Contemporary Baseball Era Committee Ballot to Be Considered Dec. 4

(COOPERSTOWN, NY) – Eight players whose primary contributions to the game came within the last 40-plus years will be considered for Hall of Fame election at Baseball’s Winter Meetings.

The Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee will meet for the first time on Sunday, Dec. 4, in San Diego. Eight former big leaguers comprise the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee player ballot, which features candidates whose primary contribution to the game came from 1980 to the present.

The 16-member Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee will consider only candidates on the ballot, and any candidate receiving votes on at least 75 percent of all ballots cast will earn induction into the Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2023.

Results of the voting will be announced live on MLB Network on Sunday, Dec. 4 during MLB Tonight at 8 p.m. ET. Any electees are expected to be available to media shortly after the announcement via individual Zoom calls.

Albert Belle, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Dale Murphy, Rafael Palmeiro and Curt Schilling were named on Nov. 7 as the candidates for Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee consideration. All candidates are living.

Any candidates elected will be inducted in Cooperstown on July 23, 2023, along with any electees who emerge from the 2023 Baseball Writers’ Association of America election, which will be announced on Jan. 24, 2023, exclusively on MLB Network.

The 16-member Hall of Fame Board-appointed electorate charged with the review of the Contemporary Baseball Era player ballot features Hall of Fame members Chipper Jones, Greg Maddux, Jack Morris, Ryne Sandberg, Lee Smith, Frank Thomas and Alan Trammell; major league executives Paul Beeston, Theo Epstein, Arte Moreno, Kim Ng, Dave St. Peter and Ken Williams; and veteran media members/historians Steve Hirdt, LaVelle Neal and Susan Slusser.

Hall of Fame Chairman of the Board Jane Forbes Clark will serve as the non-voting Chairman of the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee.

The eight Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee finalists were selected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America-appointed Historical Overview Committee from all eligible candidates whose most significant career impact was realized from 1980 to the present. Eligible candidates include players who played in at least 10 major league seasons, who have been retired for at least 15 seasons and who are not on Major League Baseball’s ineligible list.

The Historical Overview Committee, which developed the Contemporary Baseball Era player ballot, includes Bob Elliott (Canadian Baseball Network), Jim Henneman (formerly Baltimore Sun), Steve Hirdt (Stats Perform), Rick Hummel (formerly St. Louis Post-Dispatch), David O’Brien (The Athletic), Jack O’Connell (BBWAA), Jim Reeves (formerly Fort Worth Star Telegram), Tracy Ringolsby (InsidetheSeams.com); Glenn Schwarz (formerly San Francisco Chronicle), Susan Slusser (San Francisco Chronicle) and Mark Whicker (Los Angeles News Group).

The eight candidates for Contemporary Baseball Era consideration for the Class of 2023:

• Albert Belle played 12 seasons with the Indians, White Sox and Orioles before a hip injury cut short his career. A five-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger Award winner, 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 played 22 seasons with the Pirates and Giants, winning seven National League Most Valuable Player Awards and eight Gold Glove Awards in the outfield. MLB’s all-time home run leader with 762, 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 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. A two-time World Series champion with the Yankees (1999-2000), Clemens led his league in earned-run average seven times and was a five-time 20-game winner.
• 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. A three-time Silver Slugger Award winner and the 1984 AL batting champion, Mattingly has managed in the big leagues for 12 seasons and was named the 2020 National League Manager of the Year.
• 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. The 1994 All-Star Game MVP and one of the leaders of the 1995 Braves team that won the World Series, McGriff led his league in homers twice while compiling a .377 career on-base percentage.
• Dale 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. A seven-time All-Star who played 18 seasons with the Braves, Phillies and Rockies, Murphy led the league in home runs twice, RBI twice and slugging percentage twice while posting a 30 homer/30 steal season in 1983.
• Rafael Palmeiro totaled 3,020 hits, 569 homers and 1,835 RBI over 20 big league seasons with the Cubs, Rangers and Orioles, earning four All-Star Game selections, three Gold Glove Awards at first base and two Silver Slugger Awards. He posted 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).
• Curt Schilling is one of only four retired pitchers with at least 3,000 strikeouts and fewer than 1,000 walks. 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.

About the Era Committees

The Era Committees consist of three different electorates divided across two eras: The Contemporary Baseball Era, consisting of the period from 1980 to present day, and the Classic Baseball Era, consisting of the period prior to 1980 and including Negro Leagues and pre-Negro Leagues stars. The Contemporary Baseball Era is split into two separate ballots – one ballot to consider only players who made their greatest impact on the game since 1980, and another composite ballot consisting of managers, executives and umpires whose greatest contributions to the game have come since 1980.

Eras considered for yearly induction over the upcoming years are as follows: 2023 – Contemporary Baseball Player; 2024 – Contemporary Baseball Manager/Executive/Umpire; 2025 – Classic Baseball; 2026 – Contemporary Baseball Player; 2027 – Contemporary Baseball Manager/Executive/Umpire; 2028 – Classic Baseball.

Both the ballot and electorate are created anew with each cycle for consideration.