Overview
- Jeff Kent received 14 of 16 votes to gain Hall of Fame entry for the Class of 2026 via the Contemporary Era Committee.
- Carlos Delgado drew 9 votes, while Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy each received 6, all short of the 12-vote (75%) threshold.
- Fernando Valenzuela, along with Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Gary Sheffield, received fewer than five votes and will not return to the ballot for at least three years.
- The 16-member committee allows up to three selections per voter, with election requiring 75 percent support under rules that now penalize sub–five-vote candidates.
- Valenzuela’s case blended a 173–153 record and 1981 Cy Young and Rookie of the Year honors with the lasting cultural impact of Fernandomanía, and election would have made him the first Mexican inductee.