Five former Mariners appear on Hall of Fame ballot for Class of 2026

The Baseball Writers Association of America announced the candidates for the Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

12 new candidates were announced on Monday, along with 15 holdovers from last year’s ballot, including former Mariners Félix Hernández, Alex Rodríguez, Omar Vizquel, Shin-Soo Choo, and Edwin Encarnación.

Hernández, known as ‘King Félix,’ spent 15 years with the Mariners, averaging per season a 2.83 ERA, 228 innings, and 221 strikeouts.

He made baseball history on August 15, 2012, throwing a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays, the 23rd perfect game in MLB history and first for a Mariner.

This will be his second appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot after his first selection in 2025, where fellow teammate Ichiro Suzuki was inducted into Cooperstown.

Hernández received 20.6% of the votes in his first ballot appearance.

Former Mariners Alex Rodríguez (5th year of eligibility) and Omar Vizquel (9th year of eligibility) were also named to the 2026 ballot.

Rodríguez was drafted by the Mariners in 1993, playing seven seasons in Seattle before heading to the Texas Rangers, then onto the New York Yankees, where he played the majority of his career and won a World Series in 2009.

Vizquel made his major league debut for the Mariners in 1989, playing in the PNW until 1993, when he was traded to the Cleveland Indians, then to the San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays.

Shin-Soo Choo and Edwin Encarnación are first-time ballot candidates for the 2026 class.

Choo had a short stint with Seattle, playing a total of 14 games between 2006 and 2006 while Encarnación played 65 games for the M’s in 2019.

Other newcomers include Hunter Pence, Ryan Braun, Gio González, Alex Gordon, Cole Hamels, Matt Kemp, Howie Kendrick, Nick Markakis, Daniel Murphy, and Rick Porcello.

Results for the Hall of Fame Class 2026 ballot will be announced on January 20, 2026.

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