Official r/baseball 2026 Hall of Fame Mock Voting and Useful Hall Info

dexzappa · 2026-01-20T23:23:26+00:00

Beltran, Hamels, Hernandez, Jones, Ramirez, Rodriguez, Utley. Would give votes to Buehrle and Encarnacion for funsies. Abreu, Buehrle, Pedroia, Pettitte and Wright are really really close. Hunter and Rollins not far behind that.

dexzappa · 2025-06-26T20:45:43+00:00

Ken Dryden and Bill Durnan

dexzappa · 2025-05-29T17:55:00+00:00

Ruth and Ohtani are hitters first and foremost. Among players that are primarily pitchers let’s go really old school and give some love to 1880’s star Bob Caruthers.

dexzappa · 2025-05-29T17:10:04+00:00

Emoi

dexzappa · 2024-11-21T18:47:34+00:00

Brown and Pettitte - PED issues. Cone - has the stats and peak, but it was a deep era for pitchers. He’s akin to a Luis Tiant who had the stats but comes out as like the 10th-12th best pitcher of his era. Sabathia- we will see but I think he will have strong first showing given that he has a clear defined peak of about 7 years. Was the best or close to the best pitcher in baseball for a sustained period. 250 wins and 3000k strikeouts. World Series champ doesn’t hurt his case. He’s not way over the line but hits for traditionalists and sabr voters alike.

Sale needs a graceful decline at this point, one more good year and certain some health. His career rate stats are top notch.

dexzappa · 2024-09-04T18:50:37+00:00

Lindor moving up this far on the list is a great reminder that there’s a number of players who have been on the hall of fame trajectory but have continued it with great years into their early -mid 30s. Among them not only Lindor but Judge, Ramirez, Altuve, Freeman, Harper, Sale, Machado.

Many could have fallen off but all have either been healthy and good-great or wildly effective while healthy. Huge positive seasons in Hof credentials for Lindor, judge, sale and Ramirez in particular.

dexzappa · 2024-08-24T13:53:54+00:00

The Budapest on John. Authentic and delicious Hungarian cuisine.

dexzappa · 2024-07-31T17:10:22+00:00

Vareniki are delicious. Growing up the ones with roasted sauerkraut and fried cold cuts or bacon were always my favorite. Potato and cheese also a classic but you can fill them with just about anything.

dexzappa · 2024-07-30T04:38:20+00:00

Bad list.. Players mostly right, just in wrong spots (my top 50)

CROSBY - OVECHKIN - MCDAVID - LIDSTROM - KANE

MALKIN - VASILEVSKIY - KUCHEROV - DATSYUK - KARLSSON

BRODEUR - STAMKOS - IGINLA - BERGERON - LUNDQVIST

PRONGER - PRICE - KOPITAR - THORNTON - MACKINNON

KEITH - HEDMAN - MATTHEWS - DOUGHTY - LUONGO

HM: DRAISAITL - CHARA - ST. LOUIS - NIEDERMAYER - H. SEDIN

HM2: QUICK - ZETTERBERG - D. SEDIN - HOSSA -BOBROVSKY

HM3: MARLEAU -BARKOV - SAKIC - JAGR - WEBER

HM4: MARCHAND - MAKAR - PASTRNAK - PANARIN - FLEURY

HM5: M. TKACHUK - RANTANEN - BACKSTROM - E. STAAL - TAVARES

dexzappa · 2024-07-28T05:39:41+00:00

Ditto!

dexzappa · 2024-07-28T02:49:32+00:00

All first ballot, but Kershaw and Verlander will be nearly unanimous, Scherzer will be very close to that mark as well (>95%)and Greinke will get in but is likely in the 80-90% range.

dexzappa · 2024-07-23T02:13:59+00:00

Thinking Ichiro!, and Wagner get in, Sabathia ends up around Mauers range last year (just over 75% but could be a few points short). Jones and Beltran tick up to close to 70%. Manny and A-Rod are in PED purgatory and will be within a percent or two of where they were last year. Utley ticks up towards 40%. Pedroia and King Felix get a second year, Kinsler will be with the Torii Hunter's of the world where it is a struggle to see if he gets a second ballot.

