Hall of Fame’s starting pitcher problem — and what it means
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The Baseball Hall of Fame must evolve with the ever-changing game it celebrates. In the case of starting pitchers, it’s not evolving quickly enough.
The 2026 balloting results announced Tuesday confirmed what many had anticipated: another year without a hurler getting the call to Cooperstown, New York. With pitchers getting shut out this year, CC Sabathia remains the only starting pitcher voted into the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America this decade.
The Hall’s starting pitcher problem has sneaked up quickly as the position has been revolutionized over the past few years. In just the past decade — the 2010s — we saw a spate of starters enshrined, a group composed largely of the last of the greats who were used in a more or less traditional fashion. These pitchers — Randy Johnson, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, Mike Mussina et al. — enjoyed careers with usage patterns and durability records that led to big lifetime win totals. That’s not the only reason they got in, but it helped. The BBWAA voted in eight starters in the decade, matching the high-water mark set in the 1990s.
The results of the most recent round of voting were encouraging because of the solid first-year support for Cole Hamels and the big leap in support for Felix Hernandez. But if that support were to flatline, there wouldn’t be another likely Hall of Fame starter until, possibly, 2029, when Zack Greinke becomes eligible. We’ll get at least three in the 2030s — Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander — but beyond that trio of no-brainers, who else gets in? Anyone?
It’s a question not just about those on the ballot now or nearing Hall consideration, but for current veteran pitchers not among those no-brainers, such as Chris Sale or Jacob deGrom, and the younger stars still a long way away from that part of their…
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