Story bySean McAdamFri, January 16, 2026 at 2:55 PM UTC·9 min readOrdinarily, the arrival of the annual Baseball Hall of Fame ballot involves careful examination of the newcomers and their qualifications. Most years, there are a handful of players at least worthy of serious consideration for induction. Some may be borderline candidates, some may be no-doubt first-time inductees. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNot this year. While taking nothing away from the accomplishments of the first-time names on this year’s ballot — clichéd though it may be, it’s indeed an honor to just make the ballot — none, in my mind came close to being considered. Put it this way: the two best players new to the ball this time around were probably Ryan Braun and Cole Hamels. Each had fine careers.