Jay Jaffe’s 2026 Corridor of Fame Poll

The next article is a part of Jay Jaffe’s ongoing have a look at the candidates on the BBWAA 2026 Corridor of Fame poll. For an in depth introduction to this yr’s poll, and different candidates within the collection, use the instrument above; an introduction to JAWS may be discovered right here. For a tentative schedule and an opportunity to fill out a Corridor of Fame poll for our crowdsourcing challenge, see right here. All WAR figures discuss with the Baseball-Reference model until in any other case indicated.

There’s no getting round the truth that the 2026 BBWAA Corridor of Fame is a lean one. With three candidates elected by the writers in each 2024 and ’25 — following a mini-drought by which simply two had been elected over the earlier three years — the highest newcomers didn’t linger, whereas some long-lasting holdovers had been lastly elected. That left the cabinet comparatively naked, and when it got here to restocking, the very best of this yr’s first-year candidates bowed out after their age-36 seasons with out accumulating huge profession totals.

Given all that, I suspected even earlier than I acquired my favourite piece of annual mail that I wouldn’t max out my poll by voting for 10 candidates. I solely acquired to 10 in every of the previous two years through the use of my final spot to incorporate a pitcher whose S-JAWS is in need of the usual however who provides different compelling causes for inclusion. For the 2024 poll, I tabbed Andy Pettitte due partly to his huge postseason contributions, whereas for ’25 I chosen Félix Hernández as a result of his stellar early-career run and a priority that he may slip off the poll with no longer dialogue, à la two-time Cy Younger winner Johan Santana on the 2018 poll.

Each decisions had been a response to the dearth of beginning pitchers elected lately and the truth that such a pattern isn’t prone to change. BBWAA voters have elected simply three starters born in 1969 or later, specifically Pedro Martinez (1971), Roy Halladay (1977) and CC Sabathia (1980). Whereas Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, and Justin Verlander will doubtless be part of them sometime, the trade’s pattern in the direction of smaller workloads — coupled with the larger damage threat that comes with chasing increased velocities and spin charges — has made the acquainted milestones that just about assure election much more distant. Voters must rethink their requirements for starters, and I imagine that dialogue is effectively served by holding the candidacies of these on the poll alive for additional deliberation. With 5 of the ten gamers I voted for final yr not carrying over (Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki, and Billy Wagner had been elected, whereas Russell Martin and Brian McCann fell in need of 5%), I suspected I’d have the ability to match each Hernández and Pettitte in addition to newcomer Cole Hamels and holdover Mark Buehrle.

I had all that in thoughts as I labored via this yr’s prime 19 candidates in my collection over the previous six weeks (I’ve nonetheless acquired eight one-and-done stragglers to cowl in early January, none of whom had been in severe consideration for area on my poll). That is my sixth yr with an precise poll, however even with the heightened scrutiny that comes with it, filling one out stays a privilege and nonetheless looks like a novelty within the context of 25 years of analyzing Corridor of Fame elections, and 23 of doing so whereas armed with the system that grew to become JAWS (the official Twentieth anniversary of the metric’s introduction was in January 2024).

Relating to this slate’s perceived weak spot, my major means of monitoring poll energy is by counting each what number of candidates meet or exceed the JAWS normal at their place, and what number of have a JAWS of no less than 50.0 (40.0 for catchers). On the outset of this cycle, simply two met the usual (with two others lower than some extent away) and 6 reached 50.0, however with the Period Committee election of Jeff Kent, the usual at second base dropped by 0.4 factors, sufficient to nudge Chase Utley above the bar and lift the primary of these two totals to 3:

Earlier than Kent’s election, you had to return to 1988 to discover a poll the place two or fewer candidates met the JAWS normal, not that JAWS or WAR existed then. Now you solely have to return to 2006, when Bert Blyleven, Alan Trammell, and Wealthy Gossage cleared their respective requirements. You continue to have to return to 2008 to discover a poll with six or fewer candidates with a JAWS of fifty.0, however sufficient about historic historical past. Right here’s how the aforementioned 19 candidates stack up through JAWS:

As famous, I’ve used my workload-adjusted S-JAWS for beginning pitchers (detailed right here), which brings the above starters nearer to the usual however nonetheless leaves even the highest-ranked one, Hamels, greater than eight factors off the tempo. Likewise, I’ve used my leverage-adjusted R-JAWS (defined right here) for Francisco Rodríguez, the poll’s solely reliever. The yellow cells present {that a} candidate meets or exceeds the WAR or JAWS normal at their place, and as you may see, the desk is gentle on these relative to years previous.

