Bowling Green Announces 2026 Ballot for Hot Rods Hall of Fame

November 3, 2025

Bowling Green, Kentucky – The Bowling Green Hot Rods are thrilled to introduce the 2026 Hot Rods Hall of Fame Ballot. This is the third time the voting has opened, and the first time since 2019 when Blake Snell was inducted. Prior to Opening Day on April 3, 2026, at

Bowling Green, Kentucky – The Bowling Green Hot Rods are thrilled to introduce the 2026 Hot Rods Hall of Fame Ballot. This is the third time the voting has opened, and the first time since 2019 when Blake Snell was inducted.

Prior to Opening Day on April 3, 2026, at least one former player or coach of the Bowling Green Hot Rods will be selected into the 2026 Hot Rods Hall of Fame class. Fan and media voting will end on Thursday, November 13.

FANS CAN VOTE HERE

There are three current members of the Hot Rods Hall of Fame. Opening in 2018, the inaugural voting resulted in the inductions of Matt Moore and Kevin Kiermaier. In 2019, Blake Snell was inducted, following his 2018 AL Cy Young season for the Tampa Bay Rays.

“The success we have seen the Hot Rods have on the field has resulted in 123 players, coaches, and broadcasters making it to the MLB,” said Kyle Wolz, Hot Rods GM and COO. “We can’t wait to continue to honor the rich baseball history we have witnessed in Bowling Green since 2009.”

The following nominees fit the criteria to be inducted into the Hot Rods Hall of Fame. All players on this list have played the minimum number of games for the Hot Rods, including 50 games for position players, 10 games for relief pitchers, and five games for starting pitchers. Each staff member on this list is also eligible, coaching at least one season with the Hot Rods.

Along with the qualifying credentials during their time in Bowling Green, the nominees have also achieved the following:

Selected as a Midseason/Postseason All-Star Team.
Selected as a Postseason Organizational All-Star.
Play or coach in at least one game in Major League Baseball.

The current ballot is comprised of players nominated by the Hot Rods front office. A nominee will be selected for the Hot Rods Hall of Fame if they receive at least 75% of the votes. If a nominee receives a vote but does not meet the threshold, they will remain on the ballot for a maximum of five seasons. A player or coach will be removed from the ballot if they do not receive a vote. The ballot includes the following players or managers:

Tim Beckham:

Beckham was part of the inaugural Hot Rods team in 2009. He drove in the first run in franchise history, launching the first Bowling Green homer, on April 9, 2009, in an 8-3 win over the Hickory Crawdads. He highlighted his season with the Hot Rods with SAL Midseason and Postseason All-Star nods. Beckham was the first overall pick in the 2008 MLB Draft, making his debut with Tampa Bay five seasons later. He played with four different franchises, starting with the Rays and moving on to Baltimore, Seattle, and Minnesota.

Matt Quatraro:

Quatraro was the first skipper, leading the Hot Rods through the inaugural season in 2009. He managed the team to a near .500 season, ending the campaign 64-67. This was his only season managing the Hot Rods, taking over as Tampa Bay’s Minor League Hitting Coordinator from 2010 to 2013. Quatraro joined Cleveland’s coaching staff in 2014 as their Assistant Hitting Coach and made another brief stop with the Rays in 2017 and 2018. With the Royals, Quatraro led Kansas City to their first playoff appearance since the 2015 World Series victory, eventually losing to the Yankees in the American League Divisional Series.

Derek Dietrich:

Dietrich flashed his MLB level power during his time in Bowling Green in 2011. He hit 22 homers, which has him tied for fourth on the Hot Rods single-season home run list. He was the first Hot Rods hitter to pass the 20 home run mark in a season, and it wasn’t accomplished again until 2021. Throughout the year, Dietrich won a MWL Midseason All-Star award. In 2012, he was traded to the Miami Marlins, eventually making his MLB debut in 2013.

Dylan Floro:

Floro was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 13th round of the 2012 MLB Draft. He spent his 2013 season in Bowling Green, mowing down opponents consistently. Floro started 19 games, finishing with a 9-2 record, a 1.81 ERA, and 85 strikeouts compared to just 19 walks. He made his debut for the Rays on July 7, 2016. Since then, Floro has played for eight different franchises, maintaining a 3.49 ERA with 355 strikeouts. The righty joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020, where they won a World Series in the 60-game shortened season.

Andrew Toles:

Toles spent the entirety of the 2013 season with the Hot Rods, his lone year in Bowling Green. In that time, he put his name in the Hot Rods record books, stealing 62 bases. His speed was put on display, but so was his durability. During the 2013 campaign, Toles played 121 games. He is one of just 20 Hot Rods players in the 16 years of the franchise’s existence that has played in 120 or more games in a season. Toles tallied a 2013 Midwest League Midseason All-Star award, eventually making his way to the MLB with the Los Angeles Dodgers, playing three seasons in total, including 11 playoff games during the 2016 season.

Luke Maile:

Maile shined during his 2013 season in Bowling Green, capturing MWL Midseason and Postseason All-Star Awards. He showed his extra-base capabilities, backing up his four home runs with 25 doubles. Maile quickly made his way through the ranks, debuting for Tampa Bay in 2015. Over his career so far, he has spent time with six different teams including Tampa Bay, Toronto, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Kansas City.

