The debut of Cole Hamels on the Hall of Fame ballot this year is rekindling memories of 2008, making this year’s voting even more, for fans in Philly, special.
Three members of the Philadelphia Phillies’ World Series-winning team from that magical season 18 years ago are up for election in the Hall’s Class of 2026. In addition to Hamels, second baseman Chase Utley is making his third appearance on the ballot and shortstop Jimmy Rollins is entering his fifth year of consideration.
While their vote totals on publicly revealed ballots indicate all three will fall short, momentum does seem to be building for the trio.
While it may not be this year, it is possible BBWAA voters could eventually give them a brotherly shove across the 75% threshold to qualify for induction. Let’s examine their individual cases a bit more closely.
Chase Utley: Hall of Fame calling?
In his second year on the ballot in 2025, Utley collected just under 40% of the vote, gaining 11 percentage points from his rookie year. So far in this cycle, he’s up to 68% out of 171 public ballots on the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame vote tracker (as of Jan. 13).
I’ve voted for him all three years because of his sustained excellence, both offensively and defensively, at second base. A six-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger award winner, Utley was the glue that held those talented Phillies teams together. He was a fixture at the top of the order during Philadelphia’s dominant run of five consecutive NL East titles from 2007-2011, leading the National League in runs scored in 2006 with 131, and finishing in the top five twice more.
He also had great defensive metrics (131 fielding runs ranks seventh all-time at second base), but he never won a Gold Glove. And for the decade between 2005 and 2014, only Albert Pujols accumulated a higher Wins Above Replacement (WAR). In the words of longtime Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas, Utley was ‘The Man.’
MY 2026 HALL OF FAME BALLOT: Are Hamels, other Philly stars worthy?
Cole Hamels a Hall of Fame surprise?
Hamels seems to be off to a strong start in his ballot debut. Currently receiving support from 32.6% of the public voters, he’s tracking ahead of the 20.6% Felix Hernandez received in his first year of eligibility. (Hernandez, meanwhile, is up to 59% currently.)
The lanky lefty with a mid-90s fastball, an above-average curve and a devastating changeup spent 15 seasons in the majors, 10 of them with the Phillies. While his overall numbers − especially his 157 career wins − don’t quite match up to those of other starting pitchers in the Hall, they do compare favorably with his contemporaries.
While ballotmates Andy Pettitte and Mark Buehrle each won over 200 games, Hamels’ modest win total is just six behind Fernandez. But in terms of adjusted ERA (taking defense, park factors and other elements into consideration), Hamels’ 123 is the best of the bunch. And there’s that stellar postseason run in 2008, when Hamels went 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five starts, leading the Phillies to their first championship in 28 years. That October, he was named MVP of both the NL Championship Series and the World Series.
Jimmy Rollins’ Hall of Fame vote rising
Rollins may have the weakest case of the three former Phils, but he’s seen his vote percentage steadlily increase over his previous four years on the ballot to 18.0% last year. Currently, he’s at 23.6% on the Tracker.
The undersized (5-7, 175) Rollins was an extremely well-rounded and durable player throughout his 17-year career, winning four Gold Gloves and one Silver Slugger. He was the NL MVP in 2007 and although he made just three All-Star teams, he was the leadoff man and everyday shortstop on each of those five consecutive division championship teams.
A speedy switch-hitter, Rollins stole 470 bases with a success rate of 81.7%. He also had four seasons of at least 20 homers and he led the league in triples four times. He’s the only shortstop in baseball history with 200 home runs and 400 stolen bases in his career.