnered a spot on the collective FOF ballot ("tie goes to the player," if you will).

 

Honorable Mentions

Félix Hernández, SP: For the second year in a row, King Félix finds himself a mere honorable mention, just missing as he appeared on four of the 10 submitted ballots. As we wrote last winter, Hernández's peak, while certainly comparable to that of a Hall of Fame pitcher, isn't accompanied by enough late-career years of serviceable performance. In his first year of eligibility in 2025, though, Hernández found his way onto 20.6 percent of ballots cast, a number that bodes well should his case be further examined as time progresses. With his career coinciding with a rapid decline in MLB's reliance on starting pitchers, Hernández would prove a worthy example to base future candidates' cases on.

Mark Buehrle and Andy Pettitte, SP: Given the overwhelming similarities of their careers, I've lumped these two into one blurb. While he may never have screamed "ace," I am of the mind that consistency warrants serious Cooperstown consideration when it comes to Buehrle. His 13 seasons of 200-plus innings pitched—11 of which ended with an ERA+ better than league average—speak to that notion. Buehrle (3,283.1 IP and 117 ERA+) and Pettitte (3,316.0 IP and 117 ERA+) are two of 63 pitchers in baseball history to throw at least 3,000 regular season innings and post an ERA+ of 115 or better. Maybe not sustained greatness, but points for consistency.

Cole Hamels, SP: If you're of the "need to see more crowd" when making the case against Félix Hernández, then maybe Cole Hamels is your guy. With comparable innings totals and nearly a 10-WAR lead over the former, Hamels was a workhorse relative to his era, throwing the sixth-most innings of any pitcher in the 2010s. Among the 89 pitchers who threw at least 1,000 innings in said decade, Hamels was one of just 14 to sport an ERA+ of 120 or better. He'll most certainly benefit from a feeble class of first-year candidates, though only three of our staffers had him on their ballots. If you want some more insight into Hamels, we published this piece discussing his Hall of Fame credentials. 

 

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The Selections

 

Bobby Abreu, RF

• MLB teams: HOU, PHI, NYY, LAA, LAD, NYM
• Seventh year of HOF eligibility

While Bobby Abreu's peak was largely overshadowed by the likes of Barry Bonds and Co., Abreu put forth a decade of consistency that saw him as one of the sport's most complete position players. From 1998-2008, Abreu's average offensive season looked as such: 302/.407/.502/.909, 105 R, 22 HR, 96 RBI, 28 SB, 4.8 WAR. Of the 38 hitters with at least 5,000 plate appearances in that span, Abreu's 54.2 bWAR ranks seventh, just edging out the next-most valuable player, Carlos Beltrán. In the 2000's, Abreu's 2,785 times on base trailed only future Hall of Famer, Todd Helton (2,796). To illustrate his all-around offensive game, three players in MLB history have hit at least 275 home runs, stolen 400 bases, and posted a .395 or better on-base percentage: Barry Bonds, the late Rickey Henderson, and Bobby Abreu.

Nine of our 10 staffers had him on their ballots, and when you put it all together, that sounds like a Hall of Famer to me. As of Tuesday morning, Abreu has received 45.0% of the BBWAA vote, according to the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame Tracker.

 

Carlos Beltrán, CF

• MLB teams:  KC, HOU, NYM, SFG, STL, NYY, TEX
• Fourth year of HOF eligibility

If Bobby Abreu was one of the sport's more complete players, his contemporary in  Carlos Beltrán was that and then some. As we all know, Beltrán finds himself returning for a fourth try at induction due to his involvement in the 2017 Houston Astros sign-stealing schedule. While certainly a thorn in his legacy, Beltrán is among the game's most universally respected players, and the 70.3 percent he received in 2025 almost makes it a sure thing that he'll headline the class of 2026. From age 22-32 between 1999-2009, Beltrán was the only player in the sport to hit at least 250 home runs, steal 250 bases, and save 70 runs on defense, making him the fourth-most valuable player overall. He accrued 56.1 bWAR in that span alone.

With all ten staffers in agreement, Beltrán's here, hopefully for the last time. As of Tuesday morning, Beltrán has received 77.5% of the BBWAA vote, according to the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame Tracker.

 

Andruw Jones, CF

• MLB teams: ATL, LAD, TEX, CHW, NYY
• Ninth year of HOF eligibility

Andruw Jones is arguably the greatest defensive center fielder of all time. The native of Curacao paired his historically great glove with raw power, mashing 434 home runs over the course of his career. Trivia question: Who are the two players in MLB history to hit 400 home runs and save 200 runs on defense? Adrián Beltré and Andruw Jones. The Jones case isn't a definitive one, though, as noted by his many times on the ballot. From a statistical perspective, traditionalists scoff at the lack of counting stats. Largely done as a productive player after age 30, Jones bounced around from four times in his last five seasons, hitting .210/.316/.424/.740, respectively. While he never truly lost his feel on defense, the stark disparity between Jones' twenties versus his thirties was night and day. Upon retirement, Jones' career hit total of 1,933 and batting average of .254 had many casting him off as a viable Hall of Fame candidate, but one cannot deny the decade of dominance that saw him as one of the game's brightest stars. Off the field, Jones was accused of domestic violence against his now ex-wife, Nicole, a thorn in his case when considering the character clause. If Jones doesn't get the requisite totals needed, it would be because of these factors.

