After filling out my 10th ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, I wondered why the Philadelphia Phillies didn’t win more World Series in the first decade of this century with guys like Bobby Abreu, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Cole Hamels.
The 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot has some of the greatest sluggers in baseball history. There is no denying that Alex Rodriguez’s stats are among the greatest of all time. Manny Ramirez, who hit 555 home runs with a .312 career average, also is among the greatest sluggers of his generation.
Some argue that Omar Vizquel is the best fielding shortstop in baseball history. Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith might have something to say about that. Whatever the case, Vizquel is one of the few men in the last 20 years who lost my vote after receiving it.
I stopped voting for Vizquel after a former batboy for the White Sox’s Class AA affiliate accused him of sexual harassment when Vizquel managed the Birmingham Barons. Combined with the domestic abuse accusations against him, the sexual harassment accusations by an autistic bat boy raise major doubts about Vizquel’s character.
Character matters
Vizquel invited me to lunch last year to give his side of the sexual harassment and domestic violence accusations. I listened to him with an open mind. I voted for him when he reached the 52.6 percent threshold in his third year of eligibility in 2020. Character questions have been too difficult to overcome ever since.
Character matters. If a player was suspended by Major League Baseball for any reason or if he was accused of a major crime, I don’t vote for them. For that reason, I’ve never voted for Rodriguez and Ramirez. They were both suspended for violating MLB’s rules against performance-enhancement drugs.
Character concerns prompt Jose de Jesus Ortiz to not vote for some of the greatest stars on the 2026 National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.
That’s also the reason I won’t vote for former NL MVP Ryan Braun, who didn’t have Hall of Fame numbers anyway.
Other than that, I won’t give reasons why I didn’t vote for players. After consulting with Hall of Famers, I found that it’s a brutal process for them to continually hear why they’re not worthy of a vote.
Therefore, let’s focus on the positive. Veteran members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America can vote for as many as 10 player or turn in an empty ballot. A player must receive votes on 75 percent of the ballots that were submitted to be elected to the Hall.
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I expect Beltran to join former Astros teammate Jeff Kent, who was voted in by the Hall’s Era Committee earlier this month, in the Hall’s Class of 2026. I have some confidence that Jones will join them.
As has been a tradition for me, I used all 10 votes. Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones, Felix Hernandez, Abreu, David Wright, Utley and Rollins received my vote yet again. I’ve stated my cases for all those men in the past, so I won’t repeat it here again.
Andy Pettitte receives vote
Andy Pettitte, who was 256-153 with a 3.85 ERA and a 60.2 WAR in his career, joins my ballot for the first time. I also voted for Hamels. The former Phillies ace was 163-122 with a 3.43 ERA over 14 seasons. The four-time All-Star and former World Series and NLCS MVP posted a 59 WAR over 15 years.
Hamels’ WAR is just 1.2 shy of Pettitte’s WAR despite playing three fewer seasons.
I closed my ballot with a vote for Hunter Pence, one of my all-time favorite guys to cover. My vote for Pence is more of a tribute to the way he played the game and the fun he brought to fans. The four-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion hit 244 home runs and posted a 30.9 WAR.
Nobody who will reach the Hall of Fame on this ballot will lose a vote because I voted for Pence or Hamels. That’s why I am comfortable using a vote for Pence. More players should play with the energy and love of the game that Pence displayed in his 14-year career.
