Era Committee Elections Rescheduled to 2021

(COOPERSTOWN, NY) – The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum announced today that its Board of Directors has voted unanimously to reschedule this winter’s two Era Committee elections as a result of uncertainties associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“With the nation’s safety concerns, the travel restrictions, and the limitations on group gatherings in effect for many regions, it is not possible to ensure that we can safely and effectively hold these committee meetings,” said Jane Forbes Clark, Chairman of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. “The Era Committee process, which has been so effective in evaluating Hall of Fame candidates, requires an open, yet confidential conversation and an in-person dialogue involving the members of the 16-person voting committee. In view of these concerns, the Board of Directors has decided that the Golden Days Committee and the Early Days Committee will instead meet during the winter of 2021.”

The Golden Days Era Committee and Early Baseball Era Committee were established by the Board of Directors in 2016 as part of a restructuring of the Era Committee process. The Golden Days Era Committee considers Hall of Fame candidates whose primary contributions to the game came from 1950 to 1969, and the Early Baseball Era Committee considers candidates whose primary contributions came prior to 1950.

Each committee will consider a ballot of 10 candidates, compiled by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s Historical Overview Committee, which will be announced in the autumn of 2021. Both committees, which are reconstituted each time they meet, will consider these ballots later that year. Any candidates elected will be enshrined as part of the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022.

The updated schedule of Era Committee meetings is as follows:

Golden Days Era Committee and Early Baseball Era Committee
To meet in fall of 2021 for the Class of 2022

Today’s Game Era Committee
To meet in fall of 2022 for the Class of 2023
*Considering candidates whose primary contribution came from 1988 to the present

Modern Baseball Era Committee
To meet in fall of 2023 for the Class of 2024
*Considering candidates whose primary contribution came from 1970 to 1987

Today’s Game Era Committee
To meet in fall of 2024 for the Class of 2025

Modern Baseball Era Committee
To meet in fall of 2025 for the Class of 2026

Golden Days Era Committee
To meet in fall of 2026 for the Class of 2027

Candidates from the Today’s Game Era and the Modern Baseball Era are each considered twice in a five-year period, with the Golden Days Era candidates considered once every five years and the Early Days Era candidates considered once every 10 years.

Hall of Fame Weekend 2021 will be held July 23-26 in Cooperstown, with the Induction Ceremony scheduled for Sunday, July 25. Class of 2020 electees Derek Jeter, Marvin Miller, Ted Simmons and Larry Walker will be inducted along with any candidates who receive votes on at least 75 percent of all ballots cast in the BBWAA’s 2021 Hall of Fame election. A list of players who will be eligible for the BBWAA ballot for the first time in 2021 can be found here.