Every week our Fringe boys Brad Packman and Emile Miller take us on a ride through the sports world with pieces that somehow manage to be funny, sharp, and surprisingly educational all at once. This week they are stepping into the shoes of Hall of Fame voters. Their ballots may not impact the real vote in Cooperstown, but they should, because these two actually know what they are talking about. So let’s get to it and check out their official 2026 HOF ballots.
Brad’s Ballot:
Votes: Beltrán, Wright, Buehrle, Hamels, Jones
Carlos Beltrán:
In a couple of months Carlos will become only the third player ever to make the Hall of Fame wearing a New York Mets hat. As a Mets fan, I can say I am both proud and slightly embarrassed. I assume Emile also put Carlos on his ballot as he is probably going to be the only player on my ballot inducted this year. Carlos is a unique player in that he probably makes the Hall of Fame in year nine or ten in a pre-SABR world, but with our modern understanding of his value he legitimately has a claim as a top five center fielder in the history of the sport. You can make a very strong argument that Willie Mays is the only player in the history of baseball with all five tools as strong as Carlos Beltrán’s.
Beltrán’s case is pretty clear. Had it not been for the writers making him wait due to his Astros involvement, he probably could have gotten over 90 percent in his first year.
David Wright:
David Wright is probably my favorite baseball player ever. When people describe Wright they often do his career a disservice. He had as good a decade in his twenties as any third baseman not named Eddie Mathews. His career OPS is higher than Carl Yastrzemski’s, Vladimir Guerrero Jr’s, Roberto Clemente’s, and Reggie Jackson’s.
Here is the crux of my argument for Wright. Players like Lou Whitaker do not make the Hall of Fame despite nearly two decades of good play because they never had truly great peaks. Wright had a couple seasons capable of winning MVP and then ten years of consistently good play. I actually think the most beneficial comparison for Wright is Dale Murphy, who is probably going to make it into the Hall this year because of one of the weird veteran ballots. They rarely get compared, but their careers were remarkably similar except that when Murphy got injured he was able to keep playing, but unfortunately at a bad level that hurt his rate stats. Despite retiring early, Wright still has a higher career WAR than both Mattingly and Murphy, who will probably both make the Hall this year.
Not that it is anyone’s business, but Mattingly definitely does not deserve to be a Hall of Famer. He was probably a worse player than Jason Kendall.
Update: The Contemporary Era Ballot Committee actually added Jeff Kent to the Hall of Fame instead of Mattingly or Murphy. Kent definitely had the least Hall of Fame vibes among the three, but arguably had the second best career. I would honestly be surprised if the Kent addition does not lead to Wright and Pedroia eventually making it, whether that be through the BBWAA or one of the seemingly five hundred other committees that now exist.
Mark Buehrle:
I can be talked out of Buehrle, who is admittedly the only player I do not have a strong conviction for, but his ability to pitch as much as he did is admirable if nothing else. The guy pitched 300 more innings than Jacob deGrom and Rich Hill combined, and those two are a combined 82 years old. The fewest innings he threw in a season after turning 22 came in his final year, when he still logged a “measly” 198. Winning a World Series with a franchise like the White Sox serves as a sufficient tie breaker for me to give him a vote.
Cole Hamels:
I say this as a Mets fan who hates Cole Hamels. He is not only really good at baseball, he is exceptionally underrated. I think Hamels is actually deserving of being a no doubt guy. I question whether we will see many pitchers get to 59 WAR again, which also happens to be exactly what Buehrle had. Hamels was consistently really good over a very long period, and his 123 career ERA plus is better than Greinke’s and Drysdale’s, two players who I do think are better than him. Hamels also had an all time postseason run where he won both NLCS and World Series MVP. The only thing that hurts him is that he never had a single iconic season. He maxed out at fifth in Cy Young voting, which sounds unimpressive, but in most of those seasons he was competing against prime Kershaw, Lincecum, and Halladay. In many ways Hamels is the Scott Rolen of pitchers.
Andruw Jones:
I am sure Emile will write a better explanation of why Jones should make it than I will, but his candidacy is simple. A top five defensive player in the history of the sport hit 400 homers. That is really all you need.
First 3 Out:
Chase Utley:
I hate Chase Utley so much. Anything I can do to damage his legacy in any capacity I will.
Alex Rodriguez:
I used to be sympathetic to steroid guys, but I have changed my stance. They knowingly broke the rules and competed against guys who were playing clean, taking money away from players who followed the rules. If I had to rank my sympathy tiers for accused steroid guys from most to least it would go: (Piazza and Bagwell), (Ortiz), (Bonds and Clemens), (A-Rod), and then lastly (Manny).
