2026 Hall Of Fame Ballot

The following players are on the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot for 2026. There are 27 total candidates, with 12 newcomers joining 15 holdovers from last year's ballot. Here is the list of new names, followed by the returning players: 

Ryan Braun 

Shin-Soo Choo 

Edwin Encarnacion 

Gio Gonzalez 

Alex Gordon 

Cole Hamels 

Matt Kemp 

Howie Kendrick 

Nick Markakis 

Daniel Murphy 

Hunter Pence 

Rick Porcello 

Manny Ramirez (10th year on the ballot) 

Andruw Jones (9th) 

Omar Vizquel (9th) 

Andy Pettitte (8th) 

Bobby Abreu (7th) 

Mark Buehrle (6th) 

Torii Hunter (6th) 

Alex Rodriguez (5th) 

Jimmy Rollins (5th) 

Carlos Beltran (4th) 

Francisco Rodriguez (4th) 

Chase Utley (3rd) 

David Wright (3rd) 

     Each voter can vote for up to ten players for the Hall of Fame. If I were a voter, I'd cast my ballots for Andruw Jones, Bobby Abreu, and Chase Utley. 

Andruw Jones was a standout defensive centerfielder (10 consecutive Gold Gloves) and a feared slugger (434 home runs). The highlight of his career came in 2005, when he placed second for the NL MVP Award in 2005 after leading the league in homers (51) and RBI's (128). However, a brutal end to his career leaves him with a .254 career batting average and a lack of certain counting stats, and so far the voters haven't been able to look past that. Despite the decline, I still think his career is worthy of inclusion in the Hall. 

Bobby Abreu was one of the most underrated players of his day. Rarely a league leader in offense, Abreu quietly collected 2,470 hits, 400 stolen bases, and eight 100-RBI seasons. His career slash line was .291 / .395 / .470, and he captured a Gold Glove in 2005. After an entire career and six years on the ballot without being fully appreciated, I think it's time for him to earn his plaque. 

Chase Utley was an outstanding defensive second baseman who also provided considerable power, belting 259 career homers, including three seasons with over 30. Perhaps an even bigger impact player during the postseason, Utley was vital to the Phillies' run of five consecutive playoff appearances from 2007 through 2011, Utley tied Reggie Jackson's record with five home runs in the 2009 World Series. 

As usual, I will bypass the steroid users on this list, as well as Carlos Beltran, who was involved in the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal in 2017. I would like to extend honorable mentions to Torii Hunter, a nine-time Gold Glove winner who hit 353 homers; Francisco Rodriguez, who owns the single-season save record with 62 and 437 in his career; and Hunter Pence, one of the most inspirational players of his generation and a significant role-player on the San Francisco Giants' championship teams of 2012 and 2014. 

Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 56 - Kiki Cuyler

Kiki Cuyler was a Major League outfielder from 1921 through 1938, putting in his best work with the Pirates and the Cubs. A career .321 hitter known for his speed, Cuyler led the NL four times in stolen bases and twice in runs scored. He was elected to the Hall by the Veterans Committee in 1968. 

    While Cuyler was a fine player and a key contributor to some good teams, he was not an ideal choice for the Hall of Fame. While his .321 batting average looks shiny, it has to be taken with a grain of salt considering the era in which he played: for example, in 1930 (Cuyler's best season on paper), the entire National League maintained a batting average of .303, demonstrating a general boom in offense that needs to be accounted for. Even in a more statistically-balanced era, Cuyler's career statistics would be a little thin for a Hall of Fame outfielder, as he compiled 2,299 career hits, 128 home runs, and 1,065 RBI's, strong numbers but below the Hall of Fame average. While the Hall has certainly made worse selections, Cuyler missed out on his chance with the BBWAA and was scooped up by the VC, certainly making him a lucky Hall of Famer. 

My opinion: Kiki Cuyler wasn't an egregious Hall of Fame selection, but he is definitely near the weaker end.

