Hamels, Braun, and Kemp debut on the MLB Hall of Fame ballot; Beltrán in the running

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. – The Baseball Hall of Fame ballot has been revealed, presenting a mix of new and veteran faces seeking a place in the history of the sport.

New Candidates

Among the newcomers on the ballot are prominent names like Cole Hamels, Ryan Braun, and Matt Kemp. They are joined by Howie Kendrick, Daniel Murphy, Rick Porcello, Shin-Soo Choo, Edwin Encarnación, Gio González, Alex Gordon, Nick Markakis, and Hunter Pence.

Veterans on the Ballot

Carlos Beltrán tops the list of 15 players returning to the ballot, after falling 19 votes short of election in the 2025 process. Beltrán, a nine-time All-Star, had a distinguished career, batting .279 with 435 home runs and 1,587 RBIs in 17 seasons with several teams. He received 70.3% of the votes in 2025.

Beltrán was the only player mentioned by name in the 2020 report by baseball commissioner Rob Manfred.

Rob Manfred

Other notable players returning to the ballot include Alex Rodríguez and Manny Ramírez, along with Andruw Jones, Chase Utley, Andy Pettitte, Félix Hernández, Bobby Abreu, Jimmy Rollins, Omar Vizquel, Dustin Pedroia, Mark Buehrle, Francisco Rodríguez, David Wright, and Torii Hunter. Pettitte appears on the ballot for the eighth time, showing a significant increase in support. BBWAA members with 10 or more consecutive years of membership are eligible to vote. Ballots must be submitted before December 31, and the results will be announced on January 20. The inductees will be inducted on July 26, along with any player selected on December 7 by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee, which considers eight players whose greatest contributions to the sport were from 1980 onwards.

New Candidates Highlights

Cole Hamels, a four-time All-Star, had a distinguished career with an earned run average of 3.43. He was the Most Valuable Player of the National League Championship Series and World Series in 2008. Ryan Braun, the 2011 Most Valuable Player and six-time All-Star, recorded a .296 batting average with 352 home runs and 1,154 RBIs. Matt Kemp, three-time All-Star, hit .284 with 287 home runs and 1,031 RBIs. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Don Mattingly, and Dale Murphy are being considered by the contemporary era committee, along with Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Gary Sheffield, and Fernando Valenzuela.