This was always going to be a strange Hall of Fame election. After three players (Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner) were elected one year ago, the 2026 ballot wasn’t going to include any slam-dunk first-time candidates. And the returning candidates, several of them compelling cases in their own rights, all had some kinds of red flags hurting their cause, whether on the field or off it.

In my case, I knew from the outset I would either need to vote for a first-time nominee or change my past vote on a returning candidate to risk submitting a blank ballot to the Hall of Fame. For the record, voting members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America absolutely are allowed to submit a blank ballot if they don’t believe any candidates are worthy of induction. But that’s not a path I particularly wanted to go down for the first time. (The maximum number of names permitted is 10, a number I have reached multiple times before.)

So, as I mentioned in last year’s column, I had to think long and hard about lowering some of my longstanding criteria for Hall of Fame worthiness. I’ve always believed a player needs to check off three boxes to earn my vote: 1) Excellence, 2) Longevity and 3) No on-field actions that fail to meet the character, integrity and sportsmanship standards the Hall instructs us to consider in addition to actual playing performance.

In the end, I felt it was appropriate to lower the standard for one of those criteria: Longevity. I’ve always believed players needed not only to dominate the sport, but to maintain that dominance over a significant period of time. There’s no magic number of seasons that qualifies, but it probably needed to reach double digits to be safe.

Thing is, it’s probably too much to ask today’s players to live up to that standard. Especially pitchers, whose careers just don’t last as long as they did decades ago because of the max effort most are asked to give and the inevitable injuries and deterioration that’s likely to come once they reach their 30s.

So with that altered thought process in mind, I wound up voting for two players this year, both of them pitchers. Neither did reach the 75 percent threshold required for induction, so I’ll just have to vote for them again next year and hope their support grows over time.

I did not, as it turned out, vote for the two position players who did get elected: Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones. I had my reasons in each case, and you can scroll down to read them. That’s fine. It’s not the first time a player has been elected who didn’t get my vote, and it won’t be the last. That’s the beauty of this process, which has been in place now for nearly a century: One outlying opinion isn’t likely to change the outcome of the election. If an overwhelming majority – and that’s what it takes to get to 75 percent – believes someone is a Hall of Famer, that someone deserves to be elected.

My sincere congratulations to Beltrán and Jones, two outstanding players I loved to watch take the field for many years. And my sincere thanks to all of you who read this column every year, express your own opinions but always respect the time and careful thought I put into making my selections …

BOBBY ABREU – NO
Abreu has been gaining support from voters during his seven years on the ballot, but he’s still not there. Though his career totals (2,470 hits, 574 doubles, 288 homers, 400 stolen bases) are strong, they really weren’t that strong when compared to his contemporaries. He only finished in the top 10 in OPS in his league twice. He only finished top-five in doubles three times. He only finished top-10 in WAR once. His 128 OPS-plus ranks just 17th among all players with at least 7,000 plate appearances during his career, with his closest comps Mark Teixeira, Luis Gonzalez and Bernie Williams. So, to me (and plenty of other voters), he just doesn’t quite get there.

CARLOS BELTRAN – NO
It’s been clear for a while Beltrán would ultimately reach Cooperstown, and he indeed crossed the magic threshold in this, his fourth year on the ballot. Good for him. His on-field performance certainly merits it: 2,725 hits, 565 doubles, 435 homers, 1,587 RBIs, 312 steals, a litany of postseason glory. And I thought long and hard about changing my vote in his favor this time around. But I just couldn’t go all the way. Because Beltrán was connected to the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal more than any other player from that 2017 roster, the admitted ringleader of the whole scheme. I understand none of his fellow players were punished by MLB, which granted all of them immunity but did not give it to Beltrán (who had already retired by the time the story broke two years later). And those guys shouldn’t be fully exonerated either. But it’s undeniable Beltran was guilty of cheating the game in a way that was overwhelmingly condemned by the rest of the baseball world. To me, that sadly disqualified him based on the character, integrity and sportsmanship criteria we're instructed to consider. Clearly, most of my colleagues didn’t feel that way. That’s their right, and Beltrán is now forever a Hall of Famer. I just wasn’t comfortable giving him my vote.

RYAN BRAUN – NO
Boy, he was on track, wasn’t he? Through his first six seasons, Braun averaged 33 homers, 107 RBIs, 21 stolen bases, 102 runs, 181 hits and a stout .313/.374/.568 slash line, earning him a Rookie of the Year award, an MVP award, a runner-up and a third-place finish as well. And then he not only was caught taking PEDs, he repeatedly lied about it and smeared an innocent drug tester. MLB eventually suspended him, and Braun eventually fessed up, but his reputation was ruined. He was still a solid hitter the remainder of his career, but he was never viewed the same way again, both because of his performance and because of his actions. What a shame.