Requiescat In Pace, Ryne Sandberg

In Memoriam

Ryne Sandberg (1959-2025)

Hall of Famer, 1984 NL MVP, 10x All-Star, 9x Gold Glove winner, 7x Silver Slugger, 1984 Sporting News Major League POY, 1990 HR Derby champ, 1990 NL HR champ. "Ryno."

Ryne Sandberg died yesterday at age 65. 

Eternal rest grant to him, Oh Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. 

Requiescat In Pace, Dave Parker

In Memoriam

Dave Parker (1951-2025)

1978 NL MVP, 7x All-Star, 3x Silver Slugger, 3x Gold Glove RF, 2x WS winner (1979 PIT, 1989 OAK), 2x batting champion, 2,712 hits, 339 HR, 1985 HR Derby winner. Will be posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame next month. The "Cobra."

Dave Parker passed away yesterday at the age of 74. 

Eternal rest grant to him, Oh Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. 

Reinstated?

    In my last post, I put the blog on hiatus until further notice, which could be quite a while, but I said that I may hop back on if something extraordinary happens. Well, I didn't anything to happen so soon, but I guess this would count as extraordinary enough. 

    Today, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred reinstated 18 players formerly banished from baseball, most notably Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson. This means that they are no longer on MLB's permanently ineligible list and can now be considered for election to the Hall of Fame. Manfred claimed that the punishment of being banned serves its purpose once the banished individual passes away. 

    As anyone who knows me might guess, I have a few words to say on this topic. 

    As I've stated before, I am opposed to Rose's induction, my reasons being that he admitted to breaking the one rule you don't break - betting on games that you're involved in. Although he claimed only to bet on his team to win (which I believe), that's still enough to get him banned. He broke the one rule, and he knew it. On the other hand, Shoeless Joe was actually found not guilty on trial, and there is reason to believe that he had nothing to do with throwing the World Series (unless you think batting .375 with no fielding errors and the only home run of the Series is throwing). The story goes that he took money from gamblers, but he didn't attend meetings from the gamblers and tried to return the money to manager Charlie Comiskey. That may sound hard to believe, but given other stories about Jackson, that might be the most believable. 

    While reinstating Pete Rose was a mistake, in my opinion, what's a worse mistake is Manfred's lifting of all bans on a player's death. For one thing, it's a slap in the face - if Rose were ever inducted into the Hall of Fame, it's almost an insult to reinstate him ten months after his passing. At the same time, it just shows how spineless MLB can be when disciplining players. The threat of a permanent ban no longer exists, and while a banished great may discontentedly live out his days without an induction ceremony, he could satisfy himself with the thought that he'll just be inducted later. The Hall of Fame is about honor, and if a player is so dishonorable as not to be honored while living, then he should not be honored at all. 

Introduction To The Pre-Pros (And An Announcement)

    Prior to the dawn of professional baseball, the sport was finding its footing with amateur teams. In May of 1857, delegates from 16 clubs in the New York area met to set guidelines for the game of baseball. In 1858, they convened again and formed an organization called the National Association of Base Ball Players. This association drafted a constitution and bylaws governing the sport both on and off the field. They also agreed to hold annual meetings every March, when most business was being transacted. The Association continued to grow every year until the outset of the Civil War. 

    After the Civil War, America's interest in baseball skyrocketed, and by 1867 there were so many interested clubs that the convention passed two new rules governing the Association: that clubs could be represented by state representatives (to decrease the number of delegates), and that teams could apply for probationary membership at any time of the year. 

    As baseball became more popular in the minds of many Americans, many better teams began to pay some of their players, even though this was strictly forbidden. In 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first team to openly pay their players - and won all 57 games they played. By 1870, the National Association was clearly divided into two camps - amateurs and professionals - and it was becoming obvious that they could not continue to coexist. 

