It's what every baseball player thrives for, outside of winning championships and MVPs and other accolades of that respect. Receiving that infamous plaque and your name with some of the biggest legends of the sport of baseball — immortality into Cooperstown and the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Only a select few make it every year and three new inductees made it on the 2025 ballot. We have the Seattle Mariners' hitting icon Ichiro Suzuki, New York Yankees pitching icon (some could say the Shane Victorino grand slam icon) CC Sabathia, and a reliever who actually played for the Philadelphia Phillies for a short stint of his career, the fiery arm of Billy Wagner.
Looking into the future of the Baseball Hall of Fame, specifically next year, a couple names have a very good shot of getting into the 2026 class: New York Mets infielder Carlos Beltran and Atlanta Braves outfielder Andruw Jones. Both had nearly 70 percent of votes, with 75 percent needed to make it into the Hall of Fame. The next name after that is where Phillies fans will start to grin.
Here's every former Phillies player who will be on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2026.
Every Phillies player who will be eligible for the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot
Chase Utley
Chase Utley will be on the ballot for only his third year in 2026 out of the maximum 10, and already received the sixth-most votes out of everyone this year. That's pretty impressive for someone simply dubbed "The Man" by the legendary Harry Kalas.
Utley made the All-Star Game more times than you can count fingers on one hand, with six appearances. In 2008, he helped the Phillies win their first World Series since 1980. Speaking of the World Series, Utley has seven home runs in his career at that stage of the postseason, which is the most for a second baseman in MLB history.
You can go on all day about his accolades, but in terms of him reaching the Hall of Fame, at most you can say it'll only be a few more years max until the second baseman becomes immortal.
Bobby Abreu
Born in Venezuela and starting his career with the Houston Astros before coming to Philadelphia for close to nine seasons, outfielder Bobby Abreu made his mark at the plate as one of the Phillies' best hitters the franchise ever had. His two All-Star seasons came with the Phillies, one of them being in 2004, when according to MLB.com, Abreu became "the only player in AL/NL history to record at least 75 extra-base hits, 100 RBIs, 125 walks and 40 stolen bases in a single season."
Abreu also snagged a Gold Glove Award and a Silver Slugger Award in those two seasons, and even secured the win at the 2005 Home Run Derby at Comerica Park in Detroit.
Jimmy Rollins
Right below Abreu is arguably the best Phillies shortstop the franchise has ever seen, Jimmy Rollins. Known to some better as J-Roll, his 15 seasons with the club produced some spectacular numbers. He was an All-Star three times, won the Roberto Clemente Award alongside Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox in 2014, as well as won the MVP award in 2007 with 20 triples, 30 home runs and over 200 hits.
And along with Utley, Rollins also has a 2008 World Series ring to his name. Recently Larry Bowa came to his defense for why he should get more recognition when it comes to the Hall of Fame, and hopefully he will get that soon.
Cole Hamels
A new name that will be added to the ballot next year, Cole Hamels, the Phillies pitcher with his iconic windup, will get a shot to join immortality in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Playing with the Phillies for about a decade, Hamels garnered four All-Star appearances, the coveted 2008 World Series and not only that, was named NLCS MVP and World Series MVP that year.
After throwing a combined no-hitter in 2014, in his last year with the Phillies in 2015 against the Chicago Cubs, Hamels threw a solo no-hitter, with the last pitch almost falling out of the grasp of Odubel Herrera back in the leaves of Wrigley Field.
Hunter Pence
Even though his stints with the Astros and San Francisco Giants were longer, Hunter Pence did play a couple years with the Phillies, known for his infamous, "Good game, let's go eat" speech. In 155 games in red pinstripes, Pence hit 28 home runs, 94 RBI, close to a .300 batting average and close to 300 total bases.
He won multiple World Series titles with the Giants, was an All-Star with the Astros, Giants and even the Texas Rangers in 2019, and will now have a decade to make it into immortality in Cooperstown.
Howie Kendrick
Another player who had a short stint with Philadelphia, infielder Howie Kendrick, who mainly played with the Los Angeles Angels and Washington Nationals, will be included on the ballot in 2026. Kendrick made the All-Star Game in 2011 with the Angels and won a World Series along with NLCS MVP back in 2019 with the Nationals when Trea Turner and Juan Soto were both playing in D.C. Now look at how times have changed. Kendrick will also have 10 years to make it to Cooperstown.