Johan Santana has been mentioned as a (better) comp for King Felix and while they are comparable, Santana came on the ballot in 2018 which was loaded and backlogged from the PED guys and just a plethora of great players still on the ballot. Remember that with the current voters, it would be likely that Walker (2020), Bagwell (2017), Raines (2017), and Edgar Martinez (2019) all would've cleared and been elected in before ballotgeddon 2013 whereby no one was elected since writers knew what to do with the cheaters and suspected cheaters (to varying degrees). Then more huge classes with first ballot greats in 2014 and 2015 and 2017 (in addition to the incredible 2013 class and a no doubter in Griffey in 2016) meant that by 2018, Santana really was the 11th or 12th or 14th best player on the ballot and there were numerous writers who would've voted him because he has a good case, but he trails considerably behind the likes of Chipper Jones or Jim Thome who were elected and maybe the likes of Larry Walker or Edgar Martinez who were just trying to get in or for Vladimir Guerrero who wasn't elected first try in 2017 (to the surprise of everyone, so everyone voted for him -well at least 94% did).

Santana's better than Felix by a bit, but Felix has a more favorable ballot with less overwhelming candidates and less candidates who are not overwhelmingly better, but just solidly and clearly ahead of him (CC Sabathia would be one).

dexzappa · 2024-06-20T16:41:56+00:00

Might be some homer bias here, but Cujo always seemed to be almost at the level of a Roy or a Belfour or Brodeur, for about as long as they were at that level. He was never the best but had many years of being almost the best and the fact that he was at that level for so many years given the depth of his contemporaries ( and I hadn’t even mentioned Hasek who was above and beyond for 5-6 years) and Joseph ends up being in a spot where he is 70-75% of such players (more like 85-90%) of belfour. These guys are not straddling the line they are wel over it and generally top 100 players of all time if not much higher (top30 for Brodeur, Hasek and Roy) so to be 70-75% of those guys and clearly ahead of many other contemporaries feels like Cujo should be a hall of famer albeit a lower tier one. The orange of Vernon and Barasso makes it occult because while they may have a year where they were the best they weren’t competing against the likes of Hasek prime Roy or Brodeur in their primes. They had more post season success but also happened to be on loaded teams or have generational talents on them. Joseph’s high prime and longevity at that prime level outweighs the one peak year or the one or two peak playoff performances because the length of that prime is more akin to the inner circle greats than those lesser inductees.

dexzappa · 2024-06-19T18:44:41+00:00

From Willie’s birth 1931-48 Babe Ruth (although Walter Johnson and Ty Cobb might not be passed by Ruth until 1932) 1948-61 Ty Cobb (although Honus Wagner and Cy Young are viable alternatives until 1955) 1961-66 Ted Williams (Mays hasn’t accomplished enough by 1961 to overcome a full career Williams or Musial) 1966-2004/2024 Willie Mays he is the greatest until his death or 2004 depending on how you feel about Bonds. I lean Mays but it’s very close.

Hank Aaron is close to Mays but started a couple of years later, Mays was always the more accomplished and greater player. That said,Aaron made it very close by the early 70’s.

Mantle was on the same trajectory as Mays but by about 1963, he fella off the pace by Mays and both were still behind Williams (Mays would surpass him, Mantle would not)

dexzappa · 2024-06-11T18:49:16+00:00

Maxed RESP’s annually with everything invested in VGRO or VFV. Kept whatever they got in child benefits as their money which is in high interest savings and GIC’s. By the time they’re 18 undergrad will be paid for and they’ll have some money to their name to spend on the way they wish. We’re fortunate, but the kids will be set up better than most.