    Shortly before the 1871 season, several professional teams formed the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NA), widely considered the first Major League. Undaunted, the remaining teams formed a new group called the National Association of Amateur Base Ball Players, but as all the best players moved on to the pros, so did national interest, and within two years the amateur association was gone.  

    In order to properly represent this era of baseball history, I think it is fair to induct its best players into the Hall of Fame. It's true that a handful of Hall of Famers' careers spanned both the pre-pro and early professional eras, so it can be demonstrated that the best pre-professional players were about as good as some of the earliest players currently in Cooperstown. 

    As statkeeping was far less developed in baseball's early days, the records they kept look quite different from the stats we keep today. At first, only games played (G), runs scored (R), and hands lost (HL; similar to outs) were kept, followed by hits and total bases. In time statkeepers began to keep track of hits per game (the first attempt at a rudimentary "batting average") and runs scored per game. A typical stat line from the 1860's might look like this: 

50 G, 160 R (A 3 O 10), 120 HL (A 2 O 20), 170 H (A 3 O 20), 210 TB (A 4 O 10) 

Where "A" means "average" and "O" means "over," or the remainder. In time the A's and O's became decimal averages, and this player's hits per game average would simply be portrayed as 3.40. 

    Without further ado, let me introduce my pre-pro candidates: 

Dickey Pearce 

1857 (Atlantic - SS) 

8 G, 22 HL, 28 R 

1858 (Atlantic - SS) 

8 G, 26 HL, 21 R 

1859 (Atlantic - SS) 

12 G, 23 HL, 44 R 

1860 (Atlantic - SS / C) 

16 G, 46 HL, 37 R 

1861 (Atlantic - C / SS) 

10 G, 27 HL, 37 R 

1862 (Atlantic - C) 

5 G, 13 HL, 13 R 

1863 (Atlantic - C) 

11 G, 32 HL, 30 R 

1864 (Atlantic - C / SS / OF) 

20 G, 62 HL, 94 R 

1865 (Atlantic - C / SS / 2B) 

17 G, 55 HL, 64 R 

1866 (Atlantic - SS / OF) 

12 G, 39 HL, 41 R 

1867 (Atlantic - SS / 3B / C / OF) 

23 G, 70 HL, 83 R 

1868 (Atlantic - SS / OF) 

45 G, 139 HL, 191 R, 185 H, 222 TB 

1869 (Atlantic - SS) 

47 G, 154 HL, 174 R, 175 H, 236 TB 

1870 (Atlantic - SS) 

55 G, 129 H, 165 TB 

1871 (New York, NA - SS) 

33 G, 31 R, 44 H, 49 TB 

1872 (New York, NA - SS / OF) 

44 G, 32 R, 39 H, 46 TB 

1873 (Brooklyn, NA - SS / 1B / 2B) 

55 G, 42 R, 72 H, 81 TB 

1874 (Brooklyn, NA - SS / 3B / 2B) 

56 G, 48 R, 75 H, 76 TB 

1875 (St. Louis, NA - SS / P) 

70 G, 51 R, 77 H, 89 TB 

1876 (St. Louis, NL - SS / 2B / OF) 

25 G, 12 R, 21 H, 22 TB 

1877 (St. Louis, NL - SS) 

8 G, 1 R, 5 H, 5 TB 

Joe Start 

1860 (Enterprise - 3B / 1B) 

6 G, 15 HL, 13 R 

1861 (Enterprise - 1B / 3B) 

7 G, 12 HL, 29 R 

1862 (Atlantic - 1B) 

4 G, 11 HL, 6 R 

1863 (Atlantic - 1B / OF / SS) 

9 G, 26 HL, 23 R 

1864 (Atlantic - 1B / 3B) 

18 G, 47 HL, 82 R 

1865 (Atlantic - 1B) 

18 G, 39 HL, 82 R 

1866 (Atlantic - 1B) 

16 G, 37 HL, 69 R 

1867 (Atlantic - 1B) 

19 G, 40 HL, 83 R 

1868 (Atlantic - 1B) 

