8 Players on Contemporary Era HOF ballot announced.

[TBTC Baseball]

https://www.mlb.com/news/contemporar...allot-for-2025

Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are among the eight players on this year’s Era Committee ballot unveiled Monday by the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Bonds, Clemens, Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valenzuela comprise the Contemporary Baseball Era player ballot, which focuses on players whose primary contributions to the game came since 1980.

I'm in for Delgado.

[JRX]

So do players like Keith Hernandez no longer get considered because their careers spanned the 1970s and 1980s? Seems silly to have an arbitrary cutoff.

[theshowandme]

[no10pin]

Interesting, no Schilling this time even though he was 3rd in the voting last time.

Palmeiro, Schilling and Belle are out (plus McGriff who got elected)

Delgado, Valenzuela, Kent and Sheffield are new.

[jdandns]

Fernando only.

[itsbaytime]

Im in on Bonds, Clemens, Sheffield, Kent and Delgado if we are going purely on numbers (which I am).

[f2tornado]

That's a stacked ballot. Mattingly got 8 of 12 needed last time. I'd like to see him in but Jeff Kent is perhaps most worthy amongst the non-juicers.

[jdandns]

Bonds will shove Kent up on stage for their inductions.

[silverandblack]

Bonds, Clemens and Kent should already be in and I can see an argument for every guy aside from Fernando

[Rooftop]

Put em all in and give em food stamps to

[eastbayak]

Will the GOAT hitter finally get into the HoF?!

[JustinVerlander07]

No Whitaker is laughable.

[Noles939913]

Originally Posted by jdandns

Fernando only.

Another player who barely scraped by 40 WAR in the Hall…

[Scottish Punk]

Originally Posted by silverandblack

Bonds, Clemens and Kent should already be in and I can see an argument for every guy aside from Fernando

Originally Posted by JustinVerlander07

No Whitaker is laughable.

Yes and Yes.

I think you can only pick four so - Bonds, Clemens, Kent, Murphy (Close with Sheffield, toss up).

[green4407]

I'd put all 8 of 'em in. They're all deserving.

[JRX]

This always come back to is it about their career peak or longevity and the hof has never been consistent on this.

[Handsome Wes]

Originally Posted by Scottish Punk

Yes and Yes.

I think you can only pick four so - Bonds, Clemens, Kent, Murphy (Close with Sheffield, toss up).

Pretty sure you can only pick three

[f2tornado]

Originally Posted by silverandblack

Bonds, Clemens and Kent should already be in and I can see an argument for every guy aside from Fernando

Statistically, not really. From a pure fame perspective, yes. He was the south of the border early 80s version of Ohtani when it came to attention and name recognition (albeit with less but still very solid pop for a pitcher) at a time when there was no DH. He would occasionally pinch hit which was practically unheard of for a pitcher. The Hall wouldn't be shamed if he got in there.

[silverandblack]

Originally Posted by green4407

I'd put all 8 of 'em in. They're all deserving.

I’d say all aside from Fernando, I just don’t see the argument for him being in.

[Handsome Wes]

Not that anyone wants my opinion, but...

...I think this is an attempt on the Baseball Hall of Fame's part to funnel votes towards Don Mattingly (and perhaps Dale Murphy).

I have spent way too much time in message boards and I am yet to see any serious arguments to be had in favor of, say, Carlos Delgado (as opposed to players such as Lou Whitaker, Kenny Lofton, etc.)

Given that the math is difficult (voters can only vote for three), having more "deserving candidates" would result in votes being split -- and no one gets in.

Example - suppose there were six equally worthy candidates. The 16 voters equally divide their vote among these six. They all wind up with a total of eight votes, and all fall short of induction.

Having "unworthy" candidates on the ballot effectively gives a boost to the ones who are -- no vote splitting here.

For what it's worth, Bonds and Clemens aren't going to get in. The Hall has basically made its stance known by changing its rules around a thousand times with them in mind. Just recently, they tweaked a rule saying that anyone who doesn't get at least five votes is removed from the ballot for an election cycle, and if they don't get five again, they are removed from all future ballots. They are only on this ballot so that process can be kickstarted.

[fabiani12333]

Originally Posted by Handsome Wes

For what it's worth, Bonds and Clemens aren't going to get in. The Hall has basically made its stance known by changing its rules around a thousand times with them in mind. Just recently, they tweaked a rule saying that anyone who doesn't get at least five votes is removed from the ballot for an election cycle, and if they don't get five again, they are removed from all future ballots. They are only on this ballot so that process can be kickstarted.

And yet, everyone knows they are the headliners, including mlb.com -- they mention them first in the article. It's pretty ironic.

[itsbaytime]

FWIW Kenny Lofton absolutely deserves to be in as well.

[Gatorsmld]

Bonds, Clemens, Murph

[mgip21]

Originally Posted by itsbaytime

FWIW Kenny Lofton absolutely deserves to be in as well.

Funny, I thought the same thing, but then I went and looked at his baseball reference page yesterday and realized he had 7-8 great years. And his OPS plus even on those great years was not all that high. He had 3 more good years and He had six years where he was below league average. So before I looked it up yesterday I would have agreed with you, now I’m not so sure.

[BlowoutBuzz]

I think this grouping was based on an initial ballot and cut off at 75% to make this group. I'm sure the steps are out there somewhere. They have to narrow stuff down.