Alright, so I figured it might be interesting to try and put together a mock Hall of Fame ballot for 2026. You know, just for fun, see how my thinking lines up or doesn’t with the actual process.
The Starting Point
First thing, I grabbed a cold beer and plopped down at my cluttered kitchen table. Opened my beat-up laptop and jumped onto a few baseball stat sites. Needed to see who was realistically showing up on that ballot next year. Started scribbling names on the back of an old envelope.
Tried to remember the big names retiring around now. Seemed like a decent bunch coming up. Had to think about who is still playing, who just retired last year, who gets the full five years since they stopped playing – that kinda stuff. Always tricky.
Started poking around stats. Not just the counting stats like homers and wins, but the newer stuff too. Like that WAR number everyone loves arguing about now. Scratched my head over some guys. Looked great one year, totally fell off a cliff the next. Always makes it tough.
Making the Cut
Grabbed a pen and wrote down the absolute locks. Guys who felt like they walked in on Day One. Think about it – multiple MVP awards, Cy Youngs, just dominated for years and years. Those were easy picks. Put checkmarks next to ’em without much fuss.
Then came the headache zone. The really good players, but maybe missing that one big thing. Maybe no massive career totals because injuries messed them up. Or solid stats but stuck under the shadow of bigger stars. Went through their Baseball Reference pages one by one. Said things like “Hmm, he only made four All-Star teams? Really?” or “Man, that one playoff run was insane though.” Spent way too long staring at one guy’s strikeout rate.
Realized I was making noises – sighing, scoffing, maybe a quiet “c’mon, really?” to myself. Knew I was getting too deep.
Waffling and Wrangling
Started second-guessing. Looked at the pile of names I was considering. Thought about the actual voters – what arguments would they use? Saw some whispers online already about PED stuff for a couple guys who were borderline without that hanging over them. Groaned. That cloud never goes away.
Crossed one name off my list. Put it back. Crossed it off again. Felt kinda ridiculous. Decided some were just Hall of Very Good material and put the envelope down. Needed a break.
The Final (For Now) List
Picked the envelope back up later. My gut had settled a bit. Ended up circling ten names. Yeah, I know the ballot allows that, and I usually stick close to the limit unless it’s a truly legendary group.
Here’s who I landed on for my pretend 2026 ballot:
- The Easy Calls: The super-elite locks.
- The Borderline Guys I Leaned Yes On: Players with flaws, but their peaks or longevity felt compelling. One guy was just nails for a decade straight.
- The Debated Guy: One player where I chewed it over forever. Decided his overall contribution, especially on defense, pushed him over for me.
Left a couple of really popular names off. Felt bad about one, but his numbers just didn’t scream “Hall of Fame” to me compared to the others, even if he was awesome to watch. Tough choices.
Folded the grubby envelope and stuck it in a drawer. Won’t know for real until next January, but it was an interesting little project. Makes you appreciate how hard it is for the real voters.
Reminds me of trying to draft fantasy teams as a kid. We’d sit on the curb outside Bobby’s house, arguing stats ripped straight from the newspaper boxes. Had this one buddy, Ricky, he was nuts. Believed in pure “clutch.” Forget the numbers. He’d take a guy based solely on some game-winning hit he saw on TV once. Drove us bananas. “Ricky, look at his OPS! It’s terrible!” Didn’t matter. Ricky would wave his arms, get all red in the face. “But he hit that double off the wall when it mattered!” We never convinced him. Wonder what Ricky would put on his Hall of Fame ballot today. Probably a bunch of .240 hitters with “heart.” Guy was hopeless, but damn, he loved baseball.