Which Active MLB Players Have a Shot at the Baseball Hall of Fame?

Major League Baseball: Which Active MLB Players Have a Shot at the Baseball Hall of Fame?

Anyone can engage in debates about which retired players deserve entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Their careers are complete, and all the evidence is available. However, active players are where the real discussion starts. Let’s examine which players currently have the best chances of making it to Cooperstown, listed from oldest to youngest. We won’t claim that a 23-year-old, second-year pitcher like Paul Skenes is a guaranteed Hall of Famer just yet, even if he manages to sustain his performance for another 15 seasons!

The candidates we’re considering are those in their 30s who have compelling cases for induction. Let’s analyze what these players may still need to accomplish—if anything— to win over Hall of Fame voters in the years to come. All statistics referenced are accurate as of July 24, 2025.

Justin Verlander (42 years old, 20 seasons, 80 bWAR)

While Verlander may not have much left in the tank, this won’t affect his Hall of Fame odds: he is undoubtedly a sure thing. He’s regarded as one of the 20 greatest pitchers of all time and even won a Cy Young at the age of 39 with an astounding season—superior to Cy Young’s performance at the same age. For years, FanGraphs’ Jay Jaffe has employed a system known as “JAWS,” which evaluates a player’s Hall of Fame worthiness based on their peak years and total career statistics using wins above replacement. Verlander’s JAWS rating currently ranks 19th all-time among starting pitchers, with most pitchers ahead of him either already enshrined in Cooperstown or en route to it.

Max Scherzer (40 years old, 18 seasons, 74 bWAR)

Scherzer closely trails Verlander in multiple categories. Verlander sits 11th all-time for strikeouts, while Scherzer is at 12th—and both may break into the top 10 before their careers conclude. Verlander is 19th in JAWS among all-time starters, and Scherzer ranks 27th. Both pitchers have won three Cy Young awards and were even teammates with the Tigers for a period. There’s no scenario where Scherzer doesn’t follow Verlander into the Hall of Fame: they are not only two of the best of their era but two of the greatest pitchers overall.

Yu Darvish (38 years old, 13 seasons, 33 bWAR)

While Darvish may not have an obviously strong case for the Hall of Fame like Verlander or Scherzer, he certainly has the credentials. Darvish entered MLB at the age of 25 after spending seven years in Nippon Professional Baseball. Over 13 MLB seasons, he holds a 3.63 ERA, translating to a 116 ERA+, along with over 2,018 strikeouts and a 3.7 K/BB ratio across 1,722 innings. In NPB, he accumulated 1,268 innings and another 1,250 strikeouts with a 3.8 K/BB rate and a 1.99 ERA. Overall, Darvish has logged at least 20 seasons as a professional baseball player by the age of 38, boasting an ERA of 2. cheap red wine brands philippines95 and becoming one of only 25 pitchers combined between MLB and NPB to strike out at least 3,000 batters—totaling 3,268 punchouts. What separates Darvish from others is that he tallied these strikeouts in two different leagues.

Paul Goldschmidt (37 years old, 15 seasons, 64 bWAR)

Goldschmidt led the National League in home runs with 36 in 2013 while playing for the Diamondbacks and received the NL MVP award in 2022 with the Cardinals. He’s a seven-time All-Star with 370 career homers and has claimed four Gold Gloves, which may help mitigate the fact that he might “only” reach 400 career home runs, provided he plays long enough. remogat ue Continuing to perform well until he’s 40 is crucial for his Hall of Fame chances.

Clayton Kershaw (37 years old, 18 seasons, 77 bWAR)

Kershaw is arguably the most dominant pitcher of his generation, boasting a career ERA of 2.52 and a peak ERA of 2.10 over seven years. He achieved an impressive milestone by reaching 3,000 career strikeouts in 2025, making him one of only 20 pitchers in MLB history to do so—all of whom are either in Cooperstown or expected to be, with Roger Clemens being a possible exception.

Jacob deGrom (37 years old, 12 seasons, 45 bWAR)

The only thing tempering Kershaw’s dominance is the existence of Jacob deGrom. While he hasn’t been as healthy as Kershaw and started his career later at 26, deGrom currently holds the active lead in ERA at 2.50. He also has the best strikeout-to-walk ratio in history and has won two Cy Young awards despite missing significant time during a five-year stretch. If he can maintain his health and performance like he did in his impressive 2025 season with the Rangers, deGrom’s Hall of Fame bid could come to fruition.

Chris Sale (36 years old, 15 seasons, 56 bWAR)

Sale isn’t a guarantee for Hall of Fame induction at this point, but he did win a Cy Young award in 2024 with the Braves and is a nine-time All-Star despite facing injuries that have sidelined him for entire seasons. He holds the record for the fastest player to reach 2,500 strikeouts and, assuming he stays healthy, he’s likely to hit 3,000 strikeouts as he led the National League in strikeouts last summer. Sale may not compile the impressive career stats like Verlander or Scherzer, but a few great seasons could secure his place among the greats.

Freddie Freeman (35 years old, 16 seasons, 62 bWAR)

Freeman’s future largely depends on his aging process, but he has so far managed that exceptionally well. A career .300/.387/.510 hitter, he leads active players in doubles with 535, ranking him 42nd all-time at present, along with 353 home runs. He possesses a chance to reach 3,000 hits, though that largely hinges on his aging. He has made nine All-Star teams, won an MVP, and has consistently maintained high performance for over a decade.

