Who might head to Cooperstown in 2026?

With the Class of 2025 set for enshrinement in Cooperstown this weekend as Ichiro Suzuki, C.C. Sabathia, Billy Wagner and the late Dick Allen and Dave Parker take their places among the greats in the Baseball Hall of Fame, let's turn our attention to this winter when we will find out who will comprise the Class of 2026.

Even with a Most Valuable Player, Cy Young Award winner and multiple-time All-Stars among them, there are no surefire candidates eligible for the first time (that is, players who retired in 2020) in 2026. That's music to the ears of some holdovers on the ballot, who have come close in the past, and might finally cross that 75 per-cent threshold. For legendary slugger Manny Ramirez, this next ballot might represent his final kick at the can for enshrinement.

First, a look at the first-timers.

Ryan Braun Milwaukee Brewers

OF/3B Ryan Braun

Ryan Braun spent the entirety of his 14-year career with the Milwaukee Brewers. A six-time All-Star, Braun batted .332 with 187 hits, 33 home runs, 111 runs batted in and an OPS of .994 to claim the 2011 National League MVP. Among the first-timers on the ballot, Braun is the only player with a Bill James Hall of Fame Monitor (HOFm) score over 100 at 107. According to this measure, players with scores over 100 are more likely to be elected to the HOF while those who come in under are less likely. Now this is not a perfect indicator by any means, but it's indicative of a weak freshman crop if Braun is the only player above 100. For his career, Braun batted .296 with 1,963 hits, 352 home runs, 1,154 RBI and an .894 OPS with a 47.2 WAR. A hit total under 2,000 rarely correlates to Hall of Fame induction. But there's a bigger red flag for Braun's candidacy than that. In 2013, Braun admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs during his MVP season and ended up being suspended for 100 games. The Mission Hills, CA native is unlikely to get a call from the Hall.

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Cole Hamels Phillies

LHP Cole Hamels

Perhaps the strongest pitching candidate among the first-timers, Cole Hamels spent 15 seasons in the majors. His first nine-plus seasons came with the Philadelphia Phillies, the team that drafted the San Diego native with the 17th overall selection of the 2002 MLB Amateur Draft. In 2008, the Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in five games to win the World Series. Hamels had a postseason run for the ages, starting five games and going 4-0 with a 1.16 earned-run average over 35.0 innings pitched to claim both the National League Championship Series and World Series MVPs. In 423 career games (422 starts), Hamels was 163-122 with a 3.43 ERA and 1.183 WHIP over 2,690.0 IP. He struck out 2,560 batters and walked 767. A four-time All-Star, Hamels finished with a career WAR of 59.0, which puts him among Hall of Famers, but also those not in the Hall. Mark Buehrle, who will be on the ballot for a sixth time and received 11.4 per cent of the vote last year, also had a 59.0 WAR. Whitey Ford, who was part of the Class of 1974, had a 57.0 WAR. Still, Hamels' counting numbers aren't likely enough for enshrinement.

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Toronto Blue Jays

3B/DH Edwin Encarnacion

A hugely popular figure during his eight seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, Edwin Encarnacion was one of the most feared sluggers of his generation. The La Romana, Dominican Republic native hit 30 or more home runs in eight-straight seasons from 2012 to 2019. He finished his 16-year career with 424 jacks, putting him 54th all-time. A three-time All-Star, Encarnacion led the American League in runs batted in in 2016 with 127. In 1,960 games, Encarnacion batted .260 with 1,832 hits, 1,261 RBI and an OPS of .846. Encarnacion, who also suited up for the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Cleveland and Cincinnati Reds, has the second-highest HOFm among first-year eligible players at 62. The likelihood of a trip to Cooperstown for Encarnacion is slim. A much more probable tribute for him will be a place on the Rogers Centre Level of Excellence.

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Other notable first-year candidates: 1B/DH Chris Davis, OF Matt Kemp, OF Nick Markakis, IF/OF Alex Gordon, RHP Rick Porcello and 2B Jason Kipnis

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This brings us back to the holdovers and a pair of players who appear to close to a breakthrough with 2026, perhaps, being the perfect time for it. A weaker first-year crop almost always means a deeper dive into existing candidates and that bodes well for those looking to get closer to 75 per cent. On the flip side, though, there's a very real chance that nobody reaches that mark. In 2021, nobody was elected to Cooperstown for the second time in 40 years. A second time in five years is a distinct possibility, but those bubbling under might finally get their moments.

