The 2026 Baseball Writers Association of America has released the Hall of Fame ballot for 2026, and the first time eligible group, made up of players who last appeared in the majors in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, is somewhat lacking.

The first time eligibles are:

Ryan Braun

Shin-Soo Choo

Edwin Encarnacion

Gio Gonzalez

Alex Gordon

Cole Hamels

Matt Kemp

Howie Kendrick

Nick Markakis

Daniel Murphy

Hunter Pence

Rick Porcello

Of this group, only Hamels appears to have a serious shot of getting elected by the BBWAA, and even he would seem to be unlikely to be voted in on the first ballot.

Hamels had his best years with the Philadelphia Phillies, who drafted him #17 overall in the 2002 “Moneyball” draft. He and Jake Diekman were traded to the Rangers at the 2015 trade deadli

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