Baseball Hall of Fame ballot: Ryan Braun, Edwin Encarnación, Alex Gordon and the other one-and-done candidates

As we've mentioned several times this winter while discussing the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame class, it's a relatively weak ballot. Such a label often revolves around the first-timers. The way things are shaping up, the newbies here have one player -- Cole Hamels, whom we've already profiled -- who will clear the 5% threshold and remain on the ballot past this year. Everyone else is a one-and-done. 

Still, it's an honor for any player just to get on the Hall of Fame ballot, so let's discuss them, in order of career WAR. 

Ryan Braun (47.2 WAR)

The 2007 National League Rookie of the Year won the NL MVP in 2011. He looked like a possible Hall of Famer through 2012, his age-28 season, before getting entangled in the Biogenesis scandal and suspended for his ties to PEDs. After testing positive in 2011, Braun successfully appealed and later publicly criticized the process and the sample collector himself. Privately, he reportedly accused the collector of antisemitism. In 2013, Braun was suspended for 65 games for ties to Biogenesis.

On the field, Braun took a tumble after the suspension too. After making five straight All-Star teams in five full seasons, he only made one more. After averaging 6.1 WAR per 162 games pre-suspension, Braun averaged 2.6 WAR per 162 games after. 

In all, he hit .296/.358/.532 (134 OPS+) with 1,963 hits, 408 doubles, 352 home runs, 1,154 RBI, 1,080 runs and 216 steals. Among left fielders in MLB history, Braun sits 25th in JAWS, similar to Jose Cruz and Luis Gonzalez, decently below the average Hall of Famer at the position. 

The bottom line, he wasn't likely a Hall of Famer without the PED stain and his subsequent behavior, but that baggage took everything off the table.

Edwin Encarnación (35.3 WAR)

There was a stretch of seven or so seasons where EE looked like a Hall of Fame-type slugger -- at least if he played in a different era. From 2012-19, he averaged 37 home runs and 106 RBI. Picture a dude starting his career like that in, say, the 1940s-50s. It would've been a Hall of Fame foundation! 

There just wasn't much great before that and nothing good after it. A player like Encarnación in this era needs to at least reach 500 career homers. He didn't. 

In all, Encarnación in parts of 16 seasons hit .260/.350/.496 (123 OPS+) with 1,832 hits, 370 doubles, 424 home runs, 1,261 RBI and 1,099 runs. He was a three-time All-Star, finishing as high as 11th in MVP voting. He sits 63rd among first baseman in the JAWS system.

Howie Kendrick (35 WAR)

Kendrick played hero in the 2019 World Series, hitting a go-ahead home run off the foul pole in an eventual Game 7 win for the Nationals.

That remains one of the coolest things I've ever seen in person. I still still hear the sound of the ball hitting the pole in my head. Kendrick also had a huge grand slam earlier that postseason. 

Of course, that postseason doesn't make him a Hall of Famer. It just needed to be mentioned. 

In parts of 15 years, Kendrick hit .294/.337/.430 (109 OPS+) with 1,747 hits, 354 doubles, 127 home runs, 724 RBI, 792 runs and 126 steals. He made an All-Star team and sits 58th all time among second basemen in JAWS.

Alex Gordon (34.9 WAR)

The Lincoln, Neb., native was selected second overall out of the University of Nebraska in the 2005 Draft and quickly become one of the top prospects in baseball. It took a few years before Gordon could stick in the majors full-time and he moved from third base to left field, where he made himself into one of the premier defensive players in the majors. He would end his career with eight Gold Gloves and two Platinum Gloves. He was one of the centerpieces of the 2014-15 Royals, who won two pennants and the '15 World Series. He hit a game-tying homer in Game 1 in the ninth inning to force extras and the Royals would eventually win in 14. 

In parts of 14 MLB seasons, Gordon hit .257/.338/.410 (102 OPS+) with 1,643 hits, 357 doubles, 190 home runs, 749 RBI, 867 runs and 113 steals. He's 52nd in JAWS among left fielders. 