Earlier than going any additional, it’s price mentioning the “integrity, sportsmanship, [and] character” part of the voting guidelines. I don’t put a lot inventory within the clause, which was the brainchild of Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who brimmed with such integrity that he spent his complete 24-year time period as commissioner upholding the sport’s shameful colour line, and which was by no means actually used to exclude anybody till Mark McGwire landed on the 2007 poll. The hypocrisy of electing Bud Selig, a key determine within the house owners’ collusion within the Eighties and the commissioner overseeing the so-called Steroid Period, solely bolsters my disdain for the clause, although I’ve my very own methods of coping with the darker elements of gamers’ candidacies. The road I’ve maintained for candidates linked to performance-enhancing medication is to differentiate between these whose allegations date to the time when the sport had no testing routine or technique of punishment (i.e., previous to 2004) and people who got here afterwards. With no technique of imposing a paper ban, and with gamers flouting such a ban being rewarded left and proper amid what was really a whole institutional failure that implicated workforce house owners, the commissioner, and the gamers union in addition to the gamers, I merely don’t suppose voters can apply a retroactive morality to that interval.

Therefore the distinction between my votes for the likes of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Gary Sheffield, and my exclusions of A-Rod and Manny, each of whom can be on my poll on a performance-only foundation — they’re two of the very best hitters I’ve ever seen, with numbers that place them among the many all-time greats — or if failing the supposedly nameless 2003 survey check had been their solely PED-related transgression. Yearly, I contemplate whether or not to take a brand new strategy with such candidates, however I’m not altering my thoughts this yr.

Word that I’ve not used allegations of home violence to disqualify candidates from consideration, although such issues are way more severe than PEDs. I can actually perceive voters selecting to rule such candidates out.

As for who’s on my poll, every of the bolded names beneath hyperlinks to their profiles the place I am going into a lot larger element than I can right here. For the gamers who’ve gone unmentioned, likewise you may examine my reservations inside their profiles linked within the navigation bar above.

To start, the highest three holdovers by way of vote shares — every with no less than one cell shaded within the desk above — get my vote but once more:

Carlos Beltrán (Ninth amongst heart fielders in JAWS, 70.3% in 2025)

The quintessential five-tool participant, Beltrán is one in all eight with no less than 300 homers and 300 steals, and owns the very best stolen base success charge (86.4%) of any participant with no less than 200 makes an attempt. He’s a bit beneath all three requirements at a really top-heavy place, however he’s the very best eligible heart fielder outdoors the Corridor, and one of many prime 10 all time.

Beltrán may already be enshrined if he hadn’t been on the heart of the Astros’ unlawful sign-stealing scandal, which nipped his managerial profession within the bud. Whereas his personal efficiency didn’t profit, he did one thing towards the foundations, and it continued via a postseason by which his workforce gained a championship. Not each teammate was snug with it, however based on varied reviews, no person stood as much as him firmly sufficient to derail the scheme. On condition that supervisor A.J. Hinch reportedly destroyed two displays, it’s price questioning each his management capabilities and the handy scapegoating of Beltrán as a lone actor. The asymmetry of Hinch and bench coach-turned-Purple Sox supervisor Alex Cora returning to the dugout after one-year suspensions whereas Beltrán hasn’t even gotten one other interview after stepping down from the Mets job ought to boost an eyebrow as effectively. It’s additionally price noting that like spitballing/ball-doctoring, sign-stealing is a habits that exists alongside a continuum of baseball historical past that stretches again almost a century and a half. The fan in me empathizes with that nice 2017 Dodgers workforce being cheated out of a title, however the trade skilled in me is aware of that the Astros had been merely essentially the most excessive instance of a workforce stealing indicators electronically, a few of which had been finally reported and others simply whispered about.

