The Hall of Fame's Class of 2025 is complete. Now the question becomes: Who's next?

Three players punched their tickets to Cooperstown in 2025: first-timers Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia, along with Billy Wagner, who made it in his 10th and final year of eligibility.

But what will the future Hall of Fame ballots look like? With help from Baseball-Reference, here is a preview of each of the next five potential BBWAA ballots, starting with 2026.

(The projections below are unofficial until each year's ballot is announced. Players must be retired for five seasons and have appeared in the Majors in at least 10 seasons to be eligible for the Hall of Fame ballot.)

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2026 ballot

Top first-time candidate(s): Cole Hamels, Ryan Braun
Hamels didn't officially retire until August 2023, but he last appeared in 2020. The left-hander's case is more intriguing than you may think for a pitcher who never placed higher than fifth in Cy Young Award voting, but logging just one game after his age-35 season due to injuries was a big blow. As for Braun, his relatively short career (14 seasons) and ties to PEDs (including a 2013 suspension) figure to hamper the six-time All-Star's candidacy significantly despite some major accomplishments.

Other notable first-timers: Shin-Soo Choo, Edwin Encarnaci¨®n, Alex Gordon, Matt Kemp, Nick Markakis, Hunter Pence
Kemp looked like a potential Hall of Famer early in his career, such as in his incredible 2011 season. But injuries soon took their toll.

Final year on the ballot: Manny Ramirez
Ramirez has never been in danger of falling off the ballot by polling under 5%, but he also has made little headway since he debuted in 2017 with 23.8% of the vote. He came in at 34.3% in 2025, and multiple PED violations make it unlikely that his fortunes will change.

2027 ballot

Top first-time candidate(s): Buster Posey, Jon Lester
While catchers are a difficult group to judge, Joe Mauer's first-ballot selection in 2024 has to bode well for Posey, who has a similar sort of case as an MVP Award-winning catcher whose peak excellence should overcome his relatively short career. (The three championship rings won't hurt, either.) Lester figures to have a much more difficult time, despite his admirable personal story and impressive postseason credentials. With that said, he could gain support over time if the voting body adjusts its evaluation of starting pitchers to keep up with modern usage patterns.

Other notable first-timers: Jay Bruce, Brett Gardner, Kyle Seager, Ryan Zimmerman, Jordan Zimmermann
Gardner's total of 44.3 WAR probably would surprise some people, but excellent defense and baserunning made him a well-rounded player. Zimmerman looked like a potential Hall of Famer in his early 20s, but injuries held him to just 6.4 WAR after his age-28 season.

Final year on the ballot: Andruw Jones
Jones garnered less than 10% of the vote in each of his first two years on the ballot, but his Hall chances have received a huge boost since, all the way up to 66.2% in 2024. The 10-time Gold Glover is trending toward enshrinement.

2028 ballot

Top first-time candidate(s): Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina
Pujols reunited with Molina for one last run on the 2022 Cardinals, and now the good friends just might be first-ballot Hall of Famers together in 2028. Pujols is a lock in that respect, with his magical run late in '22 (including reaching the 700-homer mark) just the icing on the cake. Molina will be a more divisive candidate, given that he was a below-average hitter over the course of his career, but his reputation as an all-time great defensive catcher and postseason hero should give him a real chance.

Other notable first-timers: Robinson Can¨®, David Price, Stephen Strasburg, Lorenzo Cain, Andrelton Simmons, Justin Upton
Can¨® has the raw numbers to garner serious consideration, but his multiple PED suspensions will be a major issue. Price and Strasburg were both No. 1 overall Draft choices who enjoyed a lot of early-career success but likely did not sustain that for long enough to reach Cooperstown.

Final year on the ballot: Andy Pettitte
Pettitte's support dropped a bit in 2024 (from 17.0% to 13.5%) but surged all the way to 27.9% in 2025. A lot more voters still would have to change their minds about the left-hander to give him a realistic chance.

2029 ballot

Top first-time candidate(s): Miguel Cabrera, Zack Greinke, Joey Votto
Cabrera closed out his sensational career at the end of his 21st season in 2023, and he is certain to waltz into the Hall on his first ballot. Alongside Pujols, the two-time AL MVP Award winner is one of seven players with at least 3,000 hits and 500 homers, and he owns MLB's only hitting Triple Crown since 1967.

Greinke finished with 225 wins, just shy of 3,000 strikeouts, two ERA titles and a Cy Young Award over 20 MLB seasons. While his Hall case would perhaps not quite match those of Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer or Justin Verlander, it should be plenty strong.

Votto did sign a Minor League deal with his hometown Blue Jays before the 2024 season, but after further injuries and struggles, the six-time All-Star first baseman announced his retirement in August without having gotten back to the Majors. That means he spent each of his 17 MLB seasons with the Reds, who drafted him way back in 2002. Votto won't bring huge counting stats to the ballot (2,135 hits, 356 homers), but he will have a compelling case nonetheless.

Other notable first-timers: Adam Wainwright, Evan Longoria, Madison Bumgarner, Nelson Cruz, Michael Brantley, Josh Donaldson, Corey Kluber, Elvis Andrus
It's not clear that any of these players will make a serious run at getting into Cooperstown, although Wainwright and Longoria would appear to be in the best position to do so after their impressive careers. Bumgarner probably didn't do enough in the regular season, but his October greatness certainly could earn him some consideration. Kluber's two Cy Young Awards stand out, but as a late bloomer who battled significant injuries after age 32, his case is entirely dependent on a brilliant, five-season peak.

Final year on the ballot: Bobby Abreu
Abreu has a fringy case that appears unlikely to land him at 75%, although he has picked up some ground after barely surviving his first ballot in 2020 (5.5%). In 2025, Abreu's support ticked up to 19.5%, but that still leaves a lot of work to do.

2030 ballot

Top first-time candidates: TBD
It¡¯s still too early to say if any clear Hall of Famers will debut on the 2030 ballot, as we wait to see which free agents find homes for 2025 and which don¡¯t. Kershaw, Scherzer, Craig Kimbrel and Kenley Jansen are among the most intriguing names who remain unsigned as of the Hall¡¯s Class of 2025 being announced.

Other notable first-timers: Charlie Blackmon, Brandon Crawford, Kevin Kiermaier
These three players actually have stated plans to retire. All three had great runs with a particular franchise: Blackmon with the Rockies, Crawford with the Giants and Kiermaier with the Rays. However, it¡¯ll be difficult for any to garner significant support.

Final year on the ballot: Mark Buehrle
Buehrle has yet to generate momentum in five years on the ballot, bouncing around between 5.8% and a high of 11.4% in 2025.