Post by : Maya Rahman

The National Baseball Hall of Fame has unveiled its 2026 ballot, showcasing 12 newcomers eligible for induction. This announcement took place on Monday in Cooperstown, New York, and the list will be distributed to over 400 members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) for their votes. Leading the list of fresh candidates are Ryan Braun, a former Most Valuable Player, and Rick Porcello, who won the Cy Young Award.

Ryan Braun spent his entire 14-year major league career with the Milwaukee Brewers, earning the National League MVP title in 2011 after a stellar season with a .332 batting average, 33 home runs, and 111 RBIs. In the subsequent season, he again made headlines by finishing second in the MVP race, leading in runs (108) and homers (41), alongside 112 RBIs. However, Braun's legacy may be overshadowed by his 65-game suspension in 2013 due to a performance-enhancing drugs controversy.

Rick Porcello clinched the American League Cy Young Award in 2016, boasting an impressive 22-4 record with a 3.15 ERA and leading MLB with a 5.91 strikeout-to-walk ratio while pitching for the Boston Red Sox. Nonetheless, the following year saw Porcello struggle, leading in losses (17) and home runs allowed, marking a key figure among the pitchers on this year's ballot.

In addition to Braun and Porcello, the first-time candidates also include outfielders Matt Kemp, Shin-Soo Choo, Nick Markakis, and Hunter Pence; infielders Howie Kendrick and Daniel Murphy; designated hitter-infielder Edwin Encarnacion; outfielder-infielder Alex Gordon; along with pitchers Cole Hamels and Gio Gonzalez. They join 15 returning players from the 2025 ballot who garnered enough votes to remain in contention.

To achieve induction into the Hall of Fame, a player must obtain a minimum of 75% of the votes cast. Candidates who fail to meet this criterion can remain on the ballot for up to ten years, provided they secure at least 5% of the vote. Last year saw Ichiro Suzuki being inducted with an impressive 99.7% of ballots, alongside CC Sabathia (86.8%) and Billy Wagner (82.5%).

Other notable players under consideration include Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones, who nearly reached election with respective vote shares of 70.3% and 66.2% in earlier years. This year also signifies the last opportunity for Manny Ramirez, who secured 34.3% last year; despite his exceptional stats—.312 career batting average, 2,574 hits, 555 home runs, and 1,831 RBIs—issues related to past PED suspensions have marred his prospects. Similarly, Alex Rodriguez faces scrutiny, having received 37.1% of votes last year.

Several noteworthy players are holdovers this time, including pitchers Mark Buehrle, Felix Hernandez, Andy Pettitte, and Francisco Rodriguez, as well as infielders Dustin Pedroia, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Omar Vizquel, and David Wright. Voting results for the 2026 Hall of Fame class will be revealed on January 20, with the induction ceremony planned for July 27 in Cooperstown.

#Sports News