52 G, 122 HL, 235 R, 233 H, 283 TB 

1869 (Atlantic - 1B) 

46 G, 119 HL, 202 R, 203 H, 341 TB 

1870 (Atlantic - 1B) 

56 G, 161 H, 269 TB 

1871 (New York, NA - 1B) 

33 G, 35 R, 58 H, 68 TB 

1872 (New York, NA - 1B) 

54 G, 60 R, 75 H, 80 TB 

1873 (New York, NA - 1B / OF) 

53 G, 42 R, 67 H, 84 TB 

1874 (New York, NA - 1B / OF) 

63 G, 67 R, 96 H, 121 TB 

1875 (New York, NA - 1B) 

69 G, 58 R, 90 H, 122 TB 

1876 (New York, NL - 1B) 

56 G, 40 R, 73 H, 79 TB 

1877 (Brooklyn, NL - 1B) 

60 G, 55 R, 90 H, 108 TB 

1878 (Chicago, NL - 1B) 

61 G, 58 R, 100 H, 125 TB 

1879 (Providence, NL - 1B / OF) 

66 G, 70 R, 101 H, 128 TB 

1880 (Providence, NL - 1B) 

82 G, 53 R, 92 H, 122 TB 

1881 (Providence, NL - 1B) 

79 G, 56 R, 114 H, 138 TB 

1882 (Providence, NL - 1B) 

82 G, 58 R, 117 H, 145 TB 

1883 (Providence, NL - 1B) 

87 G, 63 R, 105 H, 138 TB 

1884 (Providence, NL - 1B) 

93 G, 80 R, 105 H, 131 TB 

1885 (Providence, NL - 1B) 

101 G, 47 R, 103 H, 122 TB 

1886 (Washington, NL - 1B) 

31 G, 10 R, 27 H, 33 TB 

Lip Pike 

1866 (Athletic - 3B / OF / 2B) 

16 G, 49 HL, 100 R 

1867 (Mutual - OF / 3B / 2B / 1B; Irvington - 3B) 

27 G, 70 HL, 101 R 

1868 (Mutual - OF) 

25 G, 83 HL, 60 R, 82 H, 109 TB 

1869 (Atlantic - 2B) 

48 G, 112 HL, 193 R, 175 H, 325 TB 

1870 (Atlantic - 2B) 

58 G, 144 H, 266 TB 

1871 (Troy, NA - OF / 2B / 1B) 

28 G, 43 R, 49 H, 85 TB 

1872 (Baltimore, NA - OF / 2B / 3B) 

56 G, 68 R, 85 H, 131 TB 

1873 (Baltimore, NA - OF / 2B) 

56 G, 71 R, 90 H, 133 TB 

1874 (Hartford, NA - OF / SS / 2B / 3B) 

52 G, 58 R, 83 H, 118 TB 

1875 (St. Louis, NA - OF / 2B / 3B / SS) 

70 G, 61 R, 108 H, 154 TB 

1876 (St. Louis, NL - OF / 2B) 

63 G, 55 R, 91 H, 133 TB 

1877 (Cincinnati, NL - OF / 2B / SS) 

58 G, 45 R, 78 H, 110 TB 

1878 (Cincinnati, NL - OF; Providence, NL - 2B) 

36 G, 32 R, 52 H, 61 TB 

1881 (Worcester, NL - OF) 

5 G, 1 R, 2 H, 2 TB 

1887 (New York, AA - OF) 

1 G, 0 R, 0 H, 0 TB 

Levi Meyerle 

1867 (Geary) 

25 G, 43 HL, 110 R 

1868 (Geary - P) 

10 G, 21 HL, 41 R 

1869 (Philadelphia Athletic - OF / C / P) 

34 G, 98 HL, 135 R, 128 H, 205 TB 

1870 (Chicago - 3B / P) 

Batting: 63 G, 213 H, 327 TB 

Pitching: 217 IP, 257 H 

1871 (Philadelphia, NA - 3B / P) 