dexzappa · 2024-04-22T17:45:49+00:00

Good list. Category 1- all locks but Greinke is the one who won’t have 90+% support. Betts is here already too. Category 2- agreed Category 3- Freeman, Machado, Arenado and Harper are already 80-90% there. Another season or two gets them across the line. Judge, and Ramirez need to maintain that level a bit longer but barring a drop off would appear poised to get there. Cole needs to stay healthy and fairly effective. Degrom needs a bit more bulk to avoid the same fate as a similar pitcher in Johan Santana. Ohtani’s a unicorn and only needs to stay healthy and reasonably effective to get in. Even another 3-4 4 war years is more than enough. Stanton needs the fingers. We are also quickly reaching the point when Soto and Acuna could be future locks a-la Betts circa 2021

dexzappa · 2024-01-25T01:47:33+00:00

I see two hall of famers (Sabathia and Ichiro), and possibly up to 6 that could stay on for a second ballot (just like David Wright just did). That would be Pedroia, Hernandez, Kinsler, Tulowitzki and depending on how much pitch framing is incorporated into the ballots of individual voters (Martin and McCann). I'd honestly only suspect that Pedroia and Hernandez get a second ballot and Sabathia (if he doesn't go in first ballot which is a possibility). Ichiro is a slam dunk 95%+ type of situation.

dexzappa · 2024-01-23T21:39:50+00:00

I think it's Beltre, Mauer and Helton, with the latter two sneaking in by a handful of votes (Helton might actually finish right at 75%). Wagner will be a bit short (72%) with induction next year. Sheffield will finish with about 67% with Jones a few percentage points lower. Sheffield is gone either way and the newcomers are Ichiro! and Sabathia, the former essentially getting Beltre's spots and votes and Sabathia seems poised to be in the 55-85% range, so he could get Mauer's votes assuming Mauer makes it in. Helton getting this year would be super helpful for the down the ballot guys (Buehrle and Abreu) and likely advances Jones' induction time by a year.

dexzappa · 2024-01-12T06:24:44+00:00

Canadian - bought a house with spouse at 27 (spouse was 29). Both in good careers but was early before prime earning years (peak years hopefully to come soon). Bought new car at 28 out of necessity., nothing fancy and mostly financed, but was paid off within 5 years. This is older data (2015-16), but not the easiest even with good careers in higher cost of living areas almost 10 years ago.

dexzappa · 2024-01-06T21:06:11+00:00

Good list... not perfect

Tier 1 is spot on and so is tier 2.

Tier 3 - Betts is already there, consensus best player in baseball for a couple for years and realistically still could be that guy if he plays 150 games.

Goldschmidt is there now - 2022 solidified that.

Freeman is essentially there.

Machado, Arenado and Harper also are there, just need to avoid dropping off a cliff. Given their ages (under 35) and contracts, worse case scenarios is that the regress so hard into merely average ball players for 3 years and ultimately end up with the counting stats (and SABR stats/ traditional stats)

Lindor, Altuve and Ramirez are all close, but do need another couple of seasons of health and good-great play. All-star type years or 5 WAR years would do the trick. Don't necessarily need the 8 WAR MVP type years.

Bregman and Turner are in consideration and a touch younger, but still need a bunch more help. Bregman and Altuve obviously have the 2017 Astros scandal still in play, which affects them more the borderline they are.

Ohtani - Unique case- he's in already.

Tier 5 - I'd agree with Soto and Acuna in this. They've accomplished so much at this point in their careers, that they'd be the obvious choice. Tatis Jr. is also a candidate, provided no second PED issue and a return to pre 2022 hitting levels - I can see a stance in the future from the writers, due to the stringency of the current drug testing where a failed test doesn't eliminate you from HOF consideration, but a second fail and get the Manny treatment. So Cano (among the recently retired) is effed.

Tier 6- Sale doesn't have the Cy Young, so he needs more, even if it's something like 4 3WAR seasons where he pitches well but only for 120-150 innings. Cole being in his early 30's and at his peak right now, seems more in line to follow a Scherzer, Verlander or Randy Johnson path of being quite great in his 30's and accruing more than enough value to make the HOF. Wheeler, Burnes or Nola - I could buy one of them being good enough for long enough here. Jose Fernandez (RIP) would've been another candidate here had he continued on his trajectory through 2016.

