Hall of Fame 2026: Who's In, Who's Out, and What's the Deal?

The Baseball Hall of Fame is set to reveal its 2026 class, but the ballot isn't looking too promising. Last year's ballot was already considered weak, but this year's lineup is even less impressive.

Top Candidates

• Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones, both center fielders, are the top candidates.
• The ballot includes 27 players with a combined 1,282 WAR, but only 11 of them have more than 50 career WAR.
• Compared to the 2013 ballot, which had 37 candidates with a combined 1,672 WAR and 16 players over 50 WAR, this year's ballot is lackluster.

Beltran and Jones' Chances

• Carlos Beltran is polling at 89.2% on public ballots.
• Andruw Jones is at 83.5%.
• However, last year, Beltran dropped 10 points to 70.3%, and Jones lost about 6 points to 66.2%.

If they get in, it would be a big deal for center fielders, who are underrepresented in the Hall. There are only four center fielders in the Hall since 1960, fewer than any other position except designated hitters.

Other Players to Watch

• Chase Utley is polling at 67.9% on public ballots, up from 39.8% last year.
• Cole Hamels is on the ballot for the first time with 57.9 career WAR.
• Andy Pettitte and Mark Buehrle are also on the ballot with similar stats to CC Sabathia, who got in last year.

Injured Stars

• Dustin Pedroia and David Wright were on their way to the Hall before injuries cut their careers short.
• They still have a chance, especially if the Hall starts valuing peak performance more.

Controversial Figures

• Alex Rodriguez is on the ballot for the fifth time, and Manny Ramirez is in his final year.
• Rodriguez recently said he's given up on making it, and it's looking that way. He only got 37% of the vote last year.