2021 BBWAA election yields no electees
In the 2021 Baseball Writers’ Association of America election, no player was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
For the first time since 2013, and for just the ninth time ever, no candidate received the 75 percent of the BBWAA vote necessary for induction when the results were announced on Tuesday, Jan. 26.
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In the previous seven years, 22 players were elected by the BBWAA – the most in any seven-year period in Hall of Fame history.
“As is the case with any previous or future ballot, the journey continues for some and is just beginning for others,” said Hall of Fame President Tim Mead after presenting the election results live on MLB Network from the Hall of Fame’s Plaque Gallery, the first time the announcement was made from Cooperstown.
On a ballot that featured 25 players, pitcher Curt Schilling, in his ninth year on the ballot, topped the list by receiving 71.1 percent of the vote. With a total of 401 votes cast, 301 were needed for election. Schilling, who received 70.0 percent last year, fell 16 votes short of the 75 percent threshold this year.
Others that received more than 50 percent of the vote in the 77th election held by the BBWAA included Barry Bonds (61.8 percent), Roger Clemens (61.6 percent) and Scott Rolen (52.9 percent).
Among players eligible for the first time in the 2022 BBWAA election are David Ortiz and Álex Rodríguez.
“Ultimately, this result reinforces how difficult this very special and prestigious fraternity is to become a member of,” Mead said. “Securing 75 percent of the electorate is difficult and it’s done so with careful consideration by each of the voting members with the criteria outlined.”
Of the Hall of Fame’s current 333 members, 134 were elected by the BBWAA.
“Working at the Hall of Fame, oftentimes people ask if you’re disappointed if there is not an electee. That’s not the case,” Mead said. “It simply reinforces how solid this process is. It has only happened nine times in the history of voting since 1936. And there is a variety of factors that fall into it.
“I think historically the Baseball Writers’ Association of America have done an outstanding job in their careful consideration of each and every candidate. We look forward to the more discussion in advance of the 2022 election when a new crop of names will be added to the 17 returning names off the 2021 ballot.”
Despite no player being elected by the BBWAA in 2021, there is an Induction Ceremony scheduled for July 25 and featuring Class of 2020 electees Derek Jeter, Marvin Miller, Ted Simmons and Larry Walker. The Hall of Fame announced in April that its Board of Directors voted unanimously to postpone the 2020 Induction Ceremony as a result of health and safety concerns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While we’re talking about no electees for the Class of 2021, we certainly can’t lose sight of the fact that there’s going to be an Induction Ceremony featuring the Class of 2020 that we had to delay,” Mead said. “We’re very excited about hosting that here in Cooperstown in July of this year. It’s ironic that no one was elected to the Hall of Fame today, but in fact there will be an Induction Ceremony this summer as we move forward.”
Also being honored this summer will be 2020 and 2021 Ford C. Frick Award winners Ken Harrelson and Al Michaels, respectively, and 2020 and 2021 BBWAA Career Excellence Award winners Nick Cafardo and Dick Kaegel, respectively, as well as David Montgomery, who captured the 2020 John Jordan “Buck” O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award.
For historical context, prior to 2021, the last year there was no one elected to the Hall of Fame was 1960 when only a BBWAA vote was held. The top vote getter was future electee Edd Roush, who was named by 54.3 percent of the writers. Because the Veterans Committee held no vote, there was no Induction Ceremony in Cooperstown that year.
Ultimately, the top 12 BBWAA vote getters in 1960 – and 15 of the top 16 – would eventually be elected to the Hall of Fame. In total, there were 39 future Hall of Famers among the whopping 134 players who would receive BBWAA votes that year. This was an era before ballots with listed candidates were presented to qualified writers.
Bill Francis is the senior research and writing specialist at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
