Former Toronto Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion is one of 27 players on the ballot for the 2026 Class of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

To get into the Hall of Fame, a player needs 75 percent of the vote. To stay on the ballot, a player needs five percent. This is the first year on the ballot for Encarnacion and you get 10 years on the ballot if you keep staying on.

A three-time All-Star, Encarnacion spent 16 years in the big leagues with the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland, Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox.

A powerful hitter, he hit .260 with 424 home runs and 1,261 RBIs. He had nine seasons of 25+ home runs and six seasons of 100 RBIs or more. He led the American League in RBIs (127) with the Blue Jays in 2016.

In eight seasons with Toronto, he hit .268 with 239 home runs. He was an integral part of Blue Jays teams that got to the American League Championship Series in 2015 and 2016.

Former Blue Jays pitcher Mark Buehrle is also on the ballot, though he is best known for his career with the Chicago White Sox. A five-time All-Star, he was also a four-time Gold Glover and a World Series champion (2005).

He spent three years in Toronto, going 40-28 with a 3.78 ERA. He was an All-Star in 2014 when he went 13-10 with a 3.39 ERA. It's the sixth year of eligibility for Buehrle, who received 11.4 percent of the vote last year.

--It's the final year on the ballot for Manny Ramirez, who received 34.3 percent last year.

--Carlos Beltran received 70.3 percent of the vote and figures to get in, while Andruw Jones (66.2 percent) could also get in.

--No other player is in the final year of eligibility, though Omar Vizquel is on for the ninth time.

--Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner got in last year, and they were joined by Dave Parker and Dick Allen from from the Classic Era Committee.

--This year the Contemporary Era Baseball committee is up for election, and that includes players like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, who were unable to get in through the traditional 10-year voting process. Clemens played for the Blue Jays, winning two Cy Young Awards. Carlos Delgado is also on the ballot.

--The results of the voting come out Jan. 20 and the Hall of Fame induction is scheduled for July of 2026.

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