Who will be the next Arizona Diamondbacks Hall of Fame player?

As of right now, there is only one player in Cooperstown whose Hall of Fame plaque has the Arizona Diamondbacks' logo on it. That is the Big Unit, Randy Johnson. This year's Hall of Fame ballot does not include a single former Diamondback. Next year, Mark Trumbo, Brad Ziegler, Mark Reynolds, Martin Prado, Adam Jones, and Clay Buchholz are eligible for selection, but it's not even a guarantee that any of them will even be on the ballot given the selection process. Even then, the only ones who may wear a Diamondbacks cap on their plaque are Ziegler and Reynolds. It might be a while until we see our next Diamondback Hall of Famer. But when we do see it, who is the next likeliest candidate?

Let's get the elephant out of the room now: I doubt that Curt Schilling will ever make the Hall of Fame. Sure, he was a phenomenal pitcher, but his antics off the field (and even some on the field) have ruined any chance of him making it. Now, after his posts on Twitter and his leaking of Tim Wakefield's cancer battle before he or his wife wanted it known to the public, Schilling looks worse than he ever has.

As of right now, it's probably Paul Goldschmidt. The first baseman spent his first eight big league seasons in Arizona and established himself as a household name with the D-Backs. But the D-Backs traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals, where he has now played five years. Still, unless he signs a long-term deal with the Cards and continues to play at an All-Star level for years to come with St. Louis, I doubt he'd wear a Cardinals hat.

Goldschmidt is currently a career .293/.388/.519 batter with a 143 OPS+ and 142 wRC+. Currently, he has 1909 hits, 340 home runs, 158 stolen bases, 413 doubles, and +61.7 bWAR. At 35, Goldschmidt is well within reach of many potential milestones. He'll get to 2000 hits next year so long as he stays healthy. He's also 60 home runs away from 400, and I would like to think he has at least two more 30+ home run seasons left in him. 

As of right now, Goldschmidt is within 10 bWAR of Hall of Fame first basemen, including Johnny Mize, Eddie Murray, Willie McCovey, and future HOF'er Miguel Cabrera. If or when Goldschmidt reaches 400 home runs, he would join only Jeff Bagwell as the only primary first basemen with at least 400 HRS and 150+ SBS. 

Goldschmidt also has a trophy case of accolades thus far in his career. He has gone to seven All-Star games, has won four Gold Gloves five Silver Sluggers, and has an MVP to his name. He's definitely capable of taking home five GGs and SSs and is within reach of making ten All-Star games.

As long as Goldschmidt doesn't completely fall off a cliff over the next three to five seasons, he is a pretty safe bet to eventually make the Hall of Fame. He is going into his age-36 campaign, so how many great years he has left has yet to be seen. But even if he only hits like he did in 2023, where he only had +3.1 bWAR and a 120 OPS+ with 25 home runs for the next few seasons, he'll still be on HOF trajectory, in my opinion.

A potential Veterans' Committee candidate is Luis Gonzalez. Gonzalez batted .283/.367/.479 with a .364 wOBA, 118 wRC+, and 119 OPS+. Gonzalez racked up 2591 hits while also slugging 359 home runs. As of right now, there are only 34 players with 2500+ hits and 350+ HRS. 24 of the players are in the Hall of Fame. Of the seven who aren't in, Carlos Beltran and Miguel Cabrera will both likely eventually get there; three include Barry Bonds, Manny Ramirez, Rafael Palmeiro, and Alex Rodriguez, and the last two are Todd Helton and Gonzalez.

Gonzalez racked 596 doubles, the third most of any left fielder (4th most if you count Pete Rose as a left fielder). He is also only one of 25 left fielders with +50 bWAR, with Gonzalez, Bonds, Rose, Ramirez, Lance Berkman, Brian Downing, and Sherry Magee (who retired before the Great Depression) as the only players to not make the Hall. Of course, Bonds, Rose, and Ramirez had their own issues keeping them out of the Hall, for better or for worse.

Gonzalez made five All-Star games, was a Home Run Derby champ, and took home one Silver Slugger. However, he also delivered the game-winning hit in the 2001 World Series, walking it off against one of the most formidable Postseason pitchers ever and the best Postseason relief pitcher ever, Mariano Rivera. 

There are some guys who are already getting off to a strong start to their MLB careers, including Corbin Carroll, Gabriel Moreno, and Zac Gallen. However, their MLB careers are still in their infancy. It's way too early to predict if they will ever be worthy of the Hall of Fame; however, they are getting a head start, to their credit.