Brent Honeywell Jr.:

Honeywell spent 12 games with the Hot Rods in 2015. He struck out 76 batters in just 65.0 innings in Bowling Green, ending the season with a 4-4 record and a 2.91 ERA. Honeywell was named as a 2015 MWL Midseason All-Star. Since making it to the MLB, he has spent time with five different franchises, including Tampa Bay, San Diego, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. During the 2024 campaign, Honeywell pitched in 18 games for the Dodgers. He also pitched in three playoff games that season, including one outing in the World Series, where the Dodgers were named 2024 MLB champions.

Diego Castillo:

Castillo signed with the Tampa Bay Rays on March 5, 2014, as an international free agent. He had two stints in Bowling Green during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Overall, he managed a 1-3 record with a 2.55 ERA. Castillo made his MLB debut on June 6, 2018 with Tampa Bay. He has made 265 appearances in the MLB, holding a 3.20 ERA with 310 strikeouts. Throughout his seven years in the MLB, Castillo has played for three different franchises, including the Rays, as well as the Mariners and Twins.

Brandon Lowe:

Lowe played 107 games with the Hot Rods in 2016. He showed his strengths, in the field and at the plate. Just two years later, in 2018, Lowe made his debut for the Rays. In 2019, he played his first full season in the MLB, hitting .270 with 17 homers and 51 RBIs, placing third in AL Rookie of the Year voting and receiving the first of his two All-Star appearances. Lowe launched 39 homers during the 2021 season, finishing 10th in AL MVP voting. His most recent All-Star nod came in 2025, blasting 31 home runs with 83 RBIs, his fourth career season with 20 or more home runs.

Nathaniel Lowe:

Lowe, the older brother of 2017 Bowling Green Hot Rod Josh Lowe, was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 13th round of the 2016 MLB Draft. He spent 93 games with the Hot Rods, collecting 5 home runs, 35 RBIs, and a .293 batting average during the 2017 season. Lowe made his MLB debut for the Rays on April 29, 2019. Since reaching the Majors, he has played for three teams in total, spending time with the Texas Rangers and the Boston Red Sox along with the Rays. Lowe has enjoyed success outside of his numbers, being awarded with a 2022 Silver Slugger, 2023 Gold Glove, as well as becoming an MLB champion in 2023 with the Texas Rangers.

Jake Cronenworth:

Cronenworth’s time in the Tampa Bay system was phenomenal. He followed up an All- Star season with Hudson Valley in 2015 with a Midwest League All-Star appearance with Bowling Green in 2016. Over the course of the 2016 campaign, Cronenworth hit .322 with 48 RBIs. In fact, he won MiLB All-Star honors in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019 before making his MLB debut. To add to his list of accolades, Cronenworth won NL Rookie of the Month in 2020. Since joining the Padres, he has seen postseason action in three of his six seasons, including a trip to the National Leage Championship Series in 2022.

Mike Brosseau:

Brosseau played his first full season of minor league baseball for the Hot Rods in 2017 after the Rays signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He quickly found success, hitting .318 with the Hot Rods, leading to the first of his two Tampa Bay Rays Organizational All-Star awards. Brosseau made an impact in the MLB for the Rays, hitting a solo, go-ahead homer in a series deciding game five against the New York Yankees, giving Tampa Bay a 2-1 win. After his time with the Rays, Brosseau went on to play two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Jesus Sanchez:

Sanchez shined during his time in Bowling Green, racking up 82 RBIs, which currently sits as third all-time in a single season for a Hot Rods hitter. His performance lead to three different awards, including a 2017 Midwest League Midseason All-Star, 2017 Midwest League Postseason All-Star, as well as a 2017 MiLB Tampa Bay Rays Organizational All-Star award. In 2019, Sanchez was traded to the Miami Marlins, where he played six seasons. During the 2025 MLB season, he was traded again to the Houston Astros.

Vidal Brujan:

Brujan spent 95 games with the Hot Rods in 2018. He hit .313, leading Bowling Green to the first championship in franchise history, taking down the Peoria Chiefs three games to one. Brujan played three seasons with Tampa Bay before being traded to the Miami Marlins prior to the 2024 season. He caught on with three different teams during the 2025 season, spending time with the Cubs, Orioles, and Braves.

Taylor Walls:

Shane McClanahan:

McClanahan spent just two seasons in the Minor Leagues before making his way to the MLB in 2020. He spent 2019 with the Hot Rods, pitching to the tune of a 3.40 ERA over 11 starts. Although a shorter sample size, McClanahan pitched well enough to earn MWL Midseason All-Star honors. The southpaw has experience major success at the highest level, logging AL All-Star bids in 2022 and 2023. He racked up 194 strikeouts with the Rays in 2022, placing him seventh in the American League for the season.

Craig Albernaz:

Albernaz, recently hired as the manager of the Baltimore Orioles, played a major role in Hot Rods franchise history. Spending his lone season with Bowling Green in 2018, Albernaz was able to bring the Hot Rods their first championship. The skipper led his team to a 90-49 record, securing a playoff spot. In the MWL Playoffs, the Hot Rods took down the Lansing Lugnuts in the quarterfinals, the West Michigan Whitecaps in the semifinals, and wrapped up a championship with a series win over the Peoria Chiefs. After Bowling Green, Albernaz spent time as the Rays field coordinator in 2019. He went on to work for the San Fransisco Giants and the Cleveland Guardians before accepting the Orioles managerial position.

###

Hot Rods Baseball

Bowling Green Hot Rods