MARK BUEHRLE – NO
On an admittedly thin ballot compared to recent previous years, Buehrle did get some real support. Those who did vote for him cite his remarkable consistency and durability, leading to 15 consecutive years of at least 30 starts, 198 2/3 innings and 10 wins. But as impressive as those traits were, Buehrle simply wasn’t dominant (aside from his occasional, individual pitching gems). His 3.81 career ERA ranked only 14th among those who threw at least 2,000 innings during his career. He ranked in the top five in ERA only twice. On the other hand, he led the league in hits allowed four times.

SHIN-SOO CHOO – NO
One of the best Korean-born players to make it to the majors, Choo enjoyed a long and productive career with Seattle, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Texas, finishing with an .824 OPS, 339 doubles, 218 homers and 782 RBIs. Not a Hall of Famer, but nothing to be ashamed of after a strong 16-year career.

EDWIN ENCARNACION – NO
A prolific slugger who mashed 424 homers during a 16-year career, Encarnacion’s .846 OPS ranked only 22nd among all players during his time, behind Paul Konerko and Hanley Ramirez. And his glovework (minus-67 career Defensive Runs Saved) was cringeworthy.

GIO GONZALEZ – NO
It’s fun to see more and more members of the Nationals’ glory years show up on these ballots – we’re going to get a huge one next year with Ryan Zimmerman – and Gio absolutely deserves to make this ballot, even if he doesn’t deserve any votes. While he could be maddening on the mound at times, especially in elimination games in October, let’s acknowledge he really was one of the most consistently successful lefties of his era. From 2008-20, he ranked sixth in wins and innings pitched (behind only Jon Lester, Clayton Kershaw, CC Sabathia, David Price and Cole Hamels), eighth in ERA and WAR. And he did it all with a smile on his face that forever endeared him to Nats fans.

ALEX GORDON – NO
One of the primary faces of the remarkable baseball renaissance in Kansas City in the mid-2010s, Gordon helped lead the Royals to back-to-back World Series appearances (and one title) with a consistent bat and one of the best outfield gloves in the sport (eight Gold Glove Awards). And he did what so few players of his generation did and spent his entire career with one franchise, becoming a local legend in the process.

COLE HAMELS – YES
See, I did actually vote for someone on this year’s ballot! And someone I didn’t necessarily expect to vote for when the process began. I always viewed Hamels as a pitcher who was great for a period of time, but not a long enough period of time. But here’s the thing: He did have an acceptable number of great seasons throughout his long career. And the drop-off from his peak wasn’t that dramatic. Through age 30, the lefty was 108-83 with a 3.27 ERA and 1.142 WHIP, averaging 200 innings and a 125 ERA+. Post-30, he was 55-39 with a 3.73 ERA and 1.265 WHIP, averaging 149 innings and a 119 ERA+. Yes, there was a drop-off, but not to the extent most other pitchers have experienced once they reach a certain age. Compared to his contemporaries, Hamels was one of the best of his era, ranking seventh in ERA and WHIP, sixth in ERA+ and second only to Justin Verlander in innings pitched during his career. And he was a bona fide postseason hero in Philly, with a 3.41 ERA and 1.096 WHIP over more than 100 October innings pitched, winning both NLCS and World Series MVP honors in 2008. Thus, Hamels gets my vote in his first year on the ballot. As does another elite pitcher of the same era who previously did not.

FELIX HERNANDEZ – YES
Yep, I changed my vote here. When King Felix made the ballot for the first time last winter, I noted how absurdly good he was during his six-year peak from 2009-14 (86-56, 2.73 ERA, 1.099 WHIP, averaging 232 innings and 226 strikeouts), but that his subsequent fall was hard and quick, leading to his retirement at 33. But I noted then I might need to reconsider my standards for pitchers, and that’s exactly what I’ve done. Hernandez was the best pitcher in baseball for a significant stretch of time. And when you think back to the best arms in the sport of that era, he’s undoubtedly on the list. Six All-Star selections. A Cy Young Award, plus two runner-up finishes. Two ERA titles, plus a runner-up finish. One WHIP title, plus a second- and a third-place finish. No, his career didn’t last as long as the traditional Hall of Fame pitcher. But those guys mostly pitched in a different era where it was more commonplace to keep pitching much longer. In the end, Hernandez and Hamels both finished with similar career numbers. And they both got my vote this year and will continue to get my vote in the future.

