Mookie Betts.

12 Current Baseball Icons Who Are Destined To Be in the Hall of Fame

Determining which current players are true baseball greats is no easy feat. But, we think these twelve are beyond refute.

This list contains the best of the best MLB stars who currently play the game. We looked at their stats, award records, and future potential to determine whether they might make the Hall of Fame.

We didn't make this list to represent the biggest baseball celebs. Several of the names here are household fixtures, but that's based on their skills and talent.

Mike Trout

Mike Trout.
Image Credit: Jeffrey Hayes – CC BY 2.0/Wikimedia Commons.

There's no doubt about Trout. Ask any baseball fan who the best players of all time are, and his name will be sure to come up.

Despite injuries, Trout has racked up an impressive 11 All-Star appearances and three AL MVP awards. Before his April 2024 knee injury, Trout was hitting pretty well with ten homers and six stolen bases in only 29 games this season.

Justin Verlander

Justin Verlander.
Image Credit: Roger DeWitt on Flickr – CC BY 2.0/Wikimedia Commons.

Houston Astros Ace Justin Verlander is almost a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame. In 2024, he made his way onto the MLB strikeout list and snagged his 260th win.

When Verlander underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020, there was no guarantee that he'd come back as good as he'd been. But Verlander seems only to have improved, winning his third Cy Young Award in 2022.

Max Scherzer

Max Scherzer, baseball.
Image Credit: All-Pro Reels – CC BY-SA 2.0/Wikimedia Commons.

They call him Mad Max for a reason. Max Scherzer is one of the best pitchers the league has ever witnessed.

Scherzer is an eight-time MLB All-Star with three Cy Young awards to his name. Intense and competitive, Scherzer helped the Texas Rangers win the World Series in 2023. That was his second World Series win; the first one was in 2019 with the Nationals.

Clayton Kershaw

Clayton Kershaw.
Image Credit: Arturo Pardavila III – CC BY 2.0/Wikimedia Commons.

Despite his postseason struggles, Clayton Kershaw is a likely future Hall of Famer. Kershaw boasts the lowest career earned-run average (ERA) among players with 1,500 innings pitched since the live-ball era, which started in 1920.

He also has racked up three Cy Young Awards and received the NL MVP Award in 2014. With an impressive 210 wins, there's no doubt Kershaw is one of the best.

Zack Greinke

Zack Greinke.
Image Credit: Johnmaxmena2 – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons.

Zack Greinke's unbelievable 20-year career is hard to top. There's no doubt he has Hall of Fame potential.

Greinke is a six-time All-Star, two-time ERA champion, and a Cy Young Award winner. In May 2024, he became the fifth pitcher in MLB history to strike out 1,000 different batters. Plus, he's a six-time Gold Glove winner.

Aaron Judge

Aaron Judge.
Image Credit: Keith Allison – CC BY-SA 2.0/Wikimedia Commons.

Judge got a relatively late start to his MLB career, but he's more than made up for it. Though his first professional season wasn't until he was 24, Judge has managed an MVP award.

He won the award well deservedly in 2017. Though he's still a year short of the ten-season requirement for Hall of Fame consideration, his record suggests he's destined for greatness.

Mookie Betts

Mookie Betts, Marcus Lynn Betts.
Image Credit: Keith Allison – CC BY-SA 2.0/Wikimedia Commons.

Marcus Lynn Betts, known better as Mookie, has had a stellar time in the MLB. The current Dodgers shortstop had five All-Star starts to his name.

In addition, Betts has earned the Silver Slugger Award six times, was named MVP in 2018, and has won two World Series championships. The Nashville-born right-fielder, second baseman, and shortstop is also a six-time Gold Glove winner.

Freddie Freeman

Freddie Freeman.
Image Credit: Conor P. Fitzgerald/Shutterstock.

Eight-time All-Star Freddie Freeman certainly deserves Hall of Fame recognition. The current Dodgers first baseman is also a three-time Silver Slugger Award winner.

Freeman hit his 300th career homerun in 2023 and just a month later earned his 2,000th hit, becoming the 295th MLB player to manage such a feat. Even more impressive, Freeman is one of only 31 players in history to have 20 home runs, 20 steals, and 200 hits in the same season.

Paul Goldschmidt

Paul Goldschmidt.
Image Credit: All-Pro Reels – CC BY-SA 2.0/Wikimedia Commons.

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt has an impressive resume. He's a seven-time All-Star and was the 2022 MVP for the National League.

Goldschmidt has also received two Hank Aaron awards and more Silver Slugger Awards than any other first baseman — five, to be exact.

José Altuve

José Altuve.
Image Credit: Jeffrey Hayes – CC BY 2.0/Wikimedia Commons.

It's been said that José Altuve is single-handedly rewriting the Astros' offensive charts. The Venezuelan second baseman is one of the best contact hitters in the league.

At only 5'6″, Altuve is among the shortest active MLB players, but don't let his small frame fool you. Altuve has won three batting championships and was the first player in over 80 years to reach 130 hits and 40 stolen bases before the All-Star game.

Manny Machado

Manny Machado.
Image Credit: Ryan Casey Aguinaldo – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons.

Manny Machado managed to play in six All-Star games. He's also the recipient of two Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger Award.

Not that money's everything, but Machado made league history with his 10-year, $300 million contract with the Padres. In 2023, he chose to continue playing for the Padres even though his contract gave him the option to back out. This desirable player is certainly destined for the Hall of Fame.

Gerrit Cole

Gerrit Cole.
Image Credit: thatlostdog– on Flickr (Original version) 佾珜 (Crop) – CC BY 2.0/Wikimedia Commons.

In our eyes, Gerrit Cole is easily one of the next generation's stars, with six All-Stars to his name already. He also won the ERA Title twice.

Cole is a Cy Young Award winner who's managed 2,190 strikeouts in 1,894 innings. He had a particularly impressive streak from May 27, 2019, to August 19, 2020, where he was ahead of all MLB pitchers in strikeouts, strikeouts per nine innings, walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP), and wins.

Author: Lauren Sakiyama

Lauren Sakiyama writes about everything from cats to car maintenance. As a So-Cal native turned PNW enthusiast, she enjoys the great outdoors almost as much as she loves curling up with a good book on a quiet night in.

Similar Posts