Félix Hernández:
Felix was awesome, but I cannot take him seriously if Johan Santana did not make it. Johan legitimately should have won three Cy Youngs and finished second in a fourth. People often say Felix was robbed in 2009 and 2014. That is not correct. Greinke had double his WAR in 2009 and a much higher ERA plus. In 2014 the case is closer, but Kluber still had more WAR and a lower FIP, which is enough for me to attribute the ERA gap to Seattle’s fly ball luck. If those seasons happened again today Felix would not win either race.
Emile’s Ballot:
Votes: Beltrán, Abreu, Jones, Buehrle, Hamels, Rodríguez
In addition to the six players I list above, if I actually had a BBWAA ballot I would have voted for four more candidates to help further their candidacy and create some positive momentum. I do not necessarily believe they deserve to get in this early, but they should stand a chance later. This group likely looks like Dustin Pedroia, David Wright, Chase Utley, and Felix Hernandez.
Dustin Pedroia and David Wright:
With Jeff Kent now in the Hall, it would feel irresponsible to not vote for both of these infielders with high peaks and injury issues. Both have a real chance to get in later. While I think Pedroia had the higher peak, I agree with Brad’s explanation and think their cases are similar enough to justify both receiving votes.
Chase Utley:
I think Utley is closer to getting in than many believe. He is an analytics darling with the full support of advanced stats. Although he is widely disliked, his Hall case is hard to ignore.
Félix Hernández:
You could easily convince me he does not deserve a vote. I know that is a strange way to begin, but his case feels the weakest. Still, his peak is undeniable and that buys him a few years from me.
Anyway, onto the real vote getters.
Carlos Beltrán:
Beltrán’s case feels straightforward. A twenty year career, over 70 WAR, excellent offensive numbers in both advanced and traditional metrics, over 400 homers, 1500 RBIs, and 300 steals. Add in a world championship in his final season and you have a player who checks every Hall of Fame box. The only knock is the Astros scandal, but I do not think that will matter to most BBWAA voters.
Bobby Abreu:
While Abreu does not have the total dominance that Beltrán had, his case is still rock solid. He accumulated 60 WAR over his 18-year career. It feels like if Abreu had reached a few more arbitrary counting stat landmarks he would be viewed much more favorably. He finished with 288 home runs, 2470 hits, and 1361 RBIs. If he had reached 300, 2500, and 1400 he might already be in. Abreu was undervalued in his time, but he was still a true five tool player who finished with 400 steals, a 128 OPS plus over nearly two decades, and a .291 career average.
As the Hall of Fame itself notes, Abreu is one of only two players in history, along with Barry Bonds, with at least 1400 runs, 1400 walks, 1300 RBIs, and 400 stolen bases. That has to matter.
Andruw Jones:
Jones’ Hall of Fame case is very easy. He was an elite defensive center fielder who won ten Gold Gloves and also hit four hundred home runs. If you can field like that, hit like that, and sustain it for seventeen years, you belong in the Hall.
Mark Buehrle and Cole Hamels:
I originally planned to choose between them and leave the other off, but after comparing them for so long I eventually just decided to vote for both. I originally felt Buehrle was more likely to be excluded, but I had a change of heart about what I valued in pitching. Buehrle’s claim to fame is durability and efficiency. He pitched over 200 innings in 14 straight seasons and ended with over 200 wins. Add in Gold Gloves, a World Series championship, a no hitter, and a perfect game, and while nothing in his case is extraordinary, the totality is convincing.
For Hamels, I echo Brad’s sentiment. His flaw is the lack of a single iconic season, but he was really good for more than a decade and had a legendary postseason run. In the end, both 59 WAR pitchers get a vote.
Álex Rodríguez:
Oh boy. I believe that A-Rod, like Bonds and Clemens, belongs in the Hall. No matter what you think of A-Rod the person, and honestly I could argue the Bronson Arroyo slap is more disqualifying than anything else, he was a great player well before any PED involvement. Within four years of becoming a regular he had already matched the Baines Meter, and by age 27 he was at 64 WAR. If that were his entire career he would already be in.
No one disputes his stats, so I will not list them all. Generational players who are arguably top five all time at their position should be in the Hall. I understand why people leave him off, but I disagree with most of those arguments. In a strange way, being suspended once during an era of actual PED testing feels less disqualifying than some of the pre testing era chaos. Still, this may keep him out forever.
First Few Out:
Manny Ramirez:
Manny, oh Manny. As much as I love him, there are too many reasons to leave him off. Multiple suspensions in the testing era make it impossible to ignore. I would maybe vote for Manny if it were a weak class and he had many years left, but even then it would still be a stretch. He deserves a corner in Cooperstown where his swing and antics run on a loop.
Francisco Rodríguez:
I went back and forth on K-Rod. Being that high on the all time saves list is worthy of praise. However, the standards for closers entering the Hall within five years should be Rivera level. Rodriguez is not Rivera. I might vote for him in another year.