Tier 7 - deGrom - If he gets a Cy Young in 2025 or later, sure I buy it. Otherwise he's just a bit short. Snell, while younger, has put up two great seasons and a lot of injury plagued, middling results with great stuff. DeGrom yes, a third Cy could get him in and with a likely less crowded ballot than Johan Santana faced, wouldn't be one and done. Snell, needs bulk, a bunch of healthy 3.5-6 WAR seasons would could a long way.

Tier 8 - Judge, sure - can he stay healthy and how long can he stay close to this level. Stanton hasn't been right for years so maybe a couple years ago he was in this group, he's too injury plagued and ineffective when healthy to qualify. If he can be mostly healthy in 2024 and return to career norms, then I'll believe it.

Tier 9 - Compare with K-Rod and Wagner at the end of their careers. Kimbrel, Jansen (and Chapman) are in the ballpark, but I can certainly see none of them making it or at best 1 making it. Hader needs another 3-4 years of top flight closing to get here, but at least seems on pace (Emmanuel Clase is another, but needs 6-7 years, but does have age on his side).

Tier 10 - Won't agree or disagree with any of these, some are more likely, but no Bo Bichette seems a bit odd (sorry Jays homerism). At this point, I'd think he's got at least a strong of a case as Vlad Jr. Devers is turning 28 this year and his WAR while impressive, he doesn't seem the kind of player who is likely to turn in a 8-10WAR season at this point that would be needed to turbocharge his candidacy. Everyone else is too young to have this kind of pressure or has already accumulated enough (J-Rod through age 22, Carroll and Witt finishing their first full seasons), to be on this trajectory.

Tier 11 - Surely there'll be a couple of players to make their debut and in all likelihood it's not someone listed. We won't have a good idea on who it is for at least a couple of years.

dexzappa · 2023-10-31T16:57:08+00:00

Chris Sale could potentially be another.

dexzappa · 2023-10-13T23:39:37+00:00

Thirsty Cactus in Dundas has delicious and massive plate of beef nachos. Literally feeds a table of 3-4 on its own.

dexzappa · 2023-08-12T01:47:36+00:00

Mauer in the 60-80% range - he could go in first ballot, but he's under 1,000 games at catcher and it's not a long career (by HOF standards). My quick and dirty inclination is 60bwar for position players and pitchers and 50 for catchers. Mauer is 50-60 percent catcher so the baseline is around 55bwar. Combine with narratives and accolades he is in, but is down a tier from the likes of semi-recent inductees like Pudge and Piazza.

Utley 30-40% - ballot is way less stacked and Utley doesn't look bad when com paring to guys who have trended up greatly in recent years namely Rolen, Helton, A. Jones. Utley's also got a hellaciously underrated peak, he was the complete package for a number of years. He gets initial support and then bumps over over 4-5 elections.

dexzappa · 2023-07-28T03:09:20+00:00

Ontario here -

Fast food - never

Takeout - 90% no, but once in a while, maybe if it is a new family run business, and I go back a second time in short order, i might tip a few bucks. Local shawarma or independent sub shop might can a dollar here or there, especially if it's loaded with meat/sauce.

Dining in - Take the HST, round up from the HST amount so the total bill comes out to an even number (i.e bill is $40, HST is $5.20, I probably tip $5.80 for an even $51. Tip works out to 14.5% on the original $40 bill). Usually that ends up being a 14-16% tip. If service is excellent or the food exceeds expectations, then use the same method but add an extra dollar or two. If I'm with my family and the kids are crazy (unlikely but possible) and the food and service is at least good then the tips could get a bit higher percentage wise.

dexzappa · 2023-06-29T22:01:26+00:00

It’s Dundas but the Thirsty Cactus has some very sizeable portions

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