Lengthy story brief, after spending hours speaking about Beltrán’s case with mates and fellow voters, I returned to the framework of my PED coverage: If the commissioner didn’t punish him, I’m not going to play the vigilante and administer frontier justice on behalf of MLB or the Corridor. So I’m once more voting for Beltrán, and I count on this to be the yr he clears the 75% bar.

Andruw Jones (eleventh amongst heart fielders in JAWS, 66.2% in 2025)

The defensive cornerstone of the Braves’ dynasty, Jones was an elite flychaser who gained 10 Gold Gloves and ranks first amongst heart fielders in fielding runs (+235). He may hit, too, bopping 434 profession homers. His profession collapsed at age 31, nonetheless; he performed simply 435 video games over his remaining 5 seasons, disappearing from the majors at age 35, and so whereas he’s effectively above the height normal, he’s brief on the profession one and in JAWS. I’m not so bothered by that, given his relative rating and the truth that the requirements in heart and proper discipline are just a few factors increased than each different place. After two years within the mid-7% vary, he added almost 60 proportion factors over the previous six cycles, and whereas his progress has slowed lately, he has a very good shot at election by the writers, both this yr or subsequent.

Chase Utley (twelfth amongst second basemen in JAWS, 39.8% in 2025)

Regardless of not drawing greater than 300 plate appearances in a season till age 26, Utley clears the JAWS normal on the keystone, and ranks ninth in peak as effectively because of the large influence of his fielding and baserunning, which mirrored his excessive baseball IQ. His late arrival contributed to his ending with simply 1,885 hits; even with the Period Committee election of Tony Oliva, the writers have but to elect anyone from the post-1960 enlargement period who completed with fewer than 2,000, however the race between Utley and Jones (1,933) will change that.

Between his comparatively low hit complete and voters’ failure to acknowledge him within the MVP races and Gold Glove awards — he was bypassed in favor of teammates Rollins and Ryan Howard within the former and in some way by no means gained the latter — Utley gave the impression to be dealing with an uphill battle for election. Nonetheless, his first yr share (28.8%) was increased than these of latest honorees Todd Helton, Tim Raines, Scott Rolen, Larry Walker, and after final yr’s achieve, he’s already on the level the place future induction is extra doubtless than not. I believe he’ll underscore that by crossing the 50% threshold this yr, however election remains to be no less than a pair years away.

I nearly — nearly — left one other holdover off my poll final yr for strategic causes, however this yr, his spot is safe:

Bobby Abreu (twenty second amongst proper fielders in JAWS, 19.5% in 2025)

A five-tool participant with dazzling velocity, a candy left-handed stroke, and sufficient energy to win a Dwelling Run Derby, Abreu was a stathead favourite because of his otherworldly plate self-discipline. He posted on-base percentages of .400 or increased eight instances (.395 for his profession) because of his potential to take a stroll (100 or extra eight years in a row). But regardless of routinely reaching conventional seasonal plateaus — a .300 batting common (six instances), 20 homers (9 instances), 30 steals (six instances), 100 runs scored and batted in (eight instances apiece) — he was ridiculously underappreciated by the mainstream, making simply two All-Star groups and successful one Gold Glove. Abreu barely scraped by in his 2020 poll debut with 5.5%; he broke into double digits for the primary time in ’23 (15.4%), however after six cycles nonetheless hasn’t cleared 20%. I stay satisfied he belongs.

