Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Don Mattingly, and Dale Murphy have advanced to the next round of voting for the Hall of Fame’s contemporary baseball era committee. They will be joined by former Toronto Blue Jays players Carlos Delgado and Jeff Kent, as well as Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valenzuela in the upcoming ballot.
The committee, consisting of 16 members, is set to convene on December 7 during the winter meetings in Orlando, Florida. To secure induction, candidates must receive a 75 percent majority vote. The successful candidates will be officially inducted on July 26, alongside those chosen in the Baseball Writers’ Association of America vote scheduled for January 20.
During the previous round of voting in December 2022, Albert Belle, Rafael Palmeiro, and Curt Schilling were removed from the ballot. Fred McGriff secured unanimous election with 16 votes back then. Mattingly garnered eight votes, Schilling seven, Murphy six, and Belle, Bonds, Clemens, and Palmeiro received less than four votes each, as reported by the Hall.
In 2022, the Hall revamped its veterans’ committees for the third time in 12 years, establishing separate panels to evaluate the contemporary era from 1980 onwards, in addition to the classic era. The contemporary baseball era ballot is divided into sections for players and another for managers, executives, and umpires.
These committees convene every three years, with contemporary managers, executives, and umpires up for consideration in December 2026, classic era candidates in December 2027, and contemporary era players once again in December 2028.
The December 2027 ballot marks the first opportunity for Pete Rose to appear on a Hall ballot following baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred’s ruling in May that Rose’s lifetime ban ended with his passing in September 2024. The Hall prohibits individuals on the permanent ineligible list from being on a ballot.
In a recent development by the Hall, candidates who receive fewer than five votes on a ballot are ineligible for the committee’s next cycle. If a candidate is dropped, then reintroduced to the ballot but still receives fewer than five votes, they will be excluded from future ballot considerations.
Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens fell short in 2022 during their final appearances on the BBWAA ballot. Bonds received 260 out of 394 votes (66 percent). Meanwhile, Gary Sheffield received 63.9 percent in his last BBWAA vote in 2024, garnering 246 votes, falling short by 43 votes.
Bonds, Clemens, and Sheffield have all denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs. Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner, amassed a remarkable career record, while Sheffield, a nine-time All-Star, had an impressive batting career with multiple accolades. Dale Murphy and Don Mattingly also had noteworthy careers, with both receiving significant votes during their BBWAA ballot appearances.
Carlos Delgado and Jeff Kent, along with Fernando Valenzuela, are among the new candidates entering the Hall of Fame ballot this year, bringing their own unique achievements and contributions to the game of baseball.
