2025-2026 HOF thread

[WestEddy]

I first became aware of Jayson Stark when he was on the staff of the annual Bill Mazeroski Baseball Prevue magazine, in the 80's. That publication kept me in stitches, and pulled me through every team preview with witty writing. But like every artist who suddenly becomes "aware" of themselves and tries to turn in an album or movie that taps into all of their own quirks, Stark really started leaning on the quirky. Most home runs for a guy with a Z in his name. Entire columns of that sort of filler felt clownish. Maybe I just grew up. Stark's still a good writer, but I really don't seek him out anymore. 

That said, he just wrote an article in The Athletic explaining his ballot. He voted for 9, and left Buehrle off his ballot. He explains:

My 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot — change is coming to Cooperstown - The Athletic

Quote

For more than a week, I found myself staring at three pages full of notes I’d scribbled on Cole Hamels. I had one open slot left on my ballot. If I was going to use it, I knew I was going to use it on him.

I couldn’t quite get there.

I’d seen more of his starts in person than I’d seen of any other pitcher on this ballot in the 2000s. So the first thing I did was write down the three qualities that I thought most defined him:

Durable … dependable … often great.

You know who else on this ballot I’d use the exact same words to describe? Mark Buehrle. I can’t quite convince myself to vote for him, either.

I thought to myself: Yeah, but Hamels started two no-hitters (one of them combined). Oh, wait. So did Buehrle (who finished both of his).

I have tremendous admiration for Cole Hamels. I just couldn’t find any pitcher remotely like him who is in the Hall of Fame. When I tried assigning my own Similarity Scores, I placed him in a neighborhood with Tim Hudson and Roy Oswalt, with a dash of Josh Beckett and Cliff Lee mixed in there somewhere. All of those guys were great. Just not Hall of Fame great.

I guess it's reassuring that he does give great thought to his ballot and can explain every vote and omission. But for his refusal to pick Buehrle...clown.