We love to add more sub-sections at Notinhalloffame.com, and if you have been looking at our recent posts, you can see that our current focus is on our Futures Section, which look at eventual candidates who have retired from their respective sport, but are not yet Hall of Fame eligible.  Today, we unveil the latest add-on, the 2026 Baseball Futures of the players who qualify for Cooperstown in 2026.

Here are the players in our 2026 Baseball Futures Section:

Alex Gordon:  Playing his entire career with the Royals, Gordon won three Gold Gloves, was a three-time All-Star and was a member of the 2015 World Series Championship Team.

Chris Davis:  Davis was a power hitter who won two American League Home Run Titles as a member of the Orioles.

Cole Hamels:  Hamels helped lead Philadelphia to a World Series win in 2008, and he was the NLCS and World Series MVP that year.  A four-year All-Star, Hamels had four top ten Cy Young finishes and 2,560 Strikeouts.

Daniel Murphy:  Murphy was the runner-up for the 2016 National League MVP in 2016, and was a three-time All-Star.  He also won two Silver Sluggers and twice led the NL in Doubles.

Edinson Volquez:  Volquez was a long time Starting Pitcher who went to one All-Star Game and won a World Series with Kansas City in 2015.

Edwin Encarnacion:  Finding his stride as a Designated Hitter with Toronto, Encarnacion earned three All-Star appearances, and had 429 Home Runs.

Gio Gonzalez:  Gonzalez went to two All-Star Games and had an overall record of 131-101 and 1,860 Strikeouts.

Howie Kendrick:  Kendrick played most of his career with the Angels where he was an All-Star in 2011, but he would later win an NLCS MVP and World Series Ring with Washington in 2019.

Hunter Pence:  Pence was a four-time All-Star who won two World Series Rings with the San Francisco Giants.

Jason Kipnis:  Kipnis is best known for his time with Cleveland where was a two-time All-Star and won one a Wilson Defensive Player Award.

Jeff Samardzija:  Samardzija was an All-Star Pitcher in 2014 and also led the NL in Strikeouts in 2017.

Kelvin Herrera:  Herrera went to two All-Star Games as a Relief Pitcher and would win a World Series with Kansas City in 2015.

Matt Kemp:  Kemp went to three All-Star Games, and won two Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers.  He was the runner-up for the NL MVP in 2011 when he was a Dodger.

Matt Wieters:  Wieters was a four-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner as the Catcher for the Orioles.

Nick Markakis:  Splitting his career between Baltimore and Atlanta, Markakis won three Gloves, one Silver Slugger and went to one All-Star Game.

Rick Porcello:  The Starting Pitcher won the American League Cy Young Award in 2016 and the World Series two years later. 

Ryan Braun:  Braun played his entire career with Milwaukee where he won the AL Rookie of the Year in 2008 and the AL MVP in 2011.  He is also a five-time Silver Slugger, six-time All-Star and he twice led the league in OPS and Slugging Percentage.

Shin-Soo Choo:  Choo is one of the first everyday players from South Korea and was an All-Star in 2018.

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Despite being a First Round Pick, Gio Gonzalez was traded three times before he made his Major League debut, which was with Oakland in 2008.  Gonzalez's first two years were nothing special, but he broke out in 2010, going 15-9 with a 3.23 ERA, and he was better in 2011, going to the All-Star Game and finishing the year at 16-12 with a 3.12 ERA.  As typical with the A's, Gonzalez was traded away, as Oakland knew they could not afford him in the future.  The Washington Nationals would become their long-term home for Gonzalez.

In Gonzalez's first year in the National League, he had the best year of his career, leading the league in Wins (21), adding a second All-Star Game, while also finishing first in FIP (2.82) and SO/9 (9.3) and fanning 203 batters.  Gonzalez was third in Cy Young voting, but this would be his highwater mark, not a building block.  Over the next five years, Gonzalez mainly was a middle-of-the-road starter, though he was sixth in Cy Young voting in 2017 when he was 15-9 and had a 2.96 ERA.  

Gonzalez was traded to Milwaukee during the 2018 Season, but he declined the following year and battled with injuries.  After a year with the White Sox and an attempted comeback with Miami in 2021, his career ended with a decent record of 131-101 and 1,860 Strikeouts.

Gio Gonzalez had a great first season with the Washington Nationals in 2012 where he would become the second runner up for the National League Cy Young Award and lead the league in Wins, FIP and SO/9.  While he has not yet replicated that All Star season he has been earned his rotation spot earning double digit Wins every year since joining the Nats.  In 2017 he would again finish in the top ten in Cy Young voting (sixth) while going 15 and 9 with a 2.96 ERA.  Gonzalez would be traded in 2018 to the Milwaukee Brewers but his run in Washington was strong and he deserves this high spot on the list.