Having polled at 61.6% and 66.2% in 2024 and 2025, respectively, it feels as though 2026 should be the year that Jones finally gets the call. He garnered unanimous support from our staffers. As of Tuesday morning, Jones has received 77.5% of the BBWAA vote, according to the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame Tracker.

 

Manny Ramírez, OF

• MLB teams: CLE, BOS, LAD, CHW, TBR
• 10th year of HOF eligibility

If you're discussing the greatest right-handed hitters of all-time, it'd behoove you to mention the man born as Manuel Aristides Ramírez. There are only 18 hitters in major league history to take at least 9,000 plate appearances and retire with an adjusted OPS+ fifty percent better than league average. Of the bunch, only two aren't in the Hall—the aforementioned Bonds and Manny Ramírez, both of whom have ties to performance-enhancing drugs. While Bonds was never suspended for a failed test, Ramírez got popped twice, the second of which forced him into an early retirement in 2011. Had he played clean on the merits of his talent, Ramírez is more than likely already in Cooperstown, but his transgressions are why he's never received more than 34.3 percent of the vote.

It is highly likely he falls short of the required 75 percent needed once again, though nine of the ten of us said what he did in the batter's box should be enough. As of Tuesday morning, Ramírez has received 32.5% of the BBWAA vote, according to the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame Tracker.

 

Álex Rodríguez, 3B/SS

• MLB teams: SEA, TEX, NYY
• Fifth year of HOF eligibility

Álex Rodríguez is one of the greatest baseball players of all-time. Álex Rodríguez is also one of, if not the most, reviled player the game has ever seen. If Bonds is the name most think of when considering the Steroid era, then what transpired with Rodríguez was the manifestation of what most envision should have happened to Bonds. Failing PED tests in 2003 and 2006, as well as being named in the Biogenesis report in 2013, Rodríguez took any chances he had at the Hall of Fame and flushed them completely. His naming in the Biogenesis report netted him a 162-game suspension (originally 211 games before being reduced), then the longest handed out to an active player. The difference with the otherwise fringe HOF guys is that you felt you were watching a Hall of Famer when seeing A-Rod play. Does that absolve him of his sins? Maybe not, but it echoes a similar sentiment as to what was noted about Bonds earlier in his career with the "he was a Hall of Famer before steroids" quip. Voting for him will always come with some pause, but his on-field accomplishments—three MVPs and 696 home runs—are undeniable. 

Polling between 34 and 37 percent in his first four years of eligibility, it isn't out of the question for Rodríguez to see his fortunes change in the next six or so years. As of Tuesday morning, he has received 40.0% of the BBWAA vote, according to the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame Tracker.

 

Chase Utley, 2B

• MLB teams: PHI, LAD
• Third year of HOF eligibility

The Cooperstown case for Chase Utley is a drum I'll continue to beat until he gets his just desserts. If he does find his way into the Hall one day, I would hope it serves as impetus to right the wrongs done to the likes of Lou Whitaker and Bobby Grich, both second basemen north of 70 WAR. At 64.6 bWAR, Utley is the twelfth-most valuable second baseman of all time, per Baseball-Reference. What he lacks in accolades, Utley makes up for in his all-around game, being one of only four players to simultaneously have 250 home runs, 150 stolen bases, and 100 runs saved on defense. Like Jones, he has fewer than 2,000 hits, but only four players hit more than Utley's 252 home runs as a second baseman. Fellow second baseman, Jeff Kent, was recently elected to the Contemporary Era Committee largely on the strength of his 351 home runs being the most ever for a player at the position, the Mike Piazza argument, if you will. However, Kent's 55.4 bWAR is nine wins short of Utley.

Utley may not have been as overwhelmingly brilliant a hitter as, say, Ramirez or Rodriguez, but the amalgam of his skills are why all ten of us here at Fish On First voted for him. He saw his BBWAA percentage jump from 28.8 to 39.8 percent between 2024 and 2025, and as of Tuesday morning, he has received 60.0% of the vote, according to the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame Tracker. Until he is a Hall of Famer, you can expect to hear more from me about Chase Utley. 

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[Jose Herrera]

These are the players I'd vote for:

1. Dustin Pedroia

2. Mark Buehrle

3. Bobby Abreu

4.Cole Hamels

5. Felix Hernandez

6. David Wright

Consider picking the Marlins hat Mark.