Way-too-early Baseball Hall of Fame projections for 2026, 2027, 2028

While the 2025 class is preparing to be officially inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., it's worth peeking ahead to see which MLB stars could find their places among baseball's immortals over the next three years.

To be elected to the Hall of Fame, players must earn at least 75% of the votes from eligible members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). Only active and honorary members of the BBWAA, who have been active baseball writers for at least 10 years, are eligible to vote.

So which players will be elected in the next three years? Here's a best guess.

2026 class

Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones

A pair of holdovers from this year's ballot will finally get their place in Cooperstown with Beltran earning it in his fifth year and Jones in his ninth.

The duo will benefit from a less-heralded first-year class that includes Ryan Braun, Cole Hamels and Alex Gordon. None of this year's rookie members is expected to gather a great deal of support, opening up the door for previous vote-getters to finally get the call.

Both Beltran (70.0 bWAR in a 20-year career) and Jones (62.7 in a 17-year career) were close in 2025, with Beltran getting 70.3% of the vote and Jones earning 66.2%. The highest votes after that went to Chase Utley at 39.8%, but it's unlikely he will make a huge jump in the next voting cycle.

2027 class

Buster Posey and Chase Utley

One of the game's most impactful catchers over this century, Posey, who earned National League Rookie of the Year and MVP honors, should enter the Hall during his first run on the ballot. 

Other first-year ballot members include Jon Lester, who notched 200 wins in his 16-year MLB career and could gain a strong amount of support.

Utley, a six-time All-Star over his 16-year MLB career, will likely benefit from a first- and second-year class that will still need to gather more support as the years go along. 

2028 class

Jon Lester, Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols

The potential for the first-year members of the 2028 ballot to jump straight to Cooperstown will be very interesting to watch.

Of particular note are a pair of former St. Louis Cardinals who could enter baseball immortality together in Molina and Pujols.

Adding Posey and Molina into Cooperstown in consecutive years will certainly give a tip of the cap to catchers who were at the top of their game for numerous seasons in San Francisco and St. Louis, respectively.

Pujols, meanwhile, will be the latest member of the 700-homer club to be inducted. Over the course of 22 seasons, Pujols earned three NL MVP awards and 11 All-Star Game berths.

Lester pitched the final 12 games of his career in St. Louis, so the Cardinals fans may include him in the mix as well in what could be a very red-themed induction ceremony. However, Lester's nine seasons in Boston (with two World Series rings) and six seasons with the Chicago Cubs (helping the Cubs finally win a World Series in 2016) stand out much more.