Carlos Beltran New York Yankees

CF Carlos Beltran

That Carlos Beltran hasn't already been inducted into the Hall of Fame is both surprising and unsurprising. The nine-time All-Star will be on the ballot for the fourth time this winter. A native of Manati, Puerto Rico, Beltran received 70.3 per cent of the vote last year. It's easy to see why Beltran's candidacy is as strong as it is. Beltran appeared in 2,586 games over 20 big league seasons with the Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers. For his career, Beltran hit .279 with 2,725 hits, 435 HR, 1,587 RBI, an .837 OPS and 70.0 WAR. His HOFm score is 126. This seems like a pretty cut-and-dry candidacy, but it isn't. Beltran finished his career with a second stint with the Astros in 2017 when he won his first career World Series. The problem is it was those Astros. Beltran was central to the sign-stealing scandal that helped take the Astros to the title. In the report on the incident that was released in 2019 Beltran was the only player to be named. While he apologized for his part in the operation, it cost him his job as Mets manager. Hired in November of 2019, Beltran resigned in January of 2020 by mutual consent, having never managed a game. The taint from that scandal is the reason why Beltran isn't in Cooperstown just yet. But his numbers have trended upwards to the point that it appears that voters believe they've made their point. Beltran looks to be a good bet for 2026.

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Andruw Jones Atlanta Braves

CF Andruw Jones

Andruw Jones might have been the best defensive outfielder of his generation and it appears that voters are coming around to that idea. The 10-time Gold Glover appeared on his eighth ballot last year where he received his highest total to date with 66.7 per cent. Time is certainly of the essence for Jones, who now only has two chances remaining before he maxes out. A native of Willemstad, Curacao, Jones played in 17 big league seasons with the first 12 of them coming with the Atlanta Braves. He would go on to also suit up for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees. For his career, Jones was a .254 hitter with 1,933 hits, 434 home runs, 1,289 RBI, an OPS of .823 and a 62.7 WAR. His WAR puts him directly behind three Hall of Famers in Home Run Baker, Juan Marichal and Hal Newhouser, who all finished their careers at 62.8, and just above active player Freddie Freeman, who looks to be on his way to a Hall of Fame career. With solid power numbers and elite fielding, Jones should finally get his phone call in 2026.

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SS/3B Alex Rodriguez and OF Manny Ramirez

You know why these guys are being grouped together. Alex Rodriguez has an absurd HOFm score of 390. Manny Ramirez's is 226. These should be stone-cold locks for Cooperstown, but everybody knows why they're not. Simply put, both Rodriguez and Ramirez are drug cheats. Both failed multiple drug tests and both received lengthy suspensions. Rodriguez was suspended for the entire 2014 season after an arbitrator reduced his initial 211-game ban following his part in the Biogenesis PED scandal. Ramirez was banned for 100 games over his career through multiple suspensions. It's impossible to look at their candidacies outside of that lens. Does that mean they're never going to Cooperstown? Barry Bonds, arguably the greatest player in the history of the game, couldn't escape his PED taint. Neither could the likes of Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmeiro and Mark McGwire. While it appears that the pair are headed towards the same fate, here's something to consider: Major League Baseball has yet to reckon with historic steroid usage in any meaningful way. The league was happy to let Bonds and co. simply fall off of the ballot without any kind of instruction from the commissioner's office. But it seems absurd to acknowledge Barry Bonds as the all-time home run king and not put him in the Hall of Fame. Baseball can't have it both ways. Either the numbers of these players in question must be stricken from the record or these players must be recognized. It's a difficult conversation to have and it's easy to see why Rob Manfred has avoided it for as long as he has. But it must be had at some point. Ramirez is heading into his final year of eligibility. He received 34.3 per cent of the vote last year. The conversation will come too late for him. A-Rod might yet see the Hall. He has six more years of eligibility. That's plenty of time to have this very necessary discussion.

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Other notable holdovers (year on the ballot): 2B Chase Utley (third), RHP Felix Hernandez (second), LHP Andy Pettitte (eighth), 2B Dustin Pedroia (second) and SS Jimmy Rollins (fifth)