Ranking Every Player on the 2026 MLB Hall of Fame Ballot
The 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot will be released by the Baseball Writers' Association of America on Monday, with Cole Hamels and Ryan Braun headlining the list of newcomers set to join 15 holdovers from last year's ballot who received the five percent support necessary for another year of consideration.
Among the holdovers, Carlos Beltrán (70.3 percent) and Andruw Jones (66.2 percent) came the closest to receiving the 75 percent of votes necessary for induction, while Chase Utley (39.8 percent) also took a meaningful step forward.
Among this year's crop of newcomers, Hamels and Braun look like the only candidates to stick around for another year, which could mean a nice boost for some of the holdovers. Manny Ramirez is the only player in his 10th and final year of eligibility, and he received just 34.3 percent support in 2025.
Voting results for the 2026 Hall of Fame class will be revealed on Jan. 20, but for now, here is a ranking of all 33 players who are expected to be part of this year's ballot, ordered based on their career stats, accolades, reputation and likelihood of being enshrined.
Editor's Note: Portions of this article appeared in last year's version of our Hall of Fame ballot rankings.
Nos. 33-29
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33. RP Kelvin Herrera (10.1 WAR)
Herrera was a two-time All-Star and one of the best setup relievers in baseball at his peak, posting a 3.21 ERA in 522 appearances over a 10-year career. He was a key arm out of the Royals bullpen during their back-to-back World Series appearances in 2014 and 2015, posting a 1.26 ERA and 11.9 K/9 with two wins and six holds in 28.2 playoff innings.
32. SP Edinson Vólquez (5.9 WAR)
An All-Star as a rookie in 2008 when he finished 17-6 with a 3.21 ERA and 206 strikeouts in 196 innings, Vólquez never quite matched that level of success, but settled in as a solid workhorse. He finished 95-89 with a 4.45 ERA in 1,546.1 innings in 15 seasons, and won a ring with the Royals in 2015.
31. SP Jeff Samardzija (14.8 WAR)
A two-sport athlete at Notre Dame who was an All-American wide receiver, Samardzija chose baseball and developed into a reliable middle-of-the-rotation starter. He eclipsed 200 innings pitched five times and was an All-Star in 2014, finishing his 13-year career with a 4.15 ERA in 1,645.1 innings.
30. 2B Jason Kipnis (21.1 WAR)
Kipnis racked up 17.2 WAR during his first five full seasons in the majors, earning a pair of All-Star selections and capping off that run by helping Cleveland reach the 2016 World Series. Injuries limited him to just 402 games in his 30s, but for a short time, he was one of the best all-around second basemen in the league.
29. C Matt Wieters (18.2 WAR)
Wieters was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2007 draft and the No. 1 prospect in baseball prior to the 2009 season. He never quite lived up to those expectations, but he still put together a solid 12-year career, earning four All-Star selections and winning two Gold Glove Awards.
Nos. 28-24
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28. 1B Chris Davis (11.5 WAR)
The end of his career was ugly, but during his brief peak, Davis was one of the game's most feared sluggers. He finished third in AL MVP balloting in 2013 when he hit .286/.370/.634 with 53 home runs, 138 RBI and 7.1 WAR. Along with leading the AL in home runs and RBI that year, he also paced the league with 47 long balls in 2015, and he finished with 295 home runs in 13 seasons.
27. SP Gio Gonzalez (28.3 WAR)
During the nine-year stretch from 2010-18, Gonzalez went 120-86 with a 3.49 ERA while averaging 31 starts and 187 innings as one of the league's more reliable workhorses. He was a two-time All-Star and peaked in 2012 when he went 21-8 with a 2.89 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 207 strikeouts in 199.1 innings to finish third in NL Cy Young balloting.
26. 2B Daniel Murphy (20.8 WAR)
A late-bloomer who made his first All-Star team at the age of 29, Murphy won 2015 NLCS MVP with the Mets and then turned in the best seasons of his career in 2016 (.347/.390/.595, 77 XBH, 4.7 WAR) and 2017 (.322/.384/.543, 69 XBH, 3.2 WAR) with the Nationals. He was a career .296/.341/.455 hitter with 1,572 hits in 12 seasons.
25. SP Rick Porcello (18.8 WAR)
Porcello has a Cy Young on his mantle from the 2016 season when he went 22-4 with a 3.15 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 189 strikeouts in 223 innings. That performance was an outlier, but he was a rock-solid starter throughout a 12-year career that began at the age of 20, logging a 4.40 ERA in 2,096.1 innings.
24. 2B Howie Kendrick (35.0 WAR)
One of the most underrated second basemen of his era, Kendrick hit .294/.337/.430 for a 109 OPS-plus with 1,747 hits, 127 home runs and 126 steals in 15 seasons. He also added some postseason heroics late in his career, winning 2019 NLCS MVP in his age-35 season while helping the Nationals win a title.