TORII HUNTER – NO
Why not vote for a five-time All-Star, nine-time Gold Glove winner with 2,452 career hits, 498 doubles and 353 homers? Because Hunter, while a very good player for a long time, really wasn’t great all that much. He received MVP votes only five times, and only once finished higher than 15th in the American League. His .793 career OPS ranks ninth among all regular center fielders who played during the same time, behind Curtis Granderson and Steve Finley. And despite all those Gold Gloves, he only ranked in the top 10 in Defensive WAR three times.

ANDRUW JONES – NO
OK, you’ve now seen that I decided to lower my standards for induction for modern pitchers, recognizing it’s too much to ask guys today to sustain success as long as guys did in previous generations. I am not – at least not yet – lowering my standards for position players. There are still those who have the ability to sustain greatness over an entire career, not just the first half of a career. And that’s always been my knock on Jones. Yes, he was a brilliant player at his peak. From 1998-2006, he produced an .860 OPS while averaging 99 runs, 31 doubles, 35 homers and 104 RBIs while also winning the Gold Glove in center field every single year. Phenomenal. But what happened after that? He fell off a cliff. Jones played six more seasons after turning 30, during which time his OPS plummeted to .734 while he averaged 40 runs, 13 doubles, 15 homers and 44 RBIs while winning one final Gold Glove in 2007 and then zero after that. I’m not saying he had to produce the exact same numbers at 33 as he did at 26. But he needed the drop-off to be less dramatic to earn my vote. I, of course, am in the minority on this one. And I’m happy for Andruw that he’s now headed to Cooperstown. My colleagues have spoken, and I respect their opinions. I just never got there myself.

MATT KEMP – NO
It may have been fleeting, but holy moly was Kemp’s 2011 performance for the Dodgers legendary: 39 homers, 126 RBIs, a .324/.399/.586 slash line, Gold Glove Award in center field and 8.0 bWAR. He still had several good seasons after that, but nothing that ever reached those gargantuan levels and finished with a mere 21.6 bWAR despite 15 MLB seasons.

HOWIE KENDRICK – NO
Obviously, he’s not a baseball Hall of Famer. But he’s forever a Hall of Famer as far as Nationals fans are concerned because of what he did in October 2019. The 10th-inning grand slam to win Game 5 of the NLDS. Five hits (four of them doubles) and four RBIs in the four-game NLCS sweep. And, of course, the clang heard round the world in Game 7 of the World Series. Kendrick defined that championship roster, one that not only had star power at the top but a host of good, quality, veteran players who just did whatever was needed in order to win a championship. And let’s not gloss over how good a hitter Howie actually was over his entire 15-year career: a .294/.337/.430 slash line, 1,747 hits, 354 doubles, even 126 stolen bases (though only seven in a Nats uniform).

NICK MARKAKIS – NO
One of the best pure hitters of his generation, he racked up 2,388 hits (514 of them doubles). And he was a consummate professional through it all, both in Baltimore and Atlanta, playing in at least 155 games a whopping 11 times during his career.

DANIEL MURPHY – NO
He’s not the best free agent signing in Nationals history, but he’s on the list, right? When the Mets let Murphy walk on the heels of his breakthrough 2015 postseason, the Nats swooped in and signed him for three years and $37.5 million. That turned out to be a steal, even with Murphy missing a good chunk of that third season following knee surgery. His totals over 342 games in D.C.: a stout .329/.380/.550 slash line, good for a .930 OPS that trails only Juan Soto in club history. Those wound up the best years of Murphy’s career, which started slow in New York and ended injured in Colorado but featured an exceptional peak in between.

DUSTIN PEDROIA – NO
Here’s another example of a player who burst onto the scene and enjoyed immense success at a young age, heading down a potential path to Cooperstown, only to fail to finish the job. From 2007-13, Pedroia sported a .305/.372/.457 slash line while averaging 92 runs, 40 doubles, 14 homers, 69 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. Great numbers for a second baseman, not to mention the MVP and Rookie of the Year honors he achieved. But Pedroia’s 30s were nowhere close to his 20s, and he was essentially done after age 33 due to injuries that diminished his performance. Here’s the pertinent stat: He finished his career with only 6,777 plate appearances. Every Hall of Fame position player since 1980 has taken at least 7,700. In the end, he just didn’t play long enough.

HUNTER PENCE – NO
Part of the heart and soul of two of the Giants’ three World Series championships in the early-2010s, Pence might’ve been one of the most awkward-looking great ballplayers in recent history. It didn’t matter how he looked, though, because he delivered to the tune of 1,794 hits, 324 doubles, 244 homers and 942 RBIs, while also posting a .444 batting average during the 2014 Fall Classic.

