The Baseball Hall of Fame has announced the eight names who will be on the Contemporary Baseball Era ballot. This Era focuses on players whose primary contributions occurred after 1980.
To gain induction, the candidate must receive 75% of the ballots cast among the 16-member committee. That committee has yet to be announced.
The candidates are:
Barry Bonds, PIT 1986-92 & SF 1993-2007, Outfield. Bonds is one of the greatest position players the game has ever seen. The all-time leader in Home Runs (762) also boasts the single-season mark with 73. The longtime Outfielder is also the all-time leader in bWAR (162.8), Walks (2,558), and MVPs (7), and he won two Batting Titles, 10 OBP Titles, seven Slugging Titles, and nine OPS Titles. His trophy case also boasts 12 Silver Sluggers and eight Gold Gloves. Bonds peaked on the regular ballot with 66% in his final year in 2022, and was on the Veterans ballot the year after, though did not receive enough support for his tally to be announced. His issue, like many, is his suspected PED use, which has kept him out of Cooperstown.
Roger Clemens, BOS, 1984-96, TOR 1997-98, NYY 1999-2003 & 2007, & HOU 2004-06, Pitcher. Clemens is the Pitching equivalent of Bonds regarding the Hall of Fame, as they joined the modern ballot together, left the modern vote together, and were also on the 2023 Senior Ballot, where, like Bonds, he did not receive enough votes for his tally to be revealed. Clemens won an MVP, seven Cy Youngs, seven ERA Titles, five Strikeout Titles, and compiled a record of 354-184 with 4,672 Strikeouts. There is no way anyone on this committee should vote for Bonds without Clemens or vice versa.
Carlos Delgado, TOR 1993-2004, FLA 2004 & NYM 2006-09, First Base. Delgado was a two-time All-Star who powered 473 Home Runs with 1,502 RBIs while also securing three Silver Sluggers. While Delgado did not win an MVP, the Sporting News named him the 2003 Major League Player of the Year. On the Modern ballot, Delgado lasted only one year (3.8% in 2015), but that ballot included 13 players who made the Hall, including Bonds, Clemens, Kent, Sheffield, Curt Schilling, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa.
Jeff Kent, TOR 1992, NYM 1992-96, CLE 1996, SFG 1997-2002, HOU 2003-04 & LAD 2005-08, Second Base. A five-time All-Star, Kent won the 2000 NL MVP and earned four Silver Sluggers. Kent smacked 377 Home Runs with 2,461 Hits and 1,518 RBIs. On the Modern ballot, Kent finished as high as 46.5% (his last time on the ballot), and this is his Senior ballot debut.
Don Mattingly, NYY, 1982-95, First Base. Mattingly was one of the best hitters in the 1980s, batting over .300 for six consecutive seasons (1984-89) and winning the 1984 AL Batting Title. A six-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger recipient, Mattingly also won nine Gold Gloves. Injuries derailed him by 1990, and his Hall of Fame candidacy went off the track with it. Mattingly still had 2,153 Hits and 222 Home Runs, and he later became a Coach and Manager, and won the 2020 NL Manager of the Year. The highest he finished on the Modern ballot was his first attempt (28.2% in 2001), but in 2023, on his third Veteran’s ballot, he had 50% of the votes.
Dale Murphy, ATL 1976-87, PHI 1990-92 & COL 1993, Outfield. Murphy won back-to-back National League MVPs (1982 & 1983), was a two-time Home Run champion, and went yard 398 times. The seven-time All-Star won four Silver Sluggers, five Gold Gloves, but never made it to 30%. He has, however, been in the Senior vote three times, and in 2023, he had 37.5% of the tally.
Gary Sheffield, MIL 1988-91, SDP 1992-93, FLA 1993-98, LAD 1998-2001, ATL 2002-03, NYY 2004-05, DET 2007-08, & NYM 2009 Outfield. A member of the 500 Home Run club (509), Sheffield went to the All-Star game nine times, won five Silver Sluggers, and a Batting Title. A World Series Champion with the Marlins, Sheffield finished with 63.9% in his final year on the ballot (2024), and is on his first Senior ballot.
Fernando Valenzuela, LAD 1980-90, CAL 1991, BAL 1993, PHI 1994, SDP, 1995-97 & STL 1998, Pitcher, Fernandomania took over the sports world in 1981, when Valenzuela won the Rookie of the Year, the Cy Young, and led the Dodgers to a World Series win. He was also a six-time All-Star and had a record of 173-153 with 2,074 Strikeouts. Previously, he was on the ballot for only two years and had never been on a Senior Ballot.
The results will be announced on December 7 at 7:30 EST on the MLB Network.
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