Nos. 23-19
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23. OF Shin-Soo Choo (34.7 WAR)
Choo was a well-rounded offensive contributor with three 20/20 seasons and a 12.1 percent walk rate over 16 seasons in the majors, earning a seven-year, $130 million payday from the Rangers along the way. He tallied 1,671 hits, 218 home runs and 782 RBI while hitting .275/.377/.447 for a 122 OPS-plus.
22. OF Hunter Pence (30.9 WAR)
A fan favorite with an unorthodox approach to almost every aspect of the game, Pence was a four-time All-Star and two-time World Series winner. He logged seven 20-homer seasons, earned MVP votes four times and finished with 1,791 hits, 244 home runs, 942 RBI and 120 steals.
21. OF Matt Kemp (21.6 WAR)
Kemp was a homegrown face of the franchise for the Dodgers in the late 2000s and early 2010s, including a dynamic 2011 season where he hit .324/.399/.586 with 40 steals while leading the NL in home runs (39), RBI (126), runs scored (115) and WAR (8.0). He tallied just 1.8 WAR in 857 games after his age-27 campaign, but he was a bona fide star at his peak.
20. OF Nick Markakis (33.7 WAR)
A steady contributor over the course of a 15-year career, Markakis finished with 2,388 hits, 514 doubles, 189 home runs, 1,046 RBI and 1,119 runs scored. He made his first and only All-Star team at the age of 34 and only topped 20 home runs twice, but he was a rock solid all-around player who hit .288/.357/.423 and won three Gold Gloves in right field.
19. OF Alex Gordon (34.9 WAR)
Gordon looked like a flop early on in his big league career, but a shift from third base to left field jump-started his career and he developed into one of the best homegrown players in Royals history. He won eight Gold Gloves and two Platinum Gloves in the outfield, while also hitting .257/.338/.410 for a 102 OPS-plus with 190 home runs and 749 RBI.
Nos. 18-15
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18. SS Omar Vizquel (45.6 WAR)
Widely regarded as one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball history, Vizquel won 11 Gold Glove Awards over 24 seasons. A career 82 OPS-plus and off-field issues will likely keep him out of Cooperstown.
17. RP Francisco Rodríguez (24.2 WAR)
K-Rod burst onto the scene during the 2002 postseason, posting a 1.93 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 18.2 innings while tallying five wins and three holds as a 20-year-old rookie for the eventual World Series champion Angels. He quickly developed into one of the league's best closers in the years that followed, setting the single-season record with 62 saves in 2008 and racking up 437 career saves in 16 seasons to rank fourth on the all-time list.
16. DH Edwin Encarnación (35.3 WAR)
On the strength of eight straight 30-homer seasons, Encarnacion quietly piled up 424 homers and 1,261 RBI over 16 seasons in the majors. The late-bloomer did not record his first 30-homer campaign until he was 29 years old, otherwise he would have cruised past 500 long balls. Instead, his limited value outside of what he did in the batter's box likely leaves him in the "Hall of Very Good" category.
15. OF Ryan Braun (47.2 WAR)
Braun hit .313/.374/.568 while averaging 33 home runs, 21 steals and 5.5 WAR over his first six seasons in the majors, winning 2007 NL Rookie of the Year and 2011 NL MVP with five All-Star selections and five Silver Sluggers during that span. He later admitted to using PEDs during his MVP campaign and spent the second half of his career battling injuries, but he still finished with 352 home runs, 1,154 RBI and 216 steals as one of the most dynamic players of the last 2000s.
Nos. 14-11
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14. 3B David Wright (49.2 WAR)
Over his first six full seasons in the majors before injuries derailed his career, Wright hit .306/.387/.515 for a 137 OPS-plus while averaging 42 doubles, 27 home runs, 108 RBI, 103 runs scored, 23 steals and 4.8 WAR per 162 games. He ended up playing only 77 games after his age-31 season before spinal stenosis eventually ended his career or he might have been a no-doubt Hall of Famer.
13. SP Cole Hamels (59.0 WAR)
Hamels won NLCS and World Series MVP as a 24-year-old in 2008 while leading the Phillies to a title, then settled in as a consistent frontline performer over 15 seasons in the majors. A four-time All-Star who also received Cy Young votes four different times, he went 163-122 with a 3.43 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 2,560 strikeouts in 2,698 innings.
12. OF Torii Hunter (50.7 WAR)
With 2,452 hits, 353 home runs, 1,391 RBI and nine Gold Glove Awards, Hunter is one of the best two-way outfielders in the last 50 years. He was arguably the best defensive player in baseball at his peak with the Minnesota Twins, and he continued to produce well into his late 30s. He has yet to break 10 percent voting support in four years on the ballot, and he finished just above the cut line with 5.1 percent in 2025.
