Three former Phillies, Cole Hamels, Howie Kendrick and Hunter Pence, are among 12 new candidates on the 2026 Baseball Writers Association of America Hall of Fame ballot. The ballot was revealed on Monday afternoon by the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Notable Phillies holdovers include Chase Utley (third season on the ballot), Jimmy Rollins (fifth) and Bobby Abreu (seventh). Utley finished last season with nearly 40% of the vote. Candidates must receive 75% of the vote to earn election into the Hall of Fame. Players can spend up to 10 seasons on the ballot, but must receive at least 5% of the vote each year to remain eligible.
Among the debuting former Phillies, Hamels has the best chance at getting into the Hall of Fame. As noted by The Athletic’s Jayson Stark, Hamels has the highest career Baseball-Reference WAR (bWAR) among debuting candidates at 59.0.
In 15 major league seasons, Hamels was a four-time All-Star and went 163-122 with a 3.43 ERA. The 2008 World Series MVP is also one of the best pitchers in Phillies history. He is fourth in Phillies franchise history behind Steve Carlton, Aaron Nola and Robin Roberts with 1,844 strikeouts. He has five seasons with the Phillies in which he pitched over 200 innings and posted an ERA under 3.10.
Hamels spent the 2025 season with the Phillies as a special advisor to baseball operations and part-time broadcaster for NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Former Phillies farmhand Gio Gonzalez is also debuting on the ballot this year. Once a top-ranked prospect in the Phillies system along with Hamels, Gonzalez was traded to Philadelphia from the Chicago White Sox in 2005 as part of the Aaron Rowand and Jim Thome trade. Gonzalez was traded back to the White Sox in 2006. In 13 major league seasons with the Athletics, Nationals, Brewers and White Sox, Gonzalez went 131-101 with a 3.70 ERA.
Kendrick, who played one season with the Phillies in 2017, has worked in the Phillies front office since 2021 as a special assistant to the general manager.
Rollins finished with 18% of the vote in 2025, his fourth season on the ballot. Abreu finished at 19.5% in 2025. The former Phillies outfielder has three remaining years of Hall of Fame voting eligibility after 2026.