That’s the straightforward stuff. With room to spare, I did embody all 4 beginning pitchers, three of whom have a case as the very best on the poll:

Félix Hernández (97th amongst beginning pitchers in S-JAWS, 20.6% in 2025)

A yr in the past, King Félix was on the root of my ballot-crowding drawback, as a pitcher whose fame for greatness didn’t notably jibe along with his S-JAWS, however whom I felt deserved an extended look. In gentle of the workload adjustments that can require us to dial down our expectations for beginning pitchers, it’s price contemplating different approaches. The closest I’ve come to being satisfied is predicated on Mike Petriello’s have a look at WAR throughout seven consecutive seasons, one thing I attempted myself on the event of two-time Cy Younger winner Corey Kluber’s 2024 retirement, with iterations of 5 and 10 years as effectively. For the 2005–14 stretch, Hernández did have the very best WAR of any pitcher (45.4), and as Petriello famous, of the 19 pitchers who could make an identical declare going again to 1950, 13 are enshrined, with two extra on their means (Kershaw and Scherzer), and one who can be in if not for his personal PED connections (Clemens). That leaves Dave Stieb, Ron Guidry, and Hernández — three pitchers with nice however brief careers — to reckon with.

For that 2005–14 stretch, Hernández moreover led the majors in strikeouts (1,951) whereas rating fourth in ERA (3.07) and sixth in ERA+ (130); throughout that span, he gained a Cy Younger (the one pitcher on this poll with that declare), completed second twice, and fourth as soon as. For the seven-season span from 2009–15, he was the very best pitcher within the American League by ERA, strikeouts, and WAR, and had six All-Star alternatives, and 6 seasons with Cy Younger assist. He had a few fairly good seasons earlier than that, at ages 21 and 22, as effectively, however piling on the innings could have accomplished him a disservice in the long term. Via his age-29 season (2015), he had thrown extra innings than another starter who had debuted after 1972 aside from Fernando Valenzuela. He was simply 33 when he threw his final aggressive pitch; his fastball had misplaced its zip and he did not make the changes essential to additional his profession, for as a lot because the Mariners tried to push him.

Hernández’s S-JAWS locations him in solely the twenty first percentile relative to the enshrined starters, however his adjusted peak is within the forty fifth percentile, the very best among the many pitchers on this poll. Whereas I’d characterize my assist for him as smooth, I’ll observe {that a} sizable chunk of the voters appears satisfied to at least one diploma or one other. After a strong debut final yr by which he prevented falling into the decades-long limbo Santana did, he has acquired a 59.8% share from the 87 ballots printed in the Tracker as of 8 AM ET Tuesday, going 13-for-14 amongst first-time voters whereas flipping 20 “no” votes from final yr to “sure.” Even when his remaining share is available in round half his present share, it will symbolize a 10-point achieve and surpass Pettitte’s highest share so far.

Andy Pettitte (82nd amongst beginning pitchers in S-JAWS, 27.9% in 2025)

Although he solely made three All-Star groups and by no means completed increased than second within the Cy Younger voting, Pettitte was a rotation mainstay on 5 championship groups, eight pennant winners, and 14 that reached the playoffs. His postseason totals of 44 begins, 19 wins, and 276.2 innings are all information, thanks partly to the expanded format, and his 3.81 postseason ERA is a ringer for his 3.85 common season mark. That latter determine can be the second highest within the Corridor, forward of solely Jack Morris, however Pettitte’s 117 ERA+ is 12 factors higher than Morris’, matching that of Corridor of Famer Gaylord Perry in addition to Buehrle and Hernández. Pettitte has extra innings than both of the final two, in addition to the very best WAR of this yr’s quartet. His Mitchell Report look and use of human development hormone belongs to the “Wild West period,” which doesn’t disqualify him from my assist.

Pettitte’s S-JAWS locations him solely within the twenty seventh percentile (with a Twentieth-percentile adjusted peak), however with the bonus for his influence upon October baseball, I’m satisfied sufficient to test his field, no less than this time round.

