The 2026 National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot includes several former Los Angeles Dodgers, with Matt Kemp among them and part of 11 overall new candidates under consideration for enshrinement.
In order for Kemp and others to meet the criteria for induction into Cooperstown, candidates must be named on 75% of ballots cast by selected Baseball Writers’ Association of America members. Those who gain election will be part of Induction Weekend from July 24-27, 2026.
Players may remain on the Hall of Fame ballot for up to 10 years, provided they receive at least 5% of the vote each time.
Kemp reacted to the news with a post on his Instagram Story, expressing his excitement and gratitude for being considered:
“Crazy to even think I would be on this list! A blessing and def honored.”
Kemp was a sixth-round pick of the Dodgers in the 2003 MLB Draft out of Midwest City High School in Oklahoma. He made his Major League debut three years later in 2006, playing a total of 52 games that season.
Kemp then had a breakout 2007 season, batting .342/.373/.521 with 12 doubles and 10 home runs in 98 games.
His most impressive season was in 2011, where Kemp hit .324/.399/.586 and finished one homer shy of the 40/40 club. Kemp finished that season as the National League MVP runner-up in what became a controversial race due to Ryan Braun’s PED usage.
Kemp spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Dodgers before he was traded to the San Diego Padres ahead of the 2015 campaign.
He played for the Padres and later the Atlanta Braves over the next three seasons before finding his way back to the Dodgers in 2018. Kemp reached the World Series for the first time in his career and homered in his first at-bat in the Fall Classic.
He spent the final two seasons of his career with the Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies before officially retiring in 2024.
Matt Kemp, Manny Ramírez & Chase Utley headline former Dodgers on 2026 ballot
The 2026 crop of potential Hall of Fame inductees features the 12 new candidates and 15 holdovers.
Kemp and Howie Kendrick are among the newcomers. They are joined by Braun, Shin-Soo Choo, Edwin Encarnación, Gio González and others.
Bobby Abreu, Andruw Jones, Manny Ramírez, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley are among the returnees from the 2025 ballot.
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