Baseball’s Hall of Fame is the ultimate honor for a professional ballplayer. In the long history of the game fewer than 300 players have been elected to the Hall of Fame.
If history tells us anything, we know that between 30 and 40 future Hall of Famers will take the field in MLB in the 2025 season. That’s the average historically.
RELATED:
List of Hall of Fame Players
Hall of Fame Voting History
Hall of Fame News
It’s not difficult to pick out a Hall of Famer in some cases: the legends usually establish themselves quickly. It was evident early on that Willie Mays, Johnny Bench, and Greg Maddux, for example, were destined to have a plaque in Cooperstown.
But other future Hall of Famers are more stealth. It can be tough to know: will he get in, or won’t he? This article will attempt to find the 40 or so future Hall of Famers currently in uniform.
Finding the Hall of Famers active today
The sure things:
- Mike Trout
- Justin Verlander
- Max Scherzer
- Clayton Kershaw
- Mookie Betts
- Jose Altuve
- Shohei Ohtani
- Bryce Harper
- Aaron Judge
- Freddie Freeman
These players are strong Hall of Fame candidates who are still adding value to their case for Cooperstown:
- Francisco Lindor
- Juan Soto
- Jose Ramirez
- Nolan Arenado
- Paul Goldschmidt
- Manny Machado
- Trea Turner
There are likely a handful of very young stars who will emerge as Hall of Fame candidates, like Bobby Witt Jr., Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes, and others.
This next group of players are younger established stars, and have many years, including their primes, to add to their credentials:
- Ronald Acuna Jr.
- Matt Chapman
- Alex Bregman
- Carlos Correa
- Trevor Story
- Matt Olson
- Kyle Tucker
- Julio Rodriguez
- Fernando Tatis Jr.
- Corey Seager
Bregman is adding another superb season to his credentials. He may be moving to a new team (again) after the 2025 season, which could have an impact on his Hall of Fame chances.
There are others who have a chance, but this group is amorphous. Most likely, one or two players among this group will also one day be elected to Cooperstown: Will Smith, Cal Raleigh, Nico Hoerner, Jeremy Peña, Nick Kurtz, Byron Buxton, Vlad Guerrero Jr., Rafael Devers, Pete Alonso, Eugenio Suárez, Riley Greene, Javy Baez, Luis Arraez, and a handful of others.
A few older, waning players, may eventually find a way into Cooperstown through a side door: Andrew McCutchen, Salvador Perez, Chris Sale, Christian Yelich, Marcus Semien, and Giancarlo Stanton, are the three most prominent. One very good season by any of those three in their third act, would vault them into serious consideration for the Hall of Fame.
What about relief pitchers and the Hall of Fame?
Historically, relief pitchers have been a controversial subject in regards to the Hall of Fame. There have been nine relief pitchers elected to Cooperstown:
- Dennis Eckersley
- Rollie Fingers
- Goose Gossage
- Trevor Hoffman
- Mariano Rivera
- Lee Smith
- Bruce Sutter
- Billy Wagner
- Hoyt Wilhelm
Going back to 1950, on average there are 1.5 relief pitchers active at any one time who will eventually earn election. However, six of the nine were active between 1969 and 1993. Given the changing nature of relief pitcher usage, it may be more challenging for relievers in the 21st century to become members of the Hall of Fame.
Only three relievers active in 2025 rank among the top 35 all-time in saves. While that statistic isn’t the only measuring stick for relievers. it is indicative of how valuable that pitcher was viewed. A reliever who pitches the 5th, 6th, 7th, or even 8th innings isn’t going to sniff the Hall of Fame. It doesn’t matter how successful they are.
Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen, Craig Kimbrel, Edwin Díaz, Rafael Iglesias, Josh Hader, and Emmanuel Clase are the best relievers who tossed a pitch in 2025. It’s possible one of them (Kimbrel?) could earn election. But it could be tough. Wagner saved more than 400 games and had excellent stats, but it took him the mandatory 10 seasons to be elected. He last pitched in 2010, the most recent reliever in the Hall of Fame.
Who do you think will make the Hall of Fame? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