11. SP Mark Buehrle (59.1 WAR)
Buehrle rattled off 14 straight seasons of at least 200 innings pitched, and while he was never overpowering, he was the definition of a crafty left-hander who made the most of his stuff to win 214 games with a 3.81 ERA in 3,283.1 innings. He threw a no-hitter and a perfect game, and he won a World Series ring in 2005. He received 11.4 percent of the vote last year in his fifth year of eligibility.
10. SP Félix Hernández
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Stats: 418 GS, 169-136, 3.42 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 2,524 K, 2,729.2 IP
WAR: 49.8
Accolades: 6x All-Star, 1x Cy Young
Felix Hernández was squarely in the conversation for best pitcher in baseball at the peak of his career, which included 2010 AL Cy Young honors and three other top-five finishes in the balloting.
He made his MLB debut as a 19-year-old phenom, then promptly rattled off 10 straight seasons of at least 30 starts while anchoring the Seattle rotation. His 49.8 WAR is the fourth-highest mark in Mariners franchise history, well ahead of Randy Johnson (39.0) and behind only Ken Griffey Jr. (70.6), Edgar Martínez (68.4) and Ichiro Suzuki (56.4).
After a solid 20.6 percent showing in his first year on the ballot in 2025, it will be interesting to see if he can take another step forward this time around.
9. SS Jimmy Rollins
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Stats: 2,275 G, 95 OPS-plus, 2,455 H, 231 HR, 936 RBI, 470 SB
WAR: 47.9
Accolades: 3x All-Star, 4x Gold Glove, 1x Silver Slugger. 1x NL MVP, 1x WS winner
Jimmy Rollins falls in the same "Hall of Very Good" range as guys like Bert Campaneris (53.1 WAR), Jim Fregosi (48.7 WAR), Miguel Tejada (47.1 WAR), Tony Fernandez (45.3 WAR) and Troy Tulowitzki (44.5 WAR) in terms of career WAR among shortstops.
His 2007 NL MVP award does raise his profile a bit higher, and he has a case for being the top shortstop of the era immediately following the primes of Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra and others.
His voting support has steadily improved in his four years on the ballot, from 9.4 to 12.9 to 14.8 to 18.0 percent, but he still has a long way to go.
8. 2B Dustin Pedroia
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Stats: 1,512 G, 113 OPS-plus, 1,805 H, 140 HR, 725 RBI, 138 SB
WAR: 51.8
Accolades: 4x All-Star, 4x Gold Glove, 1x Silver Slugger, 2x WS winner
The 2007 AL Rookie of the Year winner and 2008 AL MVP, Dustin Pedroia was a bona fide superstar for the Boston Red Sox who helped lead the team to World Series titles in 2007 and 2013.
A knee injury he suffered in his age-33 season cut his career short, otherwise he might have ended up with a more compelling Hall of Fame case, though his peak stacks up to some of the all-time greats at the position.
His 11.9 percent support from his first year of eligibility in 2025 will need to increase significantly for him to move onto a trajectory for enshrinement.
7. SP Andy Pettitte
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Stats: 521 GS, 256-153, 3.85 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 2,448 K, 3,316.0 IP
WAR: 60.2
Accolades: 3x All-Star, 5x WS winner
It would be interesting to see what type of support Andy Pettitte would receive from voters if not for a positive PED test and admission of use in an effort to return faster from an injury.
With 256 wins and a 3.85 ERA over 3,316 innings, he does not have a slam-dunk case from a regular-season standpoint, but his 3.81 ERA over 276.2 innings in the playoffs and five World Series rings might have been enough to push him over the top.
His voting support saw a healthy jump to 27.9 percent last year after a previous high of 17.0 percent over his first six years on the ballot, but he still has a long way to go and only three more tries to get there.
6. OF Bobby Abreu
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Stats: 2,425 G, 128 OPS-plus, 2,470 H, 288 HR, 1,363 RBI, 400 SB
WAR: 60.2
Accolades: 2x All-Star, 1x Gold Glove, 1x Silver Slugger
One of the most underrated players in MLB history, Bobby Abreu was an on-base machine throughout his career and a perennial 20/20 player during his prime with the Philadelphia Phillies.
He was a 5-WAR player seven different times over his 18-year career, and he ranks in the top 25 of all time in doubles (574, 25th) and walks (1,476, 20th).
Over three years, his backing increased from 15.4 percent to 19.5 percent. With the ballot clearing, he could see an upward trend in his seventh year.