Cole Hamels (72nd amongst beginning pitchers in S-JAWS,)

Like Hernández, the highest newcomer on this yr’s poll fell in need of 3,000 profession innings, leaving him with profession numbers — most notably a 163-122 file and a pair of,560 strikeouts — that don’t instantly scan as Hallworthy. Whereas Hamels doesn’t have Hernández’s peak rating or his {hardware}, his WAR and S-JAWS are each considerably increased, and his 123 ERA+ is six factors higher than the opposite three starters. He gained NLCS and World Sequence MVP honors in 2008, and regardless of struggling within the ’09 postseason even because the Phillies gained one other pennant, his October numbers are a lot respectable (7-6 with a 3.41 ERA in 100.1 innings), giving him one other important benefit over Hernández. He’s admittedly brief within the “fame” factor, with nearly no black ink, simply 4 All-Star groups, and simply 4 seasons with Cy Younger votes, by no means ending increased than fifth. I do suppose he was undervalued when it got here to these honors, provided that he ranked amongst his league’s prime 10 in strikeouts eight instances (as excessive as third), and in ERA and WAR six time apiece; he by no means completed increased than fifth in ERA, however he had finishes of third, fourth, and fifth in WAR. His S-JAWS solely locations within the twenty ninth percentile, however his adjusted peak rating is within the thirty ninth. As with Hernández and Pettitte, I’m not completely satisfied he’s a Corridor of Famer, however I actually wish to preserve enthusiastic about the matter.

Mark Buehrle (79th amongst beginning pitchers in S-JAWS, 11.4% in 2025)

Buehrle was Mr. Consistency, a soft-tossing lefty with pinpoint management who delivered 15 straight seasons of no less than 31 begins and 14 of no less than 200 innings, with 5 All-Star alternatives, two no-hitters (one in all them an ideal recreation), and a key position on the White Sox’s 2005 champions. Whereas I’ve a more durable time pinpointing a very sturdy rationale for together with him, I even have a tough time separating him from the opposite three starters. He barely outranks Pettitte in S-JAWS (twenty eighth percentile), with the next adjusted peak rating (thirty fourth percentile), and he was under-recognized when it got here to each All-Star and Cy Younger assist. He’s by no means topped 12% in 5 years on the poll, and he barely scraped by with 5.8% in his second yr (2022). I don’t suppose he’ll fall off or get in throughout his 10-year run on the writers’ poll, however as long as we’re kicking round concepts concerning the future form of Corridor of Fame starters, I’m completely happy to incorporate him within the dialogue, and want that Tim Hudson (who ranks 73rd in S-JAWS however fell off in 2022) had been on as effectively.

These eight candidates go away me with two open spots on my poll. Whereas I may use them to incorporate gamers equivalent to Dustin Pedroia and David Wright, each of whom gave the impression to be Corridor-bound earlier than accidents derailed them, the truth that my final 4 picks had been reaches to at least one diploma or one other with respect to JAWS — the guiding gentle of my course of — leads me to cease earlier than padding this out only for padding’s sake. This isn’t my first time utilizing fewer than 10 slots; I had 9 in 2021, and seven in ’23.

So it goes. One other imperfect poll within the books and the mailbox (accompanied by just a few dried drops of Brooklyn Black Ops Imperial Stout, a bit too on-brand):

As soon as once more, I’m gratified that after protecting baseball and analyzing Corridor of Fame elections for thus lengthy on the skin, I get to solid a poll. It’s nonetheless only one vote from amongst 400-something, much less impactful than my work to sway precise voters and assist the likes of Raines, Walker, Rolen, Edgar Martinez, Mike Mussina, and others discover houses in Cooperstown, nevertheless it’s additionally symbolic. I’m standing on the shoulders of giants within the discipline of baseball evaluation, individuals who entered this trade with out going via the normal newspaper retailers and who both had been by no means admitted to the BBWAA or didn’t final lengthy sufficient inside it to vote. Folks equivalent to John Thorn, Invoice James, Rob Neyer, Joe Sheehan, Christina Kahrl, and Steven Goldman opened my eyes to other ways of viewing baseball many years in the past, and their ideas on the Corridor of Fame and its processes inevitably seeped into my very own views of the establishment and who’s worthy of admission. Of that group, solely the trailblazing Kahrl is a BBWAA voter. I’d favor a voting course of that discovered room for all the above and different specialists from past the mainstream, however as long as it doesn’t, I’ll do my greatest to symbolize.