2023 Contemporary Baseball Era Ballot

Eight former big league players comprise the Contemporary Baseball Era player ballot to be reviewed and voted upon Dec. 4 at the Baseball Winter Meetings. Results of the voting will be announced at 8 p.m. ET on Dec. 4 live on MLB Network.

Albert Belle, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Dale Murphy, Rafael Palmeiro and Curt Schilling are the candidates the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee will consider for Hall of Fame election for the Class of 2023. All candidates are living.

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Any candidate who receives votes on 75 percent of the ballots cast by the 16-member Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee will earn election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and will be inducted in Cooperstown on July 23, 2023, along with any electees who emerge from the 2023 Baseball Writers’ Association of America election, to be announced on Jan. 24, 2023.

The Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee is one of three groups eligible for consideration as part of the Era Committee process, which provides an avenue for Hall of Fame consideration to managers, umpires and executives, as well as players retired for more than 15 seasons. The Contemporary Baseball Era features two distinct ballots: One for players (considered this fall) and one for managers, executives and umpires (considered in the fall of 2023).

Following the restructuring of the Era Committee process in the spring of 2022, the two Contemporary Baseball Era ballots were instituted, along with the Classic Baseball Era, which includes all candidates whose primary contribution to the game came prior to 1980. The Classic Baseball Era Committee will meet for the first time in the fall of 2024.

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Candidate Bios

Albert Belle

A five-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger Award winner, Albert Belle played 12 seasons with the Indians, White Sox and Orioles before a hip injury cut short his career. Belle was three-time American League RBI champion who finished second or third in the league’s Most Valuable Player balloting in each season from 1994-96. He remains the only player in history to post a 50 home run/50 double season, having done so in 1995.

Barry Bonds

MLB’s all-time home run leader with 762, Barry Bonds played 22 seasons with the Pirates and Giants, winning seven National League Most Valuable Player Awards and eight Gold Glove Awards in the outfield. Bonds set single-season records for home runs (73 in 2001) and walks (232 in 2004). He led the NL in on-base percentage 10 times and paced the league in batting average twice.

Roger Clemens

A two-time World Series champion with the Yankees (1999-2000), Roger Clemens pitched 24 seasons for the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Yankees and Astros, winning seven Cy Young Awards. Clemens was named the 1986 AL Most Valuable Player and earned All-Star Game berths in 11 seasons. Clemens led his league in earned-run average seven times and was a five-time 20-game winner.

Don Mattingly

A three-time Silver Slugger Award winner and the 1984 AL batting champion, Don Mattingly played 14 big league seasons – all with the Yankees – and compiled a .307 batting average while earning six All-Star Game selections, nine Gold Glove Awards at first base and the 1985 American League Most Valuable Player Award. Mattingly has managed in the big leagues for 12 seasons and was named the 2020 National League Manager of the Year.

Fred McGriff

The 1994 All-Star Game MVP and one of the leaders of the 1995 Braves team that won the World Series, Fred McGriff totaled 493 home runs over 19 seasons with the Blue Jays, Padres, Braves, Devil Rays, Cubs and Dodgers that included eight 100-RBI campaigns and six years where he finished in the Top 10 of his league’s MVP voting. McGriff led his league in homers twice while compiling a .377 career on-base percentage.

Dale Murphy

A seven-time All-Star who played 18 seasons with the Braves, Phillies and Rockies, Dale Murphy led the league in home runs twice, RBI twice and slugging percentage twice while posting a 30 homer/30 steal season in 1983. Murphy earned back-to-back NL Most Valuable Player Awards with the Braves in 1982-83 during a five-year stretch where he won five Gold Glove Awards in center field and four Silver Slugger Awards.

Rafael Palmeiro

Posting 10 seasons with at least 100 RBI and 10 seasons with at least 30 home runs while finishing his career with more walks (1,353) than strikeouts (1,348), Rafael Palmeiro totaled 3,020 hits, 569 homers and 1,835 RBI over 20 big league seasons with the Cubs, Rangers and Orioles. He earned four All-Star Game selections, three Gold Glove Awards at first base and two Silver Slugger Awards.

Curt Schilling

One of only four retired pitchers with at least 3,000 strikeouts and fewer than 1,000 walks, Curt Schilling was named the 2001 World Series co-MVP and owns an 11-2 mark with a 2.23 ERA in 19 career Postseason appearances. He won 216 regular season games over 20 seasons with the Orioles, Astros, Phillies, Diamondbacks and Red Sox and was named to six All-Star Games.

Voting Rules

Era Committees

Contemporary and Classic Era Committee Rules.

Voting Rules History

History of rule changes

BBWAA Election Rules

Sports writers elect recently retired players.

Future Eligibles

Upcoming ballots

Era Committees

Contemporary and Classic Era Committee Rules.

Voting Rules History

History of rule changes

BBWAA Election Rules

Sports writers elect recently retired players.

Future Eligibles

Upcoming ballots

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