Shin-Soo Choo (34.7 WAR)

The best Korean player ever in Major League Baseball, Choo came stateside at age 18 to debut with Class-A Wisconsin. It took him several years to get a good grasp of MLB, but once he did, he was a great leadoff man for a bit. He hit .300 twice and topped a .400 on-base percentage twice. In his 16 MLB seasons, Choo hit .275/.377/.447 (122 OPS+) with 1,671 hits, 339 doubles, 218 home runs, 782 RBI, 961 runs and 157 stolen bases. He is in 72nd place all time among right fielders in JAWS. 

Nick Markakis (33.7 WAR)

In his 15 MLB seasons, Markakis racked up a solid hits total, finishing with 2,388, good for 128th all time. He never reached 200 hits in a season, but topped 180 seven times and got to 170 in two other seasons. 

In all, Markakis hit .288/.357/.423 (109 OPS+) with 514 doubles, 189 home runs, 1,046 RBI, 1,119 runs, three Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger and one All-Star appearance. He's 81st among right fielders in JAWS.

Hunter Pence (30.9 WAR)

A two-time World Series champion with the Giants (2012, 2014), Pence was an All-Star with three different teams (Astros, Giants, Rangers) and also made the playoffs with the 2011 Phillies. He was huge in the playoffs in 2014 and went 12 for 27 (.444) with three doubles, a home run, five RBI and seven runs in the seven World Series games. 

Pence finished his 14-year career as a .279/.334/.461 hitter (114 OPS+) with 1,791 hits, 324 doubles, 55 triples, 244 home runs, 942 RBI, 891 runs, 120 steals and four All-Star Games. He's 83rd among right fielders all time in JAWS.

Gio González (28.3 WAR)

The lefty González led the majors with 21 wins and finished third in Cy Young voting for the 2012 Nationals. He struck out a career-high 207 that season. He topped 200 innings three times in his career and was over 195 two other seasons. The two-time All-Star made the playoffs five times, but was never able to win a pennant. 

In parts of 13 MLB seasons, González went 131-101 with a 3.70 ERA (111 ERA+) with a 1.32 WHIP and 1,860 strikeouts in 1,933 innings. He's 309th among starting pitchers in JAWS.

Matt Kemp (21.6 WAR)

Kemp came oh-so-close in 2011 to the exclusive 40-40 club, stealing 40 bases and hitting 39 home runs. He finished second in NL MVP voting to Braun and, well, see above for Braun's 2011 season and what happened shortly thereafter. Kemp led the NL in home runs, RBI, runs, OPS+, total bases and WAR that season, also winning a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger. It was the peak of his career and also an outlier. To illustrate, he had 8.0 WAR that season and the next highest mark of his career was 4.9. His third highest was 3.9. 

All told, Kemp hit .284/.337/.484 (121 OPS+) in parts of 15 years with 1,808 hits, 338 doubles, 287 home runs, 1,031 RBI, 950 runs and 184 steals. He's 127th among center fielders in JAWS.

Daniel Murphy (20.8 WAR)

Up to and including the 2015 regular season, Murphy had proven to be a good hitter, albeit not a great one. Though he had gotten hot down the stretch (.329 with a .644 slugging in his last 18 games), there was no indication what would happen in the playoffs. In his nine games in the NLDS and NLCS, Murphy hit .421 with seven home runs and 11 RBI in nine games, helping push the Mets to an unlikely pennant. He carried that momentum over into the next season, finishing second in MVP voting for the Nationals. He was very good again in 2017, but then his decline hit. He did play at a Hall of Fame level for more than a season, but that isn't near enough. 

In 12 years, Murphy slashed .296/.341/.455 (113 OPS+) with 1,572 hits, 371 doubles, 138 home runs, 735 RBI and 710 runs. His playoff numbers are great, too. In JAWS, he's 103rd all time among second basemen. 

Rick Porcello (18.8 WAR)

In 2016, Porcello went 22-4, leading the majors in wins and taking the AL Cy Young. The next season, he led the majors with 17 losses and 38 home runs allowed. Though he had a few seasons that could be called good, it wouldn't be totally unfair to call Porcello a one-hit wonder. It was his only great season. But hey, not many people walking this Earth have won a Cy Young. 

In 12 seasons, Porcello was 150-125 with a 4.40 ERA (99 ERA+), 1.32 WHIP and 1,561 strikeouts in 2,096 ⅓ innings. He's 577th among starting pitchers in MLB history in JAWS.