Since 2014, there have been 18 players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in their first year on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot. Will anyone in this next class go straight from the ballot to the Hall?

The BBWAA unveiled its 2026 Hall of Fame ballot on Monday. It features 12 players making their ballot debut, a group headlined by left-handed ace Cole Hamels and 2011 National League MVP Ryan Braun.

Let’s use this space to appreciate all of the newcomers. Most of them are likely to go one-and-done by receiving less than 5% of the BBWAA vote, but that doesn’t make what they accomplished through at least 10 seasons in MLB any less impressive.

Here is a look at each first-timer on the 2026 Hall of Fame ballot, listed in descending order of career wins above replaceme

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