On Tuesday, January 20, 2026, the Baseball Hall of Fame will likely gain new inductees when the results of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America vote will be announced at 6PM Eastern on the MLB Network. These possible inductees will join second baseman Jeff Kent who was some-what surprisingly elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee last December.
Long-time big league outfielder Carlos Beltran is considered a near-lock to be elected. Joining him could be one of the icons of the Atlanta Braves post-1990 era, as center fielder Andruw Jones seems increasingly likely to gain election in his ninth year on the ballot.
Here are a look at the former Atlanta Braves who are on this year’s ballot.
Considered to be among the best defensive center fielders in the history of the game – and often the argument is between Jones and inner-circle Hall of Famer Willie Mays – Jones’ defensive runs saved are almost otherworldly and proof that his 10-consecutive Gold Gloves were much-deserved. Jones debuted with Atlanta at age 19 in 1996 and played with the Braves through the 2007 season.
His career declined significantly as he spent the next five seasons with four different organizations before heading to Japan for the final two season he played professionally. He was a five-time All-Star, a Silver Slugger and Player of the Year in 2005 when he hit a career-best 51 home runs. He hit 368 of his 434 career MLB home runs with Atlanta. He also hit 50 home runs in Japan.
Jones, with a career 67.o fWAR, is trending forward election in 2026, although the final vote will be close to the 75-percent threshold needed for induction.
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Starting pitcher Cole Hamels pitched in one game for Atlanta in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. That ended up being his final big league appearance although he didn’t officially retire for the final time until 2024 after multiple failed come-back bids.
Although his time with the Braves did elicit a far number of jokes, Hamels is gaining notice for his overall career work, 10 years of which were as a starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. He was a four-time All-Star and a World Series and NLCS MVP.
This is his first time on the ballot and he is going to safely make it to the 2027 ballot despite fall far short of induction in year-one. Hamels’ case for election will likely see him stay on the ballot for each of the years he is eligible, but he seems unlikely to gain election with stronger candidate on the ballot struggling to be voted into the Hall.
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Outfielder Nick Markakis won’t get elected and will likley drop off the ballot after this year, his first of eligibility. Markakis played six of his 15 seasons with the Braves and appeared in his only All-Star game with the Braves in 2018.
He was a three-time Gold Glove winner – once with Atlanta – and also won is only Silver Slugger with the Braves. A solid big leaguer, he pounded more than 500 doubles in his nearly 2,400 career hits. He was a Brave from 2015 through the 2020 season.
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Outfielder Matt Kemp is also a first-time eligible player who will also drop off after this year. Kemp had one stand-out season in his career – 2011 when he posted 8.3 fWAR and led the National League in multiple offensive categories but finished second in the NL MVP to Ryan Braun.
Kemp’s injury-plagued career was up-and-down after 2011. He played part of the 2016 season with the Braves as well as the 2017 season. He hit 31 home runs with Atlanta and 287 in his career.
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Starting pitcher Félix Hernández is included here because if not for the COVID-season of 2020, he would have been an Atlanta Brave. “King Félix” came to Spring Training in 2020 and made four starts with the Braves, tossing 13.3 innings while striking out 14 and allowing on three runs before Spring Training ended and he decided to opt out of the shortened 2020 season.
As it stands, all 15 years of his big league career were with the Seattle Mariners where he was the 2010 AL Cy Young Award winner and finished second in the Cy Young twice. He won’t be elected in this cycle, but his vote totals are trended up as the six-time All-Star and two-time AL leader in ERA looks-to-be on pace for eventual election by the writers.
Looking ahead to the 2027 ballot, there a several other former Braves who could find their way on to the ballot for the first time, but none-of-which would be likley to be more than a one-and-done option.
