Active Future Hall of Famers

I saw an article on ESPN.com the other day predicting the active players in MLB who'll eventually be elected to the Hall of Fame.  That article listed 30 current players who made the cut (at least according to the author), basing that number on the average number of current Hall of Famers active in any one year throughout history (obviously the numbers for the late 90s and early 2000s will get higher as more guys from that era become eligible).

Some of ESPN's selections were obvious.  Others were well on their way, but haven't played the minimum 10 years yet.  Still others were based on speculation, assuming they'll keep up their current pace.  And there were some reaches, too.  Guys who I'd put in the Tommy John/Dale Murphy/Don Mattingly category.  Very good, but not necessarily Hall of Fame-caliber.

For the most part, I agreed with the top guys, even though I disagree that Yadier Molina is "borderline" (he'd get my vote every time until he was elected).  In fact, I've got Yadi in my Top 10.  There are probably five active players (three of whom play in the AL West) who could retire tomorrow and be Hall of Fame locks and several more who may not be first ballot, but will likely get in eventually.

Everyone obviously judges Hall of Fame criteria beyond the obvious Albert Pujolses and Ichiros differently, which is why it's rare to find two Hall of Fame ballots that are the same.  But, using that same 10-vote maximum that Hall of Fame voters are held to every year, these are the active players that I would vote into the Hall of Fame if they never played another game:

Albert Pujols, Ichiro Suzuki, Miguel Cabrera, Adrian Beltre, Clayton Kershaw, Yadier Molina, Justin Verlander, Madison Bumgarner, Felix Hernandez, Max Scherzer

That got me thinking who in the other sports is a sure-fire future Hall of Famer.  Some are ridiculously easy.  In fact, we're seeing all-time greats in LeBron James, Sidney Crosby and Tom Brady.  But I think it's the same case in football, basketball and hockey, as it is in baseball.  Once you get past the obvious few, filling out the top 10 is definitely up for debate.

But I'm gonna give it a shot.  Here's what I've got for football, which no longer includes the now-retired Joe Thomas:

Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald, Jason Witten, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers, J.J. Watt, Von Miller, Julius Peppers, Drew Brees, Adam Vinatieri

Hockey's perhaps the easiest one.  The NHL kinda did it for us, naming a bunch of active players to the NHL 100 All-time Team (although I'm still not really sure Duncan Keith belonged on there).  Actually, with hockey, narrowing it down to 10 is the tricky part.  (Jaromir Jagr not currently being in the league did open up a spot, though):

Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Evgeni Malkin, Duncan Keith, Henrik Lundqvist, Zdeno Chara, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau

Lastly, we've got the NBA, which actually does consist of some players not named Steph or LeBron.  Finding 10 who are Hall of Fame caliber is somewhat difficult, though.  Because the difference between the haves and the have-nots in the NBA is so vast.  But, here it goes, starting with the greatest player of his generation:

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Dirk Nowitzki, Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter (who apparently is still active), Pau Gasol. Tony Parker

Like I said, some are more obvious than others.  But don't be surprised to see all 40 of these guys end up in their respective Halls of Fame after they retire, as well as a whole host of other active players.