The Baseball Writers’ Association of America released the 2026 Hall of Fame ballot on Monday, featuring 12 new candidates, including former Tigers starter Rick Porcello, alongside 15 holdovers from the previous year.
BBWAA voters have until December 31 to cast their ballots, with the results set to be announced on Jan. 20, 2026, on MLB Network. Porcello, a notable addition to the ballot, had a distinguished career highlighted by winning the AL Cy Young Award in 2016 and being part of the Red Sox’s 2018 World Series-winning team.
Rick Porcello made a significant impact in his rookie year with the Detroit Tigers in 2009, finishing third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting with a 3.96 ERA over 170 2/3 innings. He maintained a consistent presence as a league-average starter over the next several seasons.
Porcello’s career reached a pinnacle in 2016 when he won the AL Cy Young Award, posting a 22-4 record with a 3.15 ERA and leading the MLB with a 5.91 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 223 innings for the Boston Red Sox. His performance was instrumental in the Red Sox’s success.
In 2018, Porcello contributed to the Red Sox’s World Series victory, winning 17 games and pitching 191 1/3 innings. Over his career from 2009 to 2019, Porcello consistently pitched at least 160 innings each season, amassing 2,037 1/3 innings, the ninth most in MLB during that period.
As the Hall of Fame voting process unfolds, Rick Porcello’s achievements, including a Cy Young Award and a World Series title, will be closely scrutinized by voters. Porcello will need to reach 75% of the vote to be elected and needs at least 5% of the votes to gain 10 years of ballot eligibility.