My MLB Hall of Fame Ballot

Logo of the MLB Hall of Fame from localsyr.com

With Hall of Fame voting now open for a projected slim 2026 class, this feels like a good time to share who I would’ve voted for (if I was given a ballot). I won’t list out all the rules in this article, but you can read about them here, here, here, here, or here if you would like to.

All the Players on the Ballot:
Bobby Abreu
Carlos Beltrán
Ryan Braun
Mark Buehrle
Shin-Soo Choo
Edwin Encarnación
Gio González
Alex Gordon
Cole Hamels
Félix Hernández
Torii Hunter
Andruw Jones
Matt Kemp
Howie Kendrick
Nick Markakis
Daniel Murphy
Dustin Pedroia
Hunter Pence
Andy Pettitte
Rick Porcello
Manny Ramírez
Álex Rodríguez
Francisco Rodríguez
Jimmy Rollins
Chase Utley
Omar Vizquel
David Wright

This year’s ballot contains 15 returning players along with 12 newcomers.

Below are my selections in bold. I am allowed to select up to 10 players.

Bobby Abreu
Carlos Beltrán
Ryan Braun
Mark Buehrle
Shin-Soo Choo
Edwin Encarnación
Gio González
Alex Gordon
Cole Hamels
Félix Hernández
Torii Hunter
Andruw Jones
Matt Kemp
Howie Kendrick
Nick Markakis
Daniel Murphy
Dustin Pedroia
Hunter Pence
Andy Pettitte
Rick Porcello
Manny Ramírez
Álex Rodríguez
Francisco Rodríguez
Jimmy Rollins
Chase Utley
Omar Vizquel
David Wright

Explanation:
I think Carlos Beltrán, Chase Utley, and Andruw Jones are no-brainers just by how great their careers were. I don’t want to get into the whole PED thing with Alex Rodríguez and Manny Ramírez, but my main reasons for voting for them was that (number 1) they were never actually found to be on steroids for sure, and (number 2) even if they were, they had too many good years to be left off the ballot. It is also Manny Ramirez’s last year on the ballot. For me, voting for Félix Hernández is more about keeping him on the ballot. I want him to get a fair shot at the Hall. That reasoning is the same for Francisco Rodríguez and Mark Buehrle. For Bobby Abreu, it was all about stats. His career batting average was .291, and he had great plate discipline. In 2006, he lead the league in walks. Not to mention, he was a 2x All-Star, a HR Derby Champion, a Gold Glover, and a Sliver Slugger.

Note: I plan to do a full article on my thoughts on this year’s Hall of Fame crop and take my analysis on these players to a deeper level. I hope you enjoyed this brief analysis.

Thanks for reading!