Giancarlo Stanton (35 years old, 16 seasons, 46 bWAR)

Stanton’s Hall of Fame chances hinge upon his health, which is not great news for his future. He has struggled with injuries, even in seasons when he is active, like in 2024 when a severe case of tennis elbow affected his performance. Nevertheless, he is just 66 home runs short of 500, and reaching that milestone might help bolster his Hall of Fame candidacy. His ability to stay healthy will be critical for him to achieve this.

Jose Altuve (35 years old, 15 seasons, 54 bWAR)

Altuve shifted from second base to the outfield in 2025, but his batting is still impressive. With a 123 OPS+ this summer, he is close to finishing his career as a member of a rare group composed of players with at least 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases—an achievement only attained by eight other players so far, with possibly nine by the time he reaches that milestone. An MVP and multiple-time champion, he has three batting titles and numerous Silver Slugger awards. While he isn’t guaranteed a spot in Cooperstown, his trajectory remains promising.

Gerrit Cole (34 years old, 12 seasons, 43 bWAR)

Although Cole missed 2025 due to Tommy John surgery, he secured the 2023 AL Cy Young award, tallying 2,251 strikeouts. He has been phenomenal since leaving the Pirates in 2018, but he still must prove he can sustain this level of performance through the remainder of his career without succumbing to major injuries or replicating his underwhelming seasons in Pittsburgh.

Nolan Arenado (34 years old, 13 seasons, 58 bWAR)

Arenado has been compared to Brooks Robinson, but Robinson remained a productive hitter into his later career. Currently, Arenado is showing signs of decline, posting a batting average of just .241/.299/.378 in 2025. His defense remains solid, but he will need to improve his batting to enhance his career totals for hits and home runs.

Mike Trout (33 years old, 15 seasons, 87 bWAR)

As the active leader in wins above replacement, Trout’s value in his 20s is comparable to entire Hall of Fame careers of other players. However, injuries have begun to hinder him in his 30s. If he were to retire tomorrow, he would already be considered worthy of Cooperstown, but as he moves forward, his legacy will hinge on how “inner-circle” his career is.

Aaron Judge (33 years old, 10 seasons, 59 bWAR)

Judge started his career a bit late at 24, becoming a full-time member of the Yankees only a year later. He has made up for lost time, being the fastest to reach 350 home runs based on games played and likely to break the record for 400. Over just ten seasons, he has built a Hall-worthy career beyond just counting stats and has maintained superb defensive skills, making him one of the top hitters in MLB.

Manny Machado (33 years old, 14 seasons, 61 bWAR)

Machado stands a chance of joining both the 3,000-hit and 500-homer clubs—impressive achievements on their own and even more so together, as only seven players have reached both milestones. While Machado may not reach either threshold, just the proximity to them would mark a Hall of Fame-worthy career, and he appears to be tracking toward this rare historic level.

José Ramírez (32 years old, 13 seasons, 56 bWAR)

Ramírez has joined the 250-250 club for home runs and steals and is chasing the rarer 300-300 mark. He has sights on achieving the Barry Bonds-exclusive 350-350 and 400-400 milestones. Even if he doesn’t reach these heights, it would be surprising considering he keeps improving—recording a .297/.372/. filipino attributes530 batting line with 21 homers and 31 steals in his age-32 season. 1 check in viber means However, recognition may be his greatest challenge: Ramírez might retire as one of the finest players to never win an MVP award, and playing in Cleveland may not help his national visibility—despite being one of MLB’s best for the past decade.

Mookie Betts (32 years old, 12 seasons, 73 bWAR)

Betts is experiencing a challenging 2025 season, but his long history of excellence might buffer any decline in form lit-control ph up philippines price. Despite having a .238/.309/.370 batting line this year, he has excelled defensively at shortstop, making him an above-average player for the season. Continued performance like this, even with a decline at the plate, could solidify his Hall of Fame candidacy.

Bryce Harper (32 years old, 14 seasons, 53 bWAR)

Harper has faced injury setbacks like Trout but not as frequently. He has had MVP-caliber seasons, although perhaps not as consistently as Betts. Any disappointment surrounding Harper stems from him not being the top player in baseball; however, he is still on the path to Cooperstown. Currently batting .271/.378/.502 as a 32-year-old with 14 home runs in 78 games, his bat may not match its peak, but it remains formidable. Maintaining this level of performance will be crucial for his future induction.

Francisco Lindor (31 years old, 11 seasons, 53 bWAR)

Lindor, unlike his former teammate Jose Ramirez, performs under the bright lights of New York and has thrived in that spotlight. Although he has yet to win an MVP award, he has delivered MVP-caliber campaigns with both his bat and glove. If he can uphold this level of play for a few more years, Lindor’s Hall of Fame case will look increasingly compelling. However, there’s plenty of time for his performance to take a turn before he gets there.

Alex Bregman (31 years old, 10 seasons, 42 bWAR)

Bregman’s journey has seen him fluctuate from being one of MLB’s top talents to average and back again. However, he seems to be rediscovering his earlier form, currently enjoying one of his best offensive seasons in a few years while playing in Boston. If he remains with the Red Sox or secures an extension and continues hitting well at Fenway, he may make up for his past struggles, though he has a significant mountain to climb against Lindor at this point.

Shohei Ohtani (31 years old, 8 seasons, 49 bWAR)

In just eight seasons, Ohtani has already achieved a career worth more than Bregman’s and stands close to Lindor and Harper. He doesn’t need to maintain this elite level of performance indefinitely to be seen as a Hall of Famer, considering he’s the most recognizable baseball player in the world for valid reasons—never has there been a player like him, and it’s tough to envision another one like him in the future. His performances match up with the immense hype surrounding him, making him even more remarkable.

What do you think about the Hall of Fame chances of these active MLB players?