Thoughts About the Release of the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot

Last year, I shared my thoughts about the 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. There was a plethora of players that I recognized, and Ichiro was one of them. He eventually got inducted into Cooperstown, making him the first Asian-born player to do so. Major League Baseball recently revealed the candidates for the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame. Shown above are eight players on the ballot, but two of those players aren't deserving of being on it: Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. It makes me give MLB and the Baseball Hall of Fame committee the huge side-eye. Why these two cheaters, because that's what they were, are on the ballot baffles me. I don't care how good they were as players. We shouldn't praise those who used performance enhancing drugs to gain an advantage and the "Everyone else was doing it, too" excuse doesn't hold up and it's a weak argument. Just because someone took PEDs, doesn't mean that it was right and it's acceptable now. That's why rules regarding the use of performance enhancing drugs exist today. I've said the same thing last year when Alex Rodríguez appeared on the 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, but unfortunately, he wasn't selected to be inducted this past July. Baseball fans like me still care about the integrity of the game. There are plenty of players and even managers who were well-respected but still aren't in the Hall. One example being Atlanta Braves great Andruw Jones. I've seen his name pop up a lot in the comment sections of many baseball videos and videos about the Braves. I believe that he should've appeared on this ballot over Bonds and Clemens. Six months ago, Commissioner Rob Manfred lifted the lifetime bans of Pete Rose and 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson, among other players. Both men will be eligible for the Classic Baseball Era Committee as early as December 2027. However, it's not a guarantee that they'll be inducted into Cooperstown. The reaction to this news was mixed.

Character and integrity play a huge part in a player being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Nearly 300 players are in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens shouldn't be in the Hall at all, because they had zero respect for the game, their fans, their respective ball clubs, or themselves. They didn't care how it affected them or others. Cheating in baseball is frowned upon fans and like I've said in previous stories, cheating is an unforgivable act. Kids look up to their favorite baseball players. We shouldn't teach our children that cheating of any kind in sports is acceptable. Instead, they need to be taught how to have integrity and play games fairly. It's sad that we have a society that praises baseball players who cheated, while others who have done the right things are still being left out of Baseball Hall of Fame ballots and have yet to be inducted into Cooperstown. The double standard is so ridiculous. Make it make sense.

Voting for the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame Class will start next month. In my honest opinion, I believe that more players should've been added to the ballot, especially a manager. A name that definitely should've been on the ballot was Lou Piniella. He won a World Series title as a player and manager. Plus, everyone liked him and is still loved by many baseball fans. He's most likely well-known for his hilarious reactions of him being ejected from games. We get a kick out of him kicking dirt, slamming his hat down to the ground, and arguing with umpires. This list of candidates isn't bad, well, except for the appearances of Bonds and Clemens. However, I believe that more deserving players should've been added on to this ballot.

What are your thoughts about the list of candidates for next year's Baseball Hall of Fame class? Which players and/or managers would you've wanted to appear on the ballot? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Meanwhile, if you enjoyed this story, please give it a like. Make sure you follow me on my socials. Finally, like this story and please leave a generous one-off tip. It'll be found at the end of this story. Big or small, your tips will support creators like me so we can keep publishing new stories and share them with everyone.