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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Hunter Pence broke in with the Houston Astros in 2007, finishing third in National League Rookie of the Year voting displaying a nice balance of power and average that would be his calling card.

Settling in at Rightfield, Pence was an All-Star in 2009 and 2011, hitting 20 Home Runs six years in a row beginning in 2008 while batting over .300 twice.  Traded to the Phillies during the 2011 Season and subsequently to San Francisco the following year.  It was as a Giant that Pence achieved his greatest fame.

This happened not necessarily because Pence was a better player but rather that he joined a loaded Giants team that won the 2012 World Series and again in 2014.  Pence was still a solid contributor, even having his best season in '14, where he was an All-Star for the third time and was eleventh in MVP voting, his highest finish.  He slowed down after, though he added an All-Star as Texas' Designated Hitter in 2019, Pence's only year there.  He returned to the Bay Area for one final year but was released midseason.

Pence might not have been a superstar, but he had a career that is the envy of many.

Following the announcement of Alex Gordon’s impending retirement only a few days ago, we have another career-ending statement from another significant retirement.

Hunter Pence announced on Twitter that he will be retiring after a 14-year career, last playing for the San Francisco Giants where he was designated for assignment early in August.

Pence made his Major League debut in 2007 with the Houston Astros as their starting Centerfielder, and he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting.  Moving to Rightfield the year after, Pence was named to the All-Star Game in 2009, and would be again in 2011, though he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies during the season.  Pence’s stay in Eastern Pennsylvania would be short-lived as he was dealt to the Giants during the 2012 season, and he went on to help them win the World Series that year. He would go to a third All-Star Game in 2014, and win a second World Series that year with the Giants, and with the exception of the 2019 season as a Texas Rangers, he completed his career with San Francisco.

Pence retired with 1,791 career Hits, 244 Home Runs and a lifetime Batting Average of .279.

Pence will be eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2026, and while he is unlikely to make Cooperstown, he should be on the ballot.