NEW YORK -- It is both an honor and a responsibility to cast a vote for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. As my first ballot makes its way through the United States Postal Service, I don’t take that lightly. To me, the Plaque Gallery in Cooperstown isn’t just a room filled with bronze. It’s filled with people who are intertwined with the sport’s story.
The 2026 BBWAA ballot demanded thought and research. I first dug deep into the statistics, then the stories behind them. For me, it was an attempt to answer a simple question: Who truly mattered to the game?
You may not agree with every selection, and that’s fine. The Hall of Fame has never been about unanimity (unless you’re Mariano Rivera). It’s a museum that should highlight excellence, impact and meaning.
On a future trip to the Hall, I want to be able to explain to my daughters not just who a player was, but why he mattered -- why fans paid to see him, why opponents feared him.
I kept recalling Vin Scully’s remark that statistics should be used “for support, not illumination.” He was right. Numbers are part of the story, not the whole thing. And with that, here are my 10 selections.
Carlos Beltrán, Andy Pettitte, Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez
Over the last several years, I’ve given a lot of thought to performance-enhancing drugs. I’m not blind to the issue. I remember sitting in the MLB.com offices the morning the Mitchell Report was to be released, uncertain who would be implicated but ready to write our first draft. Soon, I was boarding an Amtrak to Washington, D.C., where I sat three rows behind Roger Clemens as he testified before Congress.
We may never know the full truth of who did what, when and to what degree. But I believe more players participated than is publicly known.
I’ve long said that I would have voted for Clemens and Barry Bonds, which tilts my decisions for Ramirez and A-Rod, two of the most fearsome hitters I’ve ever seen. I don’t need to recite their stats here. Both served significant MLB punishments, which is forever part of their legacies. Fine. So be it. No one will forget. The Hall should tell the full story of the era.
That also applies to my selections of Beltrán and Pettitte. Beltrán was an elite all-around performer who accumulated 70 bWAR, part of an exclusive club of players with 500 doubles, 400 homers and 300 stolen bases that includes only A-Rod, Bonds, Andre Dawson and Willie Mays. He won Gold Gloves, and his postseason performance was elite.
Then came Beltrán's involvement in the Astros' sign-stealing scandal. It’s regrettable, but he paid a price, losing his job as the Mets' manager without filling out a single lineup card. For all the comments by the Yankees about being cheated out of 2017, they also hired him as a YES Network analyst. Consider it time served, in my view.
Despite an HGH admission, Pettitte’s case grew stronger with CC Sabathia’s first-ballot election. Baseball Reference suggests Pettitte’s closest career comp is Sabathia; his second-closest is Mike Mussina, also in the Hall.
Pettitte won 256 games, threw 3,316 innings and posted a 117 ERA+ in an era of inflated offense. Even if he’d never pitched a playoff game, he’d be worthy of a close look. Then add his postseason resume -- 19 wins in 44 starts, both records -- and five championships. When the games meant the most, Pettitte delivered.
Bobby Abreu, Andruw Jones, Chase Utley
This group required more digging. Abreu was steady, not flashy, and has received analytical support in recent years. My vote is a nod that his numbers and elite plate discipline were underappreciated in real time (including by me, who covered him for 2 1/2 seasons in New York). Abreu put up seven seasons of 130 OPS+ or greater, collected 2,470 hits, and only a handful of players have reached 250 homers and 400 stolen bases.
Jones’ defense was game-changing, with 10 consecutive Gold Gloves. His 1,933 hits and 62.7 bWAR are a touch light for a Hall center fielder, but 434 homers while mostly playing center field remains rarefied air. To me, his case was dented by continuing to play as his skills declined. Hypothetically, if Jones’ final game had been with the Braves in 2007, he might have garnered more support early on.
When Jeff Kent was elected to the Hall in December, I began thinking about how Utley compared. From 2005-10, he was one of baseball’s best two-way players, a peak that clears the Hall bar. Injuries dulled the finish, and his legacy includes the 2015 slide that prompted a rule change. Utley’s 56.9 JAWS clears the Hall average for second basemen (56.6) -- credit to Jay Jaffe for his years of excellent work.
Mark Buehrle, Cole Hamels, Félix Hernández
Finally, I considered what a Hall starting pitcher will look like in the future. Comparing a modern starter to Tom Seaver or even Pedro Martínez is apples and oranges, and that will be even more clear once Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer hang it up.
Hamels and Hernández jumped out as similar statistically, despite different trajectories. Hamels was legitimately one of the best left-handed starters in baseball from 2007 on, with eight seasons with a 120 ERA+ or better. Hernández had seven seasons with a 120 ERA+ or better, including three top-five Cy Young finishes and a Cy in 2010.
Though short on bulk, Hamels’ case features October success (World Series MVP, NLCS MVP) and a ring. King Félix’s nickname was earned, pitching for Mariners teams that didn’t give him title opportunities. Every home start was an event, and though he faded in his 30s, his 20s were dominant. Any conversation about the game’s top starters without him was incomplete during that time.
I don’t necessarily believe all 10 boxes must be checked. I gave close looks to Dustin Pedroia, Jimmy Rollins, Omar Vizquel and David Wright, among others. Pedroia and Wright have compelling parallels: great peaks in careers cut short by injury. Rollins had more value than stats suggest. Vizquel was an elite defender. But in view of the shifting expectations for starters, Buehrle’s case stood out as most compelling.
Simply put, he’s what we don’t see anymore: durability and consistency without overpowering heat. Buehrle had 14 consecutive seasons of 200 or more innings. All six others to do so in the Modern Era are in the Hall, as Paul Casella noted in December. He won 214 games, tossed 3,283 1/3 innings and had an ERA+ of 117. Four Gold Gloves, a perfect game, no-hitter and a World Series championship all burnish the resume.
Ultimately, I believe we’ll see one or two of these players elected in January, most likely Beltrán and/or Jones. I look forward to continuing the conversation in the years ahead.