Golden Era Committee Announces Results
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s Golden Era Committee announced balloting results Monday for its 2014 election of players, managers, executives and umpires. The ballot featured nine former players and one former executive and was considered by a 16-person committee featuring eight Hall of Famers, four veteran baseball executives and four historians/media members.
Dick Allen, former third baseman and first baseman with Phillies, Cardinals, Dodgers, White Sox and Athletics, and longtime Twins outfielder Tony Oliva each received 11 votes (68.8%) as the top vote-getters.
Results
| Votes | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|
| Dick Allen | 11 | 68.8% |
| Tony Oliva | 11 | 68.8% |
| Jim Kaat | 10 | 62.5% |
| Maury Wills | 9 | 56.3% |
| Minnie Minoso | 8 | 50% |
| Ken Boyer | 3 or fewer | |
| Gil Hodges | 3 or fewer | |
| Bob Howsam | 3 or fewer | |
| Billy Pierce | 3 or fewer | |
| Luis Tiant | 3 or fewer |
The Golden Era Committee considered the ballot of candidates whose contributions to the game were most significant from 1947-72. Votes on 75 percent of all ballots cast were needed to earn Hall of Fame election. Committee members could vote for zero to four candidates on each ballot.
The 16-member Golden Era Committee commissioned with the review of the 10-name ballot met Sunday and Monday in San Diego, Calif., and was comprised of Hall of Fame members Jim Bunning, Rod Carew, Pat Gillick, Ferguson Jenkins, Al Kaline, Joe Morgan, Ozzie Smith and Don Sutton; major league executives Dave Dombrowski, Jim Frey, David Glass and Roland Hemond; and veteran media members Steve Hirdt, Dick Kaegel, Phil Pepe and Tracy Ringolsby. Hall of Fame Chairman of the Board Jane Forbes Clark served as the non-voting chairman of the Golden Era Committee.
The Golden Era ballot was devised by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America-appointed Historical Overview Committee, comprised of 11 veteran members, which screened all eligible players, managers, umpires and executives to develop the final 10-name ballot: Dave Van Dyck (Chicago Tribune), Bob Elliott (Toronto Sun), Rick Hummel (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), Steve Hirdt (Elias Sports Bureau), Bill Madden (New York Daily News), Ken Nigro (formerly Baltimore Sun), Jack O’Connell (BBWAA secretary/treasurer), Tracy Ringolsby (MLB.com), Glenn Schwarz (formerly San Francisco Chronicle), Claire Smith (ESPN) and Mark Whicker (Los Angeles Newspaper Group).
The Golden Era Committee will next consider candidates in 2017 for the 2018 Induction year, as the process to consider candidates by era repeats on a three-year cycle. In 2015, the Pre-Integration Era Committee – which met previously in 2012 – will consider candidates whose main career contributions came from baseball’s origins through 1946. In 2016, the Expansion Era Committee – which met previously in 2013 – will consider candidates whose main career contributions came from 1973 through the present. Committees will continue to meet at the Winter Meetings.
The BBWAA election results will be announced at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Jan. 6.
Candidate Bios
Dick Allen
Won the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year Award, the 1972 American League Most Valuable Player Award and was named to seven All-Star Games. In 15 big league seasons – played during some of the most offensively-challenged seasons in baseball history – Allen hit 351 home runs and drove in 1,119 runs. He led his league in on-base percentage twice and slugging percentage three times, hitting better than .300 in six full seasons while finishing with a career batting average of .292.
Ken Boyer
Played 15 seasons as a third baseman – mainly with the Cardinals – earning 11 All-Star Game selections and winning the 1964 National League Most Valuable Player Award en route to leading the Cardinals to a World Series championship. Boyer won five Gold Glove Awards at third base and led the National League in RBI with 119 in 1964. In addition to his 1964 MVP Award, Boyer finished in the Top 10 of the NL MVP voting in three other seasons. He topped the 20-home run mark in eight seasons and finished his career with 282 home runs.
Gil Hodges
Named to eight All-Star Games in an 18-year big league career as a first baseman with the Dodgers and Mets, winning three Gold Glove Awards and leading the Dodgers to seven National League pennants and two World Series titles. He drove in 100-or-more runs in seven straight seasons (1949-1955) and had 11 straight seasons (1949-59) with at least 20 home runs. He finished his playing career with 370 home runs and 1,274 RBI. As a manager, Hodges skippered the 1969 Miracle Mets to the World Series title.
Bob Howsam
Served as the general manager of the Cardinals in the 1960s, helping build teams that won two World Series titles and three National League pennants before moving on to Cincinnati, where he assembled the parts for the Big Red Machine that won four NL pennants and two World Series. The 1975-76 Reds – who won back-to-back World Series titles – were powered by players like Joe Morgan and George Foster, whom Howsam had acquired in trades. Howsam was named the Sporting News Major League Executive of the Year in 1973.
Jim Kaat
Pitched 25 seasons in the big leagues, winning 283 games over the course of four different decades. Kaat, who pitched in big league games in four different decades, was named to three All-Star Games, won 16 Gold Glove Awards and helped the Cardinals win the 1982 World Series. Kaat posted three 20-win seasons (1966, 1974-75) and twice recorded more than 300 innings pitched (1966, 1975). His career total of 4,530.1 innings pitched ranks 25th all-time and his 283 wins rank 31st.
Minnie Minoso
Played 17 seasons mostly with the Indians and White Sox, earning nine All-Star Game selections and three Gold Glove Awards as an outfielder. In his first full seasons in the big leagues in 1951, Minoso led the American League in triples and stolen bases and finished fourth in the Most Valuable Player Award voting. A .298 career hitter, Minoso scored 100-or-more runs in four seasons and totaled at least 100 RBI in four seasons. A native of Cuba, he blazed a trail for Latin American players in the big leagues in the 1950s.
Tony Oliva
Played 15 seasons for the Twins, winning three batting titles and leading the American League in hits five times. He was named to eight All-Star Games and won the 1964 AL Rookie of the Year Award. A .304 career hitter, Oliva’s career was shortened due to a knee injury. He totaled 220 home runs and 329 doubles, leading the AL in doubles four times. He topped the 20-home run mark in five seasons.
Billy Pierce
Won 211 games over 18 seasons, earning seven All-Star Game selections and an earned-run average title in 1955 while leading the American League in complete games three times. Pierce won 15-or-more games in eight seasons and played a key role in pennant-winning teams with the White Sox in 1959 and the Giants in 1962. Owner of a 3.27 career ERA, Pierce struck out 1,999 batters in his career.
Luis Tiant
Won at least 20 games in four of his 19 big league seasons, finishing his career with 229 wins and a 3.30 ERA while earning three All-Star Game selections. He won two American League ERA titles and led the league in shutouts three times. Tiant led the American League in shutouts three times and finished with 49 career shutouts, good for 21st on the all-time list. Tiant struck out 2,416 batters in his career.
Maury Wills
Led the National League in stolen bases six times, including a then-modern record 104 steals in 1962 en route to the National League Most Valuable Player Award. Wills was the starting shortstop on three Dodgers World Series championship teams and was named to seven All-Star Games. His 586 stolen bases rank 20th all-time. A .281 career hitter, Wills totaled 2,134 career hits and 1,067 runs scored in 14 seasons.
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