A couple of months ago, Chris Russo from MLB Networks High Heat shared his opinion on what current active ballplayers would consider Hall of Fame worthy if they retired today. I forgot how many he named, but I agree with many of his baseball takes, including what qualifies a player to be Hall of Fame worthy. Six active players are playing in 2023, so if they called it quits today, I’d put them in the Hall of Fame. Now more than six players will make the Hall of Fame one day. However, there is a difference in Who I believe is worthy? Who will get in? This is based on whether the player stopped playing right now, not if they’re on a Hall of Fame track, and if they play a few more years.

• RHP Justin Verlander (2005- present

247-137 W-L, 3.25 ERA, 3,233.0 IP, 3,235 SO, 1.119 WHIP

• 9x All-Star

• 3x Cy Young

• 2011 MVP

• 2x World Series Champion (2017 & 2022)

• 2006 Rookie of the Year

Justin Verlander has everything you want to see in a Hall of Fame starting pitcher—Verlander, who has had to overcome injuries not once but twice, needing to reinvent himself. Three times he won the Cy Young Award but two of them came after age 35, and by then, players are most likely a shell of what they used to be. Winning the league MVP as a Pitcher is uncommon; what’s also uncommon is pitching better than ever after undergoing injuries, aging, and declining production. 2014-15, everyone thought Verlander had seen his better days, but the guy could reinvent himself and pitch better than ever.

• RHP Max Scherzer (2005- present

209-104 W-L, 3.14 ERA, 2,764,2 IP, 3,287 SO, 1.078 WHIP

• 8x All-Star

• 3x Cy Young

• 2019 World Series Champion

When Max Scherzer signed a seven-year deal with the Nationals before the 2015 season, no one thought he’d still be pitching well at the end of the contract. In 2013 he won his first Cy Young and finished 5th in the voting the following year with the Detroit Tigers. Scherzer would win two more Cy Youngs while with the Nationals and be a finalist twice. So far, Scherzer has led the league in WHIP five times, Wins four times, and Strikeouts three times. In 2016, he struck out 20 batters in a nine-inning game; no pitcher besides Kerry Wood and Roger Clemens has done that.

• LHP Clayton Kershaw (2008-present

207-91 W-L, 2.48 ERA, 2,676.1 IP, 2,912 SO, 1.003 WHIP

• 10x All-Star

• 3x Cy Young

• 5x ERA Title

• 2014 MVP

• 2011 Gold Glove

Clayton Kershaw is just another one of the great Starting Pitchers the Dodgers as a franchise has produced. At 35 years old, as I write this, he is still pitching an elite level and may win his fourth Cy Young this year at the rate he’s pitching. From 2011 thru 2017, Kershaw won the Cy Young three times, was a runner-up twice, and finished 3rd and 5th in the other years. The only thing that separates Kershaw from Koufax is that Kershaw could have been better in the Postseason. Nonetheless, he has five ERA titles, four times leading in WHIP, three times leading in Strikeouts, and all the black-bold type he has on the back of his baseball card. That’s a Hall of Famer; if he stopped pitching after 2014, I’d still put him in. Even with some nagging on-and-off injuries over the past few years, he’s been dominant when he’s been on the mound. Right now, his lifetime WHIP is only a smidge over 1.000; that’s mind-blowing.

• 1B: Miguel Cabrera (2003- present

.307 BA, 3,127 HITS, 508 HR, 1,860 RBI, .383 OBP, 1,540 RUNS

• 12x All-Star

• 7x Silver Slugger

• 4x Batting Title

• 2x MVP

• Triple Crown 2012

At season’s end, Miguel Cabrera will be hanging up the spikes. Not only does he have the two MVP awards, but in 2012 he became the first Triple Crown winner since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. I wish he and Pujols retired in the same year, so they could both enter the Hall of Fame together. He led the league in AVG and OBP four times each, as well as Home Runs, Doubles, and RBIs twice. He also has all the lifetime milestones, 3,000 Hits, 500 Home Runs, and 1,500 Runs batted In, that a Hall of Fame hitter should have. In all likelihood, when Cabrera ends the season, his lifetime batting average will be over .300. In that case, only he and only two other ballplayers will have a lifetime .300 Average, 3,000 Hits, 500 Home Runs, and 1,500 RBIs. Do you know who the other two players’ names are? Willie Mays and Hank Aaron.

• OF: Mike Trout (2011-present

.301 BA, 1,683 HITS, 368 HR, 940 RBI, 1,106 RUNS, .412 OBP

• 10x All-Star

• 9x Silver Slugger

• 3x MVP

• 2012 Rookie of the Year

• 2x All-Star MVP

Mike Trout, despite playing on a mediocre to below-mediocre team for his entire career with the Angels, the man doesn’t need to play one more inning; he will be a member of the Hall of Fame. He was arguably the best player in his era, winning the MVP three times and being a runner-up four other times. Looking at his numbers, he has led the league in Runs and OBP four times, as well as Walks three times. His overall numbers would not be as good as guys like Pujols and Cabrera had he been playing on a better team. Nonetheless, looking at the back of his baseball card, he has a very healthy amount of black and boldface type by his name. Unless something like a career-ending injury occurs, he will eclipse the 500 Home Run and 1,500 Run Batted In milestones.

• 1B: Joey Votto (2007- present

.297 BA, 2,107 HITS, 349 HR, 1,124 RBI, .412 OBP, 1,155 RUNS

• 6x All-Star

• 2010 MVP

• 2011 Gold Glove

Joey Votto has just come off the DL and has been playing relatively well. Despite playing his entire career with the Cincinnati Reds and appearing in less than a dozen playoff games, Votto has carved himself a darn good career. He is currently the active leader in Walks; five times, he’s led the league in that category, and seven times he’s led the league in On Base Percentage. Votto has a huge MVP, and he will likely end his career with a lifetime OBP of over .400. Like Trout, had Votto played on a team that would’ve provided him with protection in the lineup, he’d probably be closer to 3,000 Hits and have 1,500 RBIs by now. Let’s say Votto played his entire career as a Yankee in the big spotlight; I think not only would his numbers be better, but he’d be talked about more. I don’t consider Votto a generational player like Trout or even Cabrera; now, is he the face of the franchise type of player? Yes.

Now I will admit that I’m very tough when it comes to judging a player for the Hall of Fame. However, to me, the Hall of Fame, in my opinion, is no doubt about it where you put a guy in, and you don’t have even to debate it. Those are the six players who I would consider Hall of Famers at this very moment. I acknowledge that guys like Bryce Harper, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Shohei Ohtani, Jose Altuve, Aaron Judge, Salvador Perez, and Gerrit Cole are on the path to one day being considered future Hall of Famers. Still, these are the six players that, if they stopped playing today, I would put in the Hall of Fame.

Who did I miss?