Forecasting the future: Who will get the call to the Baseball Hall?

The 2024 National Baseball Hall of Fame induction weekend is in the books. Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton and Joe Mauer, along with former manager Jim Leyland, are now immortalized in the plaque gallery. 

Now it's time to shift the focus to the future. Who will get the call to the hall over the next four years? Here's who might hear their name called between 2025 and 2028.

2025

Notable newcomers: Felix Hernandez, Ian Kinsler, Dustin Pedroia, CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki

Ichiro is a near-lock to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. The Seattle Mariners legend amassed 3,089 career hits in Major League Baseball despite not debuting until he was 27 years old. He led the league in hits seven times, won an MVP and Rookie of the Year award and hit .311 for his career. Start making the plaque now.

Sabathia's 251 career wins with the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers should put him in the Hall. Whether or not the voters make it happen on the first ballot or not remains to be seen, but 250 wins might be the new 300 as far as milestones go. 

Carlos Beltran has been on the ballot for two years and is trending in the right direction (57.1% of the vote in 2024). He's one of only five players to have achieved 500 doubles, 400 homers and 300 steals in their careers. The only thing that might complicate matters is his link to the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal.

Former Atlanta Braves outfielder Andruw Jones is also trending towards induction. He has three years left on the ballot. Former Astros closer Billy Wagner fell just five votes shy of induction last year and seems to be on a path to induction in 2025.

2026

Notable newcomers: Cole Hamels, Ryan Braun

There likely won't be anyone in the 2026 class inducted. 

Hamels had a solid career, but didn't reach any milestones and his accolades were limited to four All-Star selections and a postseason run that brought both NLCS and World Series MVP awards in 2008. 

Braun's tie to steroids means he most likely won't be considered by many voters. 

The unlikelihood of players gaining eligibility in 2026 getting the call could open the door for some of the previous mentioned players to find their way in. 

2027

Notable newcomers: Buster Posey, Jon Lester

Posey is a Hall of Famer. The three-time World Series winner also won a Rookie of the Year, MVP, Gold Glove and a batting title. He finished with exactly 1,500 hits and a .302 batting average. Statistically speaking, Mauer bested Posey in several categories, but Posey has the World Series trophies and that should be a nice boon to his Hall of Fame case.

Lester may have to sweat it out a few years, but he could eventually get in. It will be interesting to see how voters handle him. He's a 200 game winner with three World Series titles and 2,488 strikeouts. He beat cancer early in his career and then won the clinching game of the 2007 World Series for the Boston Red Sox. In 2016, he was a crucial piece of the Chicago Cubs World Series team. But he may be like another pitcher from his era in Mark Buehrle — a solid pitcher, but not Hall of Fame worthy.

2028

Notable newcomers: Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, David Price, Robinson Cano

St. Louis Cardinals fans rejoice! Pujols and Molina could go in the Hall together. Pujols is a lock and should be unanimous. Molina ought to be first ballot as well. Pujols hit over 700 home runs and notched over 3,000 hits. He and Hank Aaron are the only two players to ever reach those numbers.

Defensively, Molina was the best of his generation. Offensively, he has more hits, home runs and RBI than Mauer, who went in on his first try.

Cano had a stellar career, but he is linked to steroids so it's not likely he gets in. Price had a nice career, but is not likely to be inducted.