Bonds, Clemens on Contemporary Era HOF ballot

The Hall of Fame released its eight-player Contemporary Baseball Era ballot Monday, and it includes immoderate acquainted -- and arguable -- names: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling. Other players to beryllium considered for the people of 2023 see Albert Belle, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Dale Murphy and Rafael Palmeiro. Notably absent from the ballot: Sammy Sosa.

The 16-person committee, which consists of Hall of Fame players, shot executives and seasoned sportswriters, volition ballot connected the players astatine the wintertime meetings connected Dec. 4. A subordinate indispensable person 12 votes to get elected.

Bonds, Clemens, Schilling and Sosa each appeared connected the shot writers ballot for the 10th and last clip this past predetermination cycle. Needing 75% to get elected, Bonds received 66.0% of the vote, Clemens 65.2%, Schilling 58.6% and Sosa good backmost astatine conscionable 18.5%. All 4 became instantly eligible for the Contemporary Era committee, which considers players who made their top contributions from 1980 to the contiguous epoch but failed to summation predetermination from the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Both Bonds, a seven-time MVP who is the sport's all-time and single-season location tally leader, and seven-time Cy Young victor Clemens received their highest level of enactment successful their last twelvemonth connected the writers' ballot, climbing from arsenic debased arsenic 35% successful their archetypal years connected the ballot.

Schilling doesn't person the aforesaid PED allegations arsenic Bonds and Clemens and his enactment reached arsenic precocious arsenic 71.1% successful 2021, falling conscionable 16 votes abbreviated of election. Schilling past wrote a missive to the Hall of Fame asking to beryllium removed from the ballot successful his last year, which the Hall of Fame denied, and his enactment collapsed. Schilling's numbers -- 216 wins, 3 300-strikeout seasons, 80.5 vocation WAR and an 11-2 grounds successful the postseason with 3 World Series rubric -- warrant beardown information for election, but helium ostracized himself successful status with hateful comments towards Muslims, transgender radical and journalists.

"I'll defer to the veterans committee and men whose opinions really substance and who are successful a presumption to really justice a player," Schilling wrote erstwhile asked to beryllium removed from the ballot.

Palmeiro is 1 of conscionable 7 players with 3,000 hits and 500 location runs, but dissimilar Bonds, Clemens and Sosa, helium really received a PED suspension aft investigating affirmative successful 2005, his last play successful the majors. He lasted 4 years connected the BBWAA ballot, getting removed aft falling beneath the 5% ballot threshold needed to stay on.

This volition beryllium Palmeiro's archetypal clip connected a veterans committee ballot -- but not truthful for Murphy and Mattingly. Murphy, a two-time MVP with the Atlanta Braves who peaked astatine conscionable 23.2% connected the BBWAA ballot, appeared connected some the 2018 and 2020 Modern Era ballots (as good arsenic earlier incarnations), receiving less than 7 votes successful 2018 from the 16-person committee and 3 oregon less successful 2020. Mattingly, the fashionable New York Yankees archetypal baseman and 1985 AL MVP, besides appeared connected some ballots with the aforesaid debased ballot totals.

Depending connected however the committee views the transgressions of Bonds, Clemens and Schilling, McGriff whitethorn beryllium the subordinate with the champion accidental of election. A likeable five-time All-Star who deed 493 location runs and drove successful 1,550 runs, McGriff ne'er received 40% of the ballot connected the BBWAA ballot, but his 10 years connected the ballot came erstwhile it was crowded with PED-tarnished players and different beardown candidates (writers are allowed to ballot for conscionable 10 players) and his borderline lawsuit ne'er received overmuch fashionable enactment -- possibly successful portion due to the fact that helium played for six antithetic teams.

Belle was a lethal slugger who erstwhile had 50 location runs and 50 doubles successful the aforesaid play and finished with 381 location runs, but injuries shortened his vocation to conscionable 12 seasons. He appeared connected the 2017 and 2019 Today's Game ballots and received less than 5 votes some times.

The revamped veterans committee predetermination rhythm means the adjacent ballot for Contemporary Era ballot wouldn't travel until December of 2025 (for predetermination successful the Class of 2026). Next year's predetermination volition diagnostic Contemporary Era managers, executives and umpires and past the Classic Era (pre-1980) volition beryllium voted connected successful December of 2024.

The BBWAA ballot volition beryllium announced connected Jan. 24, 2023. The apical returning vote-getters are Scott Rolen (63.2%), Todd Helton (52.0%) and Billy Wagner (51.0%). The ballot besides includes Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Gary Sheffield and Andruw Jones. The apical newcomer is Carlos Beltran.