The Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot for the 2026 Hall of Fame election was released on Monday, with 12 new names joining a group of 15 holdovers from the 2025 voting cycle.

In both of the past two years, the BBWAA has elected three players, two of whom were in their first year on the ballot. In 2024, first-timers Adrian Beltré and Joe Mauer made the cut , joining Todd Helton (sixth year). Last year, it was first-timers Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia sailing into Cooperstown alongside Billy Wagner (10th and final year). But it could be an uphill climb to continue that trend in 2026.

While left-hander Cole Hamels leads this class of newcomers, it’s returning outfielders Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones who enter this cycle with the best chance of giving an induction speec

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