Jayson Stark

Speaking of this guy...

After Verlander/Scherzer/Kershaw, will there ever be another Hall of Fame starting pitcher?

If so...how exactly will we figure out what one looks like?

I wrote about that question, with help from some HOF starters.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...

New column:

After Kershaw/Verlander/Scherzer, will there ever be another Hall of Fame starting pitcher?

Sure, you say.

Oh, really? How exactly will we figure out what one looks like?

I dug in on that question, with help from some HOF starters.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...

New column:

After Kershaw/Verlander/Scherzer, will there ever be another Hall of Fame starting pitcher?

Sure, you say.

Oh, really? How exactly will we figure out what one looks like?

I dug in on that question, with help from some HOF starters.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...

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World Baseball Classic will feature pitch clock but no ABS challenge system The tournament will use the same pitch-timer rules in place in MLB but won't feature the Automated Ball-Strike System challenge system.

Just posted:

No robot umps in the WBC this year

But pitch clocks will make their WBC debut
www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...

Since there's (shockingly) been a lot of pushback on this ...

Every one of those last 10 World Series has featured at least one team with a title drought of between 14 and 108 years.

And eight or them featured a team that had gone at least a quarter-century.
#facts

Your annual MLB vs NFL parity report

Champs last 10 seasons:
MLB: 7 teams
NFL 6 teams

Teams in "finals" last 10 seasons:
MLB 13
NFL 9

Reminder: The NFL is the "any team can win" league

It's hard to imagine a world with no Buck in the booth.

A legend. A guy everyone in every ballpark was happy to see. And an analyst who always told us something we didn't know during every game.

Congrats on a remarkable baseball life, Buck. What a career.

Tigers payroll...

2021 Tigers (all of them): $80.87 million
2026 Tigers (just Skubal & Framber): $70.33 million

It shouldn't surprise anyone who knows him that Brad Lidge felt the need to call Orion Kerkering.

But Matt has amazing details here about their unforgettable conversation.

"That’s what I wanted him to know, really. ‘Hey, we’ve all got your backs.’ I felt like he should know that right away.”

A season-ending error changed Orion Kerkering. Now, he’s embracing the challenges ahead He looks different now. He's in better shape, the result of a diligent winter. He sounds different. He is clear-eyed about what lies ahead.

What happens after a season-ending error? Orion Kerkering did not run from it this offseason. "It's going to affect me for the rest of my life," he said. "No matter where I go."

He knows the challenge that awaits him: www.nytimes.com/athletic/700...

The last Giant to win a batting title?

A guy named Buster Posey in 2012.

Has any former batting champ signed another batting champ as a free agent?

Fun research project for somebody (probably me)

New from me:

I answered your Hall of Fame questions

Pettitte vs Bonds/Clemens
Hamels vs Felix
Rollins vs Abreu
Schilling, Whitaker & 3 more players we've whiffed on
The All One-Vote-for-the-HOF team

And lots more!
www.nytimes.com/athletic/699...

New from me:

I answered your Hall of Fame questions

Pettitte vs Bonds/Clemens
Hamels vs Felix
Rollins vs Abreu
Schilling, Whitaker & 3 more players we've whiffed on
The All One-Vote-for-the-HOF team

And lots more!
www.nytimes.com/athletic/699...

I asked Carlos Beltran today to reflect on his ties to the 2017 Astros.

He didn't separate himself from what happened that season.

www.nytimes.com/athletic/699...

Carlos Beltrán: Astros' cheating scandal 'doesn't define' me

I asked Carlos Beltran today to reflect on his ties to the 2017 Astros.

He didn't separate himself from what happened that season.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/699...

Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones are in the Hall of Fame house!

ICYMI from yesterday.

I keep hearing people say Buster Posey can't be a Hall of Famer with only 1500 hits. In this piece, I explained why, if you're just focusing on that, you're looking at the wrong stuff!

Hall of Fame plaque of the day:

Walter Johnson ...

The "fastest ball pitcher in history of game."

Love these plaques!

Greetings from Cooperstown!

The stuff you find floating around a back room at the Hall of Fame is just so cool. How bout this glove!

Submit questions for Jayson Stark’s Baseball Hall of Fame mailbag

Hey! Do you have a pressing Hall of Fame question? Of course you do.

I’m answering a bunch of reader questions on the Hall for a column later in the week. You can submit yours through the link below

www.nytimes.com/athletic/698...

The Baseball Hall of Fame in 2027: Land of the Giants Next year could see Buster Posey elected, along with former Giants managers Bruce Bochy and Dusty Baker. Here's what else we'll be watching.

If you thought this year's Hall of Fame election was a ground breaker, just wait until next year!

I wrote about what's coming in 2027
www.nytimes.com/athletic/698...

Five things we learned from the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame election Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones have changed the landscape of modern Hall of Fame voting. But there is so much more to discuss.

New from me:

5 Things We Learned from the Hall of Fame election
www.nytimes.com/athletic/698...

Five things we learned from the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame election Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones have changed the landscape of modern Hall of Fame voting. But there is so much more to discuss.

New from me:

5 Things We Learned from the Hall of Fame election
www.nytimes.com/athletic/698...

Final Hall of Fame election results.

59 percent for Utley and almost a 26 percent jump for Felix!

We have two new Hall of Famers.

Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones have been elected by the BBWAA.

We'd had 2 center fielders elected in the previous 45 years ... and now 2 in one night!

Happy Hall of Fame Election Day from Cooperstown!

Your HOF plaque of the day is Joe Morgan.

His "flapping left arm" made it onto the plaque!

My 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot — change is coming to Cooperstown Here's how I voted, and why. We appear to be on the cusp of dramatically redefining what a Hall of Famer looks like in the 21st century.

Happy Hall of Fame Election Day!

One more time here's my column explaining not just who I voted for but how I got there
www.nytimes.com/athletic/697...

The latest projection from the best in the business @sardell.bsky.social on the eve of Hall of Fame Election Day

On my 2026 Hall of Fame ballot, an opportunity to revisit some past omissions Five candidates who hadn't received Ken's vote on previous ballots earned his endorsement for Cooperstown this time.

On my 2026 Hall of Fame ballot, an opportunity to revisit some past omissions. www.nytimes.com/athletic/698...