5. 2B Chase Utley
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Stats: 1,937 G, 117 OPS-plus, 1,885 H, 259 HR, 1,025 RBI, 154 SB
WAR: 64.5
Accolades: 6x All-Star, 4x Silver Slugger, 1x WS winner
During his first five seasons as an everyday player, Chase Utley hit .301/.388/.535 for a 135 OPS-plus while averaging 39 doubles, 29 home runs, 101 RBI, 111 runs scored and 7.9 WAR.
A few more seasons of that peak performance would have given him a more compelling body of work, but he was already 26 years old when he finally earned an everyday role. Still, his 64.5 WAR ranks 15th all-time among second basemen, slotted right in between Hall of Famers Craig Biggio (65.5) and Jackie Robinson (63.9).
For comparison's sake, Biggio received 68.2 percent of the vote in his first year on the ballot and took three years to get over the hump. Utley checked in with just 28.8 percent support in his first year of eligibility in 2024, but he saw that jump to 39.8 percent last year.
4. OF Carlos Beltrán
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Stats: 2,586 G, 119 OPS-plus, 2,725 H, 435 HR, 1,587 RBI, 312 SB
WAR: 70.1
Accolades: 9x All-Star, 3x Gold Glove, 2x Silver Slugger, 1x WS winner
Carlos Beltrán is one of only five players in MLB history with 400 home runs and 300 steals, joining Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Willie Mays and Andre Dawson.
He won AL Rookie of the Year in 1999 with the Kansas City Royals, had a 38-homer, 42-steal contract year in 2004, and made good on a seven-year, $119 million deal with the New York Mets. One of the best switch-hitters of his era, he was also a .307/.412/.609 hitter with 16 home runs in 65 career postseason games.
After receiving 46.5 percent and 57.1 percent in his first two years on the ballot, he made a serious run at induction last year with 70.3 percent support. With a thin class of newcomers to the ballot, the odds are high he'll get that remaining 4.7 percent this time around.
3. OF Manny Ramirez
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Stats: 2,302 G, 154 OPS-plus, 2,574 H, 555 HR, 1,831 RBI, 38 SB
WAR: 69.3
Accolades: 12x All-Star, 9x Silver Slugger, 2x WS winner
A pair of PED-related suspensions at the end of his career have thus far kept Manny Ramirez out of the Hall of Fame, and his 34.3 percent support in 2025 likely gives him an insurmountable amount of ground to make up in his final year of eligibility.
He finished in the top 10 in AL MVP voting eight years in a row in his prime, posting a 163 OPS-plus while averaging 35 doubles, 41 home runs and 130 RBI during that span. He ranks in the top 20 of all time in home runs (555, 15th) and RBI (1,831, 20th).
On top of his impressive regular-season numbers, Ramirez also logged a .937 OPS with 29 home runs and 78 RBI in 111 career postseason games, winning rings with the Boston Red Sox in 2004 and 2007.
2. SS/3B Alex Rodriguez
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Stats: 2,784 G, 140 OPS-plus, 3,115 H, 696 HR, 2,086 RBI, 329 SB
WAR: 117.6
Accolades: 14x All-Star, 2x Gold Glove, 10x Silver Slugger, 3x AL MVP, 1x WS winner
Everyone ranked below Alex Rodriguez on this list is either also a PED user, a fringe Hall of Fame candidate or a "Hall of Very Good" player. Everyone ranked ahead of him should be considered a slam-dunk Hall of Famer.
A-Rod is being used at the dividing line because in terms of statistical production, he is one of the greatest players to step onto a baseball field. He successfully lived up to the immense hype that surrounded him when he was chosen No. 1 overall in the 1993 draft and then made his MLB debut a year later at the age of 18.
Rodriguez admitted to using PEDs during his time with the Texas Rangers, and after watching Barry Bonds fall off the ballot without getting to 75 percent, it's likely he will suffer a similar fate. So far, he has received 34.3, 35.7, 34.8 and 37.1 percent of the vote in his four years of eligibility, and this year will be telling with a thinned out ballot.
1. OF Andruw Jones
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Stats: 2,196 G, 111 OPS-plus, 1,933 H, 434 HR, 1,289 RBI, 152 SB
WAR: 62.7
Accolades: 5x All-Star, 10x Gold Glove, 1x Silver Slugger
Here's a list of every player who won 10 Gold Glove Awards and hit 400 home runs in their careers:
Ken Griffey Jr.
Andruw Jones
Willie Mays
Mike Schmidt
Jones hit 368 home runs and tallied 61.0 WAR in 12 seasons with the Atlanta Braves through his age-30 season. That essentially became his career body of work when injuries limited him to 435 games and 1.7 WAR for the remainder of his career after he left Atlanta.
His eight years on the ballot have gone 7.3 percent, 7.5 percent, 19.4 percent, 33.9 percent, 41.4 percent, 58.1 percent, 61.6 percent and 66.2 percent, so he is trending in the right direction with two more chances to earn his place among baseball's immortals.
