Changing Standards and Corey Kluber’s Hall of Fame Case: What Felix Hernandez and Cole Hamels Tell Us About the Future of Pitching in Cooperstown
Felix Hernandez and Cole Hamels didn’t punch their tickets to Cooperstown this week, but the message from the Hall of Fame voting was loud and clear: the bar for starting pitchers is shifting, and the Baseball Writers Association of America is beginning to reflect that.
Hernandez, in his second year on the ballot, jumped from 20.6% to 46.1% of the vote - a massive leap that saw him gain over 100 votes. For a pitcher whose win-loss record (169-136) doesn’t scream “first-ballot lock,” that’s a significant shift in perception.
And it’s not the first time King Felix has challenged traditional thinking. Back in 2010, he won the AL Cy Young despite a modest 13-12 record - a season where his 2.27 ERA, 249 2/3 innings, and 232 strikeouts told a far more compelling story than his win total.
That award, along with Tim Lincecum’s 2009 Cy Young win (15-5, 2.48 ERA), was a turning point. Voters began looking beyond the classic benchmarks - 20-win seasons, gaudy win-loss records - and started embracing the deeper metrics that better reflect a pitcher’s dominance.
ERA+, FIP, WHIP, strikeout rate - these became part of the conversation. And as teams began managing starters differently, asking them to go all-out for five or six innings before handing the ball to a parade of high-octane relievers, the path to 250 wins became nearly impossible.
Enter Hamels. In his first year on the ballot, he garnered 23.8% of the vote - enough to stick around, and enough to suggest that voters are willing to consider careers that didn’t follow the old blueprint.
His 163-122 record is solid, but again, not the kind of total that used to earn serious Cooperstown buzz. His inclusion in the conversation now?
That’s part of the evolution.
It also puts pitchers like Corey Kluber in a fascinating light.
Cleveland fans know Kluber as the ace of the last two decades - a two-time Cy Young winner who anchored the rotation during the franchise’s most competitive stretch in recent memory. But his overall numbers - 116 wins, 3.44 ERA - don’t scream “Hall of Fame” at first glance. That said, if the BBWAA is willing to view Hernandez and Hamels through a new lens, Kluber’s case may be more compelling than it appears.
Kluber’s path was anything but conventional. Drafted by San Diego, he was a bit of a hidden gem before Cleveland acquired him in 2010.
He didn’t break into the big-league rotation full-time until 2013, at age 27. But once he arrived, he was electric.
From 2014 to 2018, Kluber was one of the best pitchers in baseball. He went 83-45 with a 2.85 ERA, racking up over 1,200 strikeouts in just over 1,090 innings.
He won the Cy Young in 2014 and 2017, finished third in 2016 and 2018, and was ninth in 2015. That five-year stretch rivals just about anyone’s in the modern era.
Injuries took their toll after that, and Kluber never quite regained that peak form. He pitched five more seasons before retiring after the 2023 season.
His final numbers - 116-77, 3.44 ERA - may not match the volume of a CC Sabathia or Justin Verlander, but the peak? That’s undeniable.
And that’s where the conversation is heading. Sabathia, elected in 2025, had the old-school resume: 251 wins, over 3,500 innings, more than 3,000 strikeouts.
But we may not see many more like him. Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Clayton Kershaw are part of that elite tier, but after them?
The game has changed. Starters don’t go as deep, don’t pitch as long, and aren’t asked to chase the same milestones.
Which means Kluber - and pitchers like him - could benefit from this shift in thinking. If dominance over a shorter peak becomes the new standard, his case looks a lot stronger. He’s not eligible for the ballot until 2029, but based on what we saw with Hernandez and Hamels this week, it’s a storyline worth watching.
World Baseball Classic Watch: Guardians Sending Talent Abroad
Spring training is right around the corner, but a few Guardians will be trading the Cactus League for international competition.
Bo Naylor and Travis Bazzana are currently the only confirmed Cleveland players heading to the World Baseball Classic. Naylor will suit up for Team Canada, while Bazzana will represent Australia. With pool play for Australia starting March 5 in Japan, the Guardians will likely have clarity soon on player availability.
There’s still a chance more names join them. Jose Ramirez could represent the Dominican Republic - he’s never played in the WBC before - and pitchers Cade Smith and Erik Sabrowski might join Naylor on Team Canada. There was even chatter during the Winter Meetings that Italy might come calling for first baseman Kyle Manzardo.
So far, no Guardians have been named to Team USA’s roster.
Prospect Pipeline: Six Guardians Crack Baseball America’s Top 100
The farm system is alive and well in Cleveland. Baseball America just dropped its Top 100 Prospects list for 2026, and the Guardians landed six names on it - tying them with the White Sox and Mets for the most of any team.
Here’s who made the cut:
- No. 22: 2B Travis Bazzana
- No. 34: OF Chase DeLauter
- No. 56: C/1B Ralphy Velazquez
- No. 62: SS Angel Genao
- No. 88: LHP Parker Messick
- No. 89: RHP Braylon Doughty
DeLauter, Genao, and Messick are already on the 40-man roster, which means they could make an impact sooner rather than later. Bazzana, of course, is already turning heads with his WBC selection and Top-25 ranking.
It’s a strong signal that the Guardians’ player development pipeline remains one of the most productive in the league - and that reinforcements are on the way.
Around the Diamond: Notable Names and Moves
- Omar Vizquel, former Cleveland shortstop, took Gigantes Rivas to the finals of the Nicaraguan winter league, falling in seven games to Leones de Leon.
- Tobias Myers, once acquired by Cleveland in the 2021 trade that sent Junior Caminero to Tampa Bay, was traded by the Brewers to the Mets along with Freddy Peralta. Caminero, for what it’s worth, hit 45 home runs for the Rays last season.
- Jakob Junis, who posted a 2.97 ERA in 57 games for the Guardians last year, signed a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers. He’ll earn $2.75 million in 2026, with a $5 million club option for 2027 and a $1.25 million buyout.
- Amed Rosario, now with the Yankees, re-signed for 2026 in part because of his success against left-handed pitching last year - a .302 average with four homers and a .819 OPS. He played third, second, and right field for New York in 2025.
- Gabriel Arias, playing winter ball for Tiburones de La Guaira in Venezuela, hit .287 with nine homers and a .879 OPS in 41 games - a strong showing that could carry momentum into spring.
Final Word
The BBWAA’s evolving stance on starting pitchers could open the door for a new generation of arms to be recognized - even if they don’t have the career win totals of Hall of Famers past. For Corey Kluber and others like him, the shift toward valuing dominance over durability might be just what they need to get a serious look from Cooperstown voters.
And with a stacked farm system and international representation on the horizon, the Guardians are well-positioned for both the present and the future.