26 G, 45 R, 64 H, 91 TB 

1872 (Philadelphia, NA - OF / 3B) 

27 G, 31 R, 48 H, 71 TB 

1873 (Philadelphia, NA - 3B / SS) 

48 G, 53 R, 83 H, 114 TB 

1874 (Chicago, NA - 2B / 3B / SS / OF) 

53 G, 65 R, 100 H, 124 TB 

1875 (Philadelphia Whites, 2B / 3B / 1B) 

68 G, 55 R, 95 H, 128 TB 

1876 (Philadelphia, NL - 3B / 2B / P / OF) 

55 G, 46 R, 87 H, 115 TB 

1877 (Cincinnati, NL - SS / 2B / OF) 

27 G, 11 R, 35 H, 46 TB 

1884 (Philadelphia, UA - 1B / OF) 

3 G, 0 R, 1 H, 2 TB 

Cal McVey 

1868 (Active - P / 2B / 3B) 

13 G, 30 HL, 68 R 

1869 (Cincinnati - OF) 

57 G, 146 HL, 262 R, 217 H, 348 TB 

1870 (Cincinnati - OF) 

72 G, 262 H, 389 TB 

1871 (Boston, NA - C / OF / 3B) 

29 G, 43 R, 66 H, 85 TB 

1872 (Boston, NA - C / OF / 3B) 

46 G, 56 R, 76 H, 90 TB 

1873 (Boston, NA - C / OF / SS / 2B / 3B / 1B) 

38 G, 49 R, 73 H, 94 TB 

1874 (Boston, NA - OF / C) 

70 G, 91 R, 123 H, 165 TB 

1875 (Boston, NA - 1B / OF / C / P) 

82 G, 89 R, 138 H, 201 TB 

1876 (Chicago, NL - 1B / P / C / 3B / OF) 

63 G, 62 R, 107 H, 125 TB 

1877 (Chicago, NL - C / 3B / P / 1B / 2B) 

60 G, 58 R, 98 H, 121 TB 

1878 (Cincinnati, NL - 3B / C) 

61 G, 43 R, 83 H, 107 TB 

1879 (Cincinnati, NL - 1B / OF / P / 3B / C) 

81 G, 64 R, 105 H, 135 TB 

Ross Barnes 

1868 (Forest City - SS) 

15 G, 35 HL, 75 R 

1869 (Forest City - SS) 

23 G, 62 HL, 134 R, 111 H, 174 TB 

1870 (Forest City - SS) 

56 G, 177 H, 243 TB 

1871 (Boston, NA - 2B / SS) 

31 G, 66 R, 63 H, 91 TB 

1872 (Boston, NA - 2B) 

45 G, 81 R, 99 H, 134 TB 

1873 (Boston, NA - 2B / 3B) 

60 G, 125 R, 138 H, 197 TB 

1874 (Boston, NA - 2B / OF) 

51 G, 72 R, 88 H, 108 TB 

1875 (Boston, NA - 2B / OF / SS) 

78 G, 115 R, 143 H, 174 TB 

1876 (Chicago, NL - 2B / P) 

66 G, 126 R, 138 H, 190 TB 

1877 (Chicago, NL - 2B) 

22 G, 16 R, 25 H, 26 TB 

1879 (Cincinnati, NL - SS / 2B) 

77 G, 55 R, 86 H, 102 TB 

1881 (Boston, NL - SS / 2B) 

69 G, 42 R, 80 H, 96 TB 

    As the title suggests, I have an announcement to make. This will be the final post on The Cooperstown Advocate until further notice. When I started this blog in 2020, I was a thirteen-year-old with very little responsibility and all the enthusiasm in the world about baseball and the Hall of Fame. I owe it to this blog for keeping me sane during the lockdown, helping me refine my writing skills, and finding new friends. 