ANDY PETTITTE – NO
There are colleagues out there who have been voting for Pettitte for years, and some of them didn’t vote for Hamels this year. And I can’t really understand the logic. OK, Pettitte won more games (256 to 163) and pitched more innings (3,316 to 2,698) but that’s all he’s got on Hamels, who easily bested him in ERA (3.43 to 3.85), WHIP (1.183 to 1.351) and strikeout rate (8.5 to 6.6 per nine innings). The fact is, Pettitte’s rate stats just don’t stack up with other Hall of Famers. He was a fine pitcher for a long time, and he was a part of a bunch of great teams. But his reputation has been bolstered more by the teams he pitched for than the way he actually pitched for them.

RICK PORCELLO – NO
He was supposed to be the next big thing, but he never really did live up to the billing, aside from a phenomenal 2016 season in Boston when he went 22-4 with a 3.15 ERA and 189 strikeouts to win the Cy Young Award. (He never even received a fifth-place vote in any of his 11 other MLB seasons.)

MANNY RAMIREZ – NO
There’s really nothing left to say here. Manny was one of the greatest offensive players ever. And he was busted twice for PEDs, suspended for failing official tests administered by MLB at a time when there were zero excuses for anyone who did. Thus ends his 10-year stint on the BBWAA ballot. Next up is the Eras Committee. Based on that group’s even harsher judgment of other PED users, it’s hard to imagine Ramirez is ever going to get to Cooperstown.

ALEX RODRIGUEZ – NO
The same applies to A-Rod, who still has five more years on the BBWAA ballot but isn’t likely to gain the huge amount of increased support he would need to get to 75 percent. Likewise, he’s one of the greatest players in baseball history, and we don’t even need to parse over his stats to recognize that. But he was an admitted PED user, busted and suspended for the Biogenesis scandal. Such a shame.

FRANCISCO RODRIGUEZ – NO
He’s probably better than you realize, ranking sixth all-time in saves (437) with the fifth-lowest ERA (2.86), sixth-lowest WHIP (1.155) and fourth-best strikeout rate (10.5 per nine innings) out of everyone in the 400-save club. Problem is, the criteria to make it to Cooperstown as a closer is probably stricter than at any other position in the sport. Among his contemporaries, only Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman and Billy Wagner have made it so far. If we lower the bar just a little bit, K-Rod would make it. But at this point, that bar has not been lowered.

JIMMY ROLLINS – NO
A championship player, a Gold Glove shortstop, an MVP winner and an all-around Good Guy, Rollins has a lot going for him. But the harsh truth is, when you stack him up against the other greats of his era, he’s just not really in the conversation. His career slash line (.264/.324/.418) doesn’t impress you, nor does the fact his 95 OPS-plus actually suggests he was a below-average offensive player over the entirety of his career. And while he won four Gold Glove Awards, he ranked in the top five in Defensive WAR in the National League only twice.

CHASE UTLEY – NO
Utley has a stronger case than his Philly double-play mate. Unlike Rollins, he was the best player at his position for a stretch of time. Unfortunately, that stretch of time really only encompasses five seasons. From 2006-10, he sported a ridiculous .299/.390/.520 slash line, averaging 107 runs, 35 doubles, 27 homers and 93 RBIs. No other second baseman from that era compares. Few in baseball history do, for that matter. But Utley didn’t come close to sustaining those numbers. Over the next eight (and final) years of his career, he slashed .253/.331/.407 with an average of 53 runs, 22 doubles, 10 homers and 47 RBIs. That’s just too dramatic a drop-off to make it to Cooperstown in my book.

OMAR VIZQUEL – NO
My opinion on Vizquel’s candidacy hasn’t really changed in the nine years since he first appeared on the ballot. Though he was an excellent defensive shortstop through a crazy-long playing career (24 seasons!), he probably wasn’t as excellent a defender as you think, with stats that speak more to his longevity than his dominance in the field. And offensively, he doesn’t come anywhere close. He’ll appear once more on the BBWAA ballot next year, but his fate seems to be sealed. Despite an uptick in support in his third and fourth years under consideration, he’s fallen way down the list in the five years since.

DAVID WRIGHT – NO
Sadly, he’s one of the great “What ifs” in baseball history. Through age 30, Wright was more than on the right track to Cooperstown, with a .301/.382/.506 slash line, 345 doubles, 222 homers, 876 RBIs, two Gold Glove Awards and seven All-Star selections. He was the heart and soul of the Mets. And then chronic back injuries completely wrecked his career. Wright played in only 211 games from age 31 on, his production minimal as he just tried to keep himself physically capable of taking the field. In the end, his body wouldn’t cooperate. And so, like his lifelong Tidewater friend Zimmerman, a career that once was on track for the Hall of Fame was derailed by injuries. And for those who say he still played enough before getting hurt: Wright finished with only 6,872 career plate appearances, slightly more than Pedroia but well short of the minimal Cooperstown benchmark of 7,700 that has stood for 45 years now.