(670 The Score) By any measure, the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot lacks legendary star power.
The biggest names come with asterisks. The most qualified candidates still require explanation. Nobody on the ballot screams automatic entry.
As a proud member of the Baseball Writers Association of America, I feel compelled to make my ballot public because it's a privilege to vote. My choices to include or exclude players aren't necessarily right. But they weren’t made lightly and came only after researching each candidate's credentials and talking to other sports journalists around the game. I respect, for example, the candidacies of Cole Hamels and Bobby Abreu – two men who nearly made my ballot – but ultimately I didn't vote for either because I believed they fell just short of the Hall of Fame player criteria.
To get the Hall of Fame nod, candidates must receive at least 75% of the vote and can remain on the BBWAA ballot for 10 years if they don't.
I voted for pitcher Mark Buehrle and outfielder Andruw Jones – whom I've voted for previously – and added Mariners legend Felix Hernandez to my ballot this year.
Here’s a glimpse into my reasons why.
Felix Hernandez
King Felix was, well, baseball royalty and passes the test most people use to evaluate whether a player deserves baseball immortality: When you hear “Felix Hernandez,” do you think "Hall of Famer"? For me, the answer is yes. During his prime, Hernandez was arguably the most dominant pitcher in baseball, and that period lasted about six years. Hernandez won a Cy Young Award and finished second twice. He won two ERA titles. He lacks the postseason achievements that other Hall of Famers boast, having never pitched in the playoffs, but he excelled regardless of the quality of the Mariners in that span.
Hernandez made six All-Star teams from 2008-‘14, when he posted a 2.82 ERA over 230 starts and an MLB-high 1,533 strikeouts in that stretch. His adjusted ERA in that span was second to Clayton Kershaw. A perfect game also checked an important box. From 2008-‘15, Hernandez ranked first in innings pitched, second in strikeouts, third in ERA and second in bWAR.
He was a star just too bright to ignore.
Mark Buehrle
This is hardly a provincial vote though, admittedly, having local access to Buehrle's career and getting to cover his peak in a White Sox uniform offered a unique, indelible perspective on his greatness. So, guilty as charged – but Buehrle carved a niche worthy of baseball immortality.
Since 1901, only seven pitchers in MLB history have thrown 200 innings in 14 consecutive seasons. Buehrle is among that esteemed group. The other six – Warren Spahn, Gaylord Perry, Don Sutton, Phil Niekro, Greg Maddux and Christy Mathewson – all have plaques in Cooperstown. No pitcher from 2001-'15 recorded more outs than Buehrle or pitched more innings (3,232).
But the crafty, quick-working lefty did more than just work as efficiently as if the pitch clock existed during his career. He won most of those games too – 214 to be exact. He made five All-Star teams and won four Gold Glove awards.
The highest Buehrle ever finished in the Cy Young voting was fifth in 2005, a World Series championship season that stamped him a winner. A perfect game and no-hitter combined with 15 seasons of double-digit victories further legitimizes Buehrle’s induction. The only three other pitchers with those credentials are Hall of Famers in Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson and Spahn.
In 2025, only two pitchers in the majors pitched at least 200 innings. From 2001 through 2014, Buehrle surpassed that 200-inning threshold every season. We've got to reimagine how we view starting pitchers in the context of MLB history.
Andruw Jones
If elite defense is so valued in today's game, why isn’t that the case in Hall of Fame voting?
A 10-time Gold Glove winner – a rare feat that among outfielders has been accomplished only by future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki and current enshrinees Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Ken Griffey Jr. and Al Kaline – Jones defined his position defensively for the better part of a decade. He was a major cog in a long Braves run of success. His career declined sharply after his 30th birthday, but through his age-29 season, only Alex Rodriguez, Eddie Mathews and Griffey had hit more home runs at that point of their careers than Jones, whose flame burned brightest during his prime from 1998-2007. He hit 434 career home runs, making him the only center fielder ever with at least 400 home runs and a dWAR of 24.0 or higher.
The PED crowd
This feels like an annual disclaimer.
Nothing really has changed about the way I've felt about this for the past several years. I remain opposed to voting for candidates whose careers don’t pass the smell test when it comes to their use of performance-enhancing drugs. I’m not saying I’ll never vote for them, just not now. Not yet. It still seems like a bridge too far for me, philosophically.
Not every voter agrees, and I can respect that.
For me, the same logic applies to Carlos Beltran, whose role in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal tainted, well, everything and everyone in that organization at the time. Beltran’s dilemma feels similar but different than the one implicating alleged PED users. Beltran, in fact, may gain entry this year because he gained 70% of the votes last year and could be ready to jump the 5% necessary for entry. In fact, I expect Beltran to get in.
But the player regarded as the ringleader of the Astros’ scandal still has too much taint for my taste.
It’s complicated separating statistics from the suspicions when considering players like Rodriguez, Ramirez, Andy Pettitte and Gary Sheffield. The same was true when Sammy Sosa was on the ballot. Baseball’s caretakers could address this annual, uncomfortable dance with doubt for Hall voters.
I’m all for the addition of a wing in Cooperstown to include tributes to players with impressive credentials whose methods raised eyebrows. I openly acknowledge you can't write the history of baseball without including those whose career accomplishments carry legitimacy concerns. I admit to not knowing how many other players gained entry into the Hall of Fame despite cutting corners or bending rules, and I respect the presumption of innocence. But it's a baseball museum and not a courtroom, so the criteria remains subjective. And to me, leaving those implicated by convincing evidence linking them to performance-enhancing drugs off the ballot still feels like the right thing to do.
David Haugh is the co-host of the Mully & Haugh Show from 5-10 a.m. weekdays on 670 The Score. Click here to listen. He also co-hosts The Chicago Lead and the Big Pro Football Show on weeknights on the Chicago Sports Network. Follow him on X @DavidHaugh.