    Alas, as they say, all things must come to an end. I have been relatively inactive here for the past year, a reality which has saddened me. I am now eighteen years old with a job, hopefully another one in the new future, a girlfriend (hopefully not another one in the near future), and will be heading off to college in the fall. This was a great part of my life, but I am heading into the next chapter. It is a bittersweet reality, but a reality nevertheless. 

    While this will be my farewell post, I may post every once in a while if something extraordinary happens, or simply to keep google from deleting this blog (which may not be in my power anyway). I still enjoy this blog, but simply do not have the time for it anymore. I may still try to use this content to publish a book, but only time will tell. 

    I would finally just like to thank all my readers, especially my brother Dominic and my friends John and Santi, who have kept this blog interesting with their insightful comments. I may not have continued blogging for so long if they had not read and commented on my work. 

    Thanks for the ride, everybody, and so long! 

2025 Hall Of Fame Ballot Results

The BBWAA's annual Hall of Fame voting results are in. 

Ichiro Suzuki - 99.7% of the vote 

CC Sabathia - 86.8% 

Billy Wagner - 82.5% 

Carlos Beltran - 70.3% 

Andruw Jones - 66.2% 

Chase Utley - 39.2% 

Alex Rodriguez - 37.1% 

Manny Ramirez - 34.3% 

Andy Pettitte - 27.9% 

Felix Hernandez - 20.6% 

Bobby Abreu - 19.5% 

Jimmy Rollins - 18.0% 

Omar Vizquel - 17.8% 

Dustin Pedroia - 11.9% 

Mark Buehrle - 11.4% 

Francisco Rodriguez - 10.2% 

David Wright - 8.1% 

Torii Hunter - 5.1% 

Dropoffs From Future Ballots 

Ian Kinsler - 2.5% 

Russell Martin - 2.3% 

Brian McCann - 1.8% 

Troy Tulowitzki - 1.0% 

Curtis Granderson - 0.8% 

Adam Jones - 0.8% 

Carlos Gonzalez - 0.5% 

Hanley Ramirez, Fernando Rodney, and Ben Zobrist - all squat 

Everybody knew that Ichiro would sail in on his first ballot; the only question was whether he would be the BBWAA's second unanimous selection. It turns out that he ended up one vote short. I really wouldn't want to be the guy who didn't vote for him right now... 

I found Sabathia's first-ballot selection a little surprising, but perfectly satisfactory. A six time all-star and 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner, Sabathia is one of only eight pitchers to win 100 or more games with two different teams, a feat he accomplished with the Indians and Yankees. 

At long last, Billy Wagner has made it to the Hall of Fame. In his final year of eligibility, Wagner made an 8.7% jump from last year's ballot and opens the door for a couple active closers (Kimbrel and Jansen) to make a run at the Hall in a few years. 

In only his second year on the ballot, Chase Utley received almost 40% of the vote (a 10.4% increase from last year), giving the impression that he will likely be inducted before his term expires. Hopefully that will be the case. 

Interestingly, Andy Pettitte more than doubled his vote tally from last year, finishing at 27.9% as opposed to 13.5% last year. This is rather unusual for a seventh year candidate, but I don't think he'll be inducted by the BBWAA (which is fine with me). 

Rather surprisingly, Felix Hernandez received 20.6% of the vote on his first ballot, which is a significant number. A popular player and truly elite pitcher for a while (he won the AL Cy Young Award in 2010 and finished second in two other seasons), King Felix was finished at 33 and seems to lack the traditional Hall of Fame pitching stats (169-136 record, 3.42 ERA). He may yet surprise me and end up in Cooperstown someday. 

I am also a little surprised that Pedroia debuted with 11.9% while Kinsler was booted off with 2.5% of the vote. I figured their careers were very similar and would be treated similarly by the voters, but I guess I was wrong. 

And once again, I must complain about Carlos Beltran's progress on the ballot. He received over 70% of the vote this time so he will almost certainly be inducted next year, but I still maintain that he should not. 

Congratulations to the Hall's three new inductees, who will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame in July.