One of the more exciting elements of every pre-release hype season for MLB The Show is the legend reveals. While there are plenty of amazing current-day players that we love using in MLB The Show, the legends of baseball past are alluring and revisiting nostalgia is always a good time.
While legends from any era can be added at any time, in recent years, we've seen players from incoming Hall of Fame ballots and induction classes added. While this isn't an exact science, it can give us a decent look at some likely new legends we'll see. There does seem to be a pattern of players being added once they're officially on the ballot or in the Hall of Fame.
Here are some names from the 2026 ballot that we could see in MLB The Show 26.
SP Felix Hernandez - Seattle Mariners
King Felix was one of the most dominant pitchers of his generation, and one of the most exciting young phenoms Major League Baseball has ever seen. Hernandez took home the Cy Young Award in 2010, when he clocked in with 7.2 bRef WAR with a 2.27 ERA in a league-leading 249.2 Innings Pitched.
Hernandez finished in the top-10 in Cy Young voting a total of six times in his fifteen-year career, and retired with a total of 49.9 bRef WAR. While he faced a pretty steep decline post-2015, Hernandez had an amazing career and is absolutely the type of player we'd expect to see return in MLB The Show.
This will be Hernandez's second year on the Hall of Fame ballot.
2B Dustin Pedroia - Boston Red Sox
I'm a bit surprised that the Laser Show isn't already in The Show. Pedroia was the cover athlete for MLB The Show 09, and we've been slowly seeing former cover athletes added to the game.
The pride of Sox Nation, Pedroia captured the Rookie of the Year award in 2007 and followed that campaign with the MVP award in 2008. Just shy of 52 career bRef WAR, Pedroia seems like a slam dunk to become a legend at some point - so why not MLB The Show 26?
SP Cole Hamels - Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves
Cole Hamels can also safely be labeled "top of his generation." One of the most consistent lefties of the aughts, Hamels dominated in a Phillies uniform before his blockbuster trade to the Texas Rangers in 2015.
"Only" a 4-time All-Star, Hamels concluded his 15 year career with a total of 59 bRef WAR which pegs him right at the threshold of 60 - which many look at as extreme likelihood of Hall of Fame induction. Hamels last pitched in the Majors with the Atlanta Braves in 2020, but didn't officially retire until 2023, which puts him in prime range to be an addition in MLB The Show 26.
OF Matt Kemp - Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies
Matt Kemp was one of the most exciting and dynamic players between 2008-2011, with a stellar combination of speed, power, and defensive excellence.
Kemp was runner-up to Ryan Braun for MVP in 2011, when Kemp posted an absurd 8.0 bRef WAR season that saw him tag 39 HRs, 126 RBI, with a .324 batting average and 40 steals capped off with a Gold Glove win.
His career took a pretty steep nosedive after that season, but he continued hitting for power which always bodes well for cards in Diamond Dynasty. Kemp might not have put up the career numbers of the others on this list, but he has the tools and superstar aura that translates to DD extremely well.
Last appearing in MLB The Show 21, Matt Kemp is the perfect candidate for new legend in MLB The Show 26.
There are some of our guesses on potential new legends from the 2026 Hall of Fame ballot. Who else do you think we might see in MLB The Show 26?
Cory Wayne Dell
Cory has been writing about all things baseball and gaming since 2022 and has been featured at Operation Sports as well as cited by Forbes. Cory is also a multi-instrumentalist and founder of the band Cargocastle. Cargocastle's latest single, "Truth and Reconciliation," is available on Spotify and all major streaming platforms. Cory is also the author of Shadow of a Monster, a personal memoir currently seeking publication.
