On Sunday night, a panel of 16 will decide if any former Major League standouts will earn induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame through the Contemporary Baseball Eras Committee.
Among the eight players who are on the ballot? Former Toronto Blue Jays stars Carlos Delgado and Roger Clemens. They are joined by Gary Sheffield, Don Mattingly, Fernando Valenzuela, Jeff Kent, Dale Murphy and Barry Bonds. Players need 12-of-16 votes (75 percent) to earn induction.
Clemens had two incredible seasons in Toronto, winning back-to-back Cy Young Awards, but he’s largely thought of a Boston Red Sox or a New York Yankee. Delgado, on the other hand, spent 12 of 17 major league seasons in Toronto, becoming one of the best sluggers of the late 1990s and 2000s.
Because he played in an era of offensive explosion, he’s largely an afterthought to people, but his numbers give him a real chance at a Cooperstown induction next summer.
As noted by Just Baseball, Delgado is one of only nine left-handed hitters in baseball history to have at least a career .380 on-base percentage and 450 homers or more. He’s on that list with Bonds, Babe Ruth, Jim Thome, Mel Ott, David Ortiz, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig and Stan Musial. Bonds is the only one not in the Hall of Fame already.
About Delgado’s career
Lifetime, he was a .280 hitter with 473 home runs and 483 doubles. He led the major leagues in RBIs (145) in 2003 and had nine seasons of 100+ RBIs or more. He had 11 seasons of 30+ homers or more, including eight of those with the Toronto.
He was a two-time All-Star with the Jays and a three-time Silver Slugger.
In addition to the Blue Jays, he spent one year with the Florida Marlins and four years with the New York Mets. Perpetually healthy, he played at least 140 games in 11 seasons. He had a .929 career OPS.
About the Contemporary Baseball Era Ballot:
From the Hall of Fame website:
The Era Committees consist of three different electorates: The Classic Baseball Era, consisting of the period prior to 1980 and including Negro Leagues and pre-Negro Leagues stars; and the Contemporary Baseball Era, consisting of the period from 1980 to present day. 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.
This ‘Era’ is up for induction in 2026, and then not again until 2029, as the Eras rotate in terms of eligibility.
Who is on the panel?
As noted by Atlanta Braves Insider Grant McAuley, the group of voters includes Hall of Famers Ferguson Jenkins, Jim Kaat, Juan Marichal, Tony Perez, Ozzie Smith, Alan Trammell, and Robin Yount. Others on the list include Mark Attanasio, who owns the Milwaukee Brewers and Doug Melvin, who also works for the Brewers. Arte Moreno, owner of the Los Angeles Angels, and Kim Ng, former general manager of the Miami Marlins, are also on the committee alongside Tony Reagins, Terry Ryan, Steve Hirdt, Tyler Kepner and Jayson Stark. Reagins and Ryan are executives while the final three are media members/historians.
When does this get announced?
The results will be announced on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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