Lost in the shuffle of last night’s White Sox trade was Major League Baseball’s ballot reveal for the 2026 Hall of Fame inductees. Longtime Mets and Royals outfielder Carlos Beltran earned an induction alongside Braves legend Andruw Jones, who played 107 games for the White Sox in 2010. For White Sox fans, all eyes were on franchise icon Mark Buehrle, who entered his sixth year on the ballot looking to take a jump and put himself in striking distance of the 75% needed for induction.
Overall, Buehrle finished with 85 votes, good for 20% of the ballot. While it’s not near the necessary threshold, it’s a significant jump from last year’s 11% mark. With four years left on the ballot, Buehrle is shaping up to get close to the necessary number. But one notable riser in this year’s ballot is quite puzzling and should be irritating for White Sox fans.
Cole Hamels outperformed Mark Buehrle in his first year on the ballot
Longtime Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels, in his first year on the ballot, outpaced Buehrle and earned 23.8% of the vote. Hamels, a four-time all-star, played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball, including ten with Philadelphia. If you compare career numbers from Buehrle and Hamels, it’s quite puzzling how Hamels performed as well as he did in his first year on the ballot, while Buehrle has had to scratch and claw to make significant progress in six years.
In terms of total innings pitched, Buerhle’s 3,283.1 easily outpaced Hamels’ 2,698. Hamels posted 163 career wins with an ERA of 3.43 throughout his career, while Buehrle won 214 games and held a 3.81 career ERA. Both pitchers finished their careers with exactly 59.0 bWAR. Hamels easily topped Buehrle in the strikeout numbers, but strikeouts were never a large part of Buehrle’s game. Buehrle made five all-star games, one more than Hamels, and also won four Gold Gloves.
There’s an argument to be made that Buehrle’s durability and longevity made him a more valuable commodity than Hamels throughout his career, but that’s besides the point. At worst, the two pitchers are similar in their big league track record, so the idea that Hamels has already passed Buehrle on the ballot in his first year is quite concerning. This could be partially due to Buehrle’s reputation as a soft-tosser who prioritized soft-contact over missing bats, or perhaps the matter of Hamels playing on more relevant teams like the Phillies and Rangers.
"I have zero issue with being a big Hall guy."@jonmorosi discusses his ballot and makes a case for Mark Buehrle in his sixth year of eligibility. pic.twitter.com/EROpalUylw
— MLB Now (@MLBNow) January 20, 2026
Whatever the case, it’s going to be an injustice if Hamels ultimately makes the Hall and Buehrle is left out. Buehrle is one of the more underrated pitchers in White Sox history and has a legitimate argument over several players who have already been inducted.
Hopefully the baseball writers will do the right thing and put Mark Buehrle in the Hall of Fame where he belongs.