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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You can't talk about Chris Davis without discussing the spectacularly good and the abysmally bad.  Over the last half of his career, no other baseball player may have gone from one extreme to the other quicker than the former First Baseman.

Davis came up through the Texas Rangers system, and the scouting reports about the First Baseman never changed: Low Average, colossal power, lots of Strikeouts, and slow.  He made the Rangers roster first in 2008, but he bounced up and down from Texas and Triple-A often in his first three years, though he did prove he could go deep against Major League pitching.  He was traded to Baltimore during the 2011 Season, and it was in Maryland where he showed the best and worst of what he could do.

Davis had his first 30 Home Run year in 2012 (33) and did so with a solid .270 Batting Average.  He then joined the 50-Home Run Club in 2013, winning the Home Run Title (53) and RBI Title (138), and batting a career-high .286.  Davis was third in MVP voting, went to his only All-Star Game, and captured his only Silver Slugger.  He was third in MVP voting, but there were still a lot of doubt in his overall game.

Davis belted 26 Home Runs in 2014 but batted less than .200.  The following year, he won his second Home Run Title with 47 Home Runs, but he also led the league in Strikeouts (208).  He again was the infamous first-place finisher in whiffs in 2016 (219), but his Home Run tally dropped to 38, and he batted .221.  

Power and Average dropped afterward, and Davis infamously set the MLB record for the longest streak without a Hit (54 At Bats).  He morphed into a chronically hurt player, who could not hit, let alone for power, and he limped into retirement after the 2020 Season.

Davis was much-watch television every time he batted, but two Home Run Titles can not negate a bWAR that is barely over 11.  He will get on the ballot but will be fortunate to gain a vote.

Baltimore Orioles slugger, Chris Davis, announced his retirement today, citing issues with his hip.  He last played in this year’s spring training opener.

Davis first reached the Majors with the Texas Rangers in 2008 but was traded to Baltimore during the 2011 Season.  After blasting 33 Home Runs in 2012, Davis exploded with league-leading 53 Home Runs and 138 RBIs.  An All-Star that season, Davis finished third in MV voting and was also a Silver Slugger.  Davis again won the Home Run Title in 2015 with 47 taters.

As prolific as Davis was with the long ball, he was Strikeout prone (1,852 over his career), and his Batting Average began to plummet in recent years.  He batted well under .200 in his last three seasons and he set the record for the most consecutive hitless at bats with 54.  

He is eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2025, though he is unlikely to get in.  We do think he will enter the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame one day.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to wish the best to Chris Davis in his post-playing career.