Get ready for some thrilling news, baseball enthusiasts! In just about a month, pitchers and catchers will be heading to their spring training locations, signaling the return of the beloved rhythms of America’s pastime. With the sounds of mitts cracking and players boasting about being in the best shape of their lives, the anticipation and anxiety surrounding the upcoming baseball season will reignite once more.
But even before that excitement kicks off, there’s no shortage of content to satisfy our cravings as dedicated baseball fans. Remarkably, four of the top five and six of the top ten players on Ben Clemens’ Top 50 Free Agents list remain without contracts. This includes a notable trio of former Astros players: Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, and Framber Valdez. Furthermore, we can look forward to the announcement of the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame election results, which is set for January 20. As usual, Jay Jaffe has been diligently covering the ballot with his insightful series of player profiles, making it a must-read for any fan.
Today, we’ll dive into a discussion about the Hall of Fame, focusing on those exceptional pitchers who have never received a single vote for induction. Additionally, this mailbag features contributions from various writers: Michael Baumann will explore the talent of Chandler Simpson, Davy Andrews will examine whether inducing popups is a skill that pitchers can master, and Dan Szymborski will shed light on which player types exhibit the most variability in their ZiPS projections.
Before we delve deeper, a quick note: this mailbag is a special feature exclusive to FanGraphs Members. If you haven’t joined yet and would like to continue enjoying this content, you can sign up for membership here. Joining is the best way to support our team while experiencing everything our site has to offer, plus you’ll gain access to a range of fantastic benefits. And if you have questions you'd like to see addressed in future mailbags, feel free to reach out via email at mailbag@fangraphs.com.
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