Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Don Mattingly, and Dale Murphy have been retained on the Hall of Fame’s contemporary baseball era committee ballot. They will be joined by former Toronto Blue Jays Carlos Delgado and Jeff Kent, as well as Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valenzuela next month.
The committee, consisting of 16 members, will convene on December 7 during the winter meetings in Orlando, Florida. A 75 percent vote is required for induction. The elected individuals will be officially inducted on July 26, alongside any selections made in the Baseball Writers’ Association of America vote scheduled for January 20.
Albert Belle, Rafael Palmeiro, and Curt Schilling were removed from the previous contemporary era ballot in December 2022. Fred McGriff was unanimously elected at that time with 16 votes. Mattingly received eight votes, Schilling seven, Murphy six, and Belle, Bonds, Clemens, and Palmeiro garnered less than four votes each.
The Hall of Fame restructured its veterans’ committees in 2022, establishing panels to assess the contemporary era from 1980 onwards, in addition to the classic era. Separate ballots are held for players and for managers, executives, and umpires within the contemporary baseball era.
Each committee convenes once every three years. The upcoming evaluations include contemporary managers, executives, and umpires in December 2026, classic era candidates in December 2027, and contemporary era players again in December 2028.
The December 2027 ballot marks Pete Rose’s first opportunity to be included in a Hall of Fame ballot after Commissioner Rob Manfred determined in May that Rose’s lifetime ban ceased upon his death in September 2024. Individuals on the permanent ineligible list are prohibited from appearing on Hall of Fame ballots.
Following a rule amendment announced by the Hall in March, candidates who receive fewer than five votes on a ballot will be excluded from future committee ballots for the next three-year cycle. Any candidate dropped from a ballot who reappears and again receives fewer than five votes will be barred from future ballot consideration.
Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens fell short in their final BBWAA ballot appearances in 2022. Bonds garnered 260 votes out of 394 (66%), while Clemens received 63.9% in his last BBWAA vote in 2024, falling short by 43 votes.
Bonds maintains his denial of knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs, while Clemens asserts he never utilized PEDs. Sheffield stated he was unaware that the substances he used during training in preparation for the 2002 season contained steroids.
Roger Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner, achieved a remarkable career with a record of 354-184, a 3.12 ERA, and 4,672 strikeouts. Gary Sheffield, a nine-time All-Star and 1992 NL batting champion, amassed impressive statistics with 509 home runs, 1,676 RBIs, and 253 stolen bases throughout his career.
Dale Murphy, a seven-time All-Star outfielder, recorded 398 home runs, 1,266 RBIs, and 161 stolen bases. Don Mattingly, a six-time All-Star first baseman, accumulated 222 home runs and 1,099 RBIs during his 14-year career.
Carlos Delgado received 3.8% of the BBWAA vote in 2015 but was subsequently dropped from future ballots. Delgado’s career includes 473 home runs and 1,512 RBIs. Jeff Kent achieved a peak of 46.5% in his final BBWAA ballot appearance in 2023, boasting 377 home runs and 1,518 RBIs as a five-time All-Star second baseman.
Fernando Valenzuela, who passed away in October 2024, received 6.2% and 3.8% support from the BBWAA in 2003 and 2004, respectively, before being removed from consideration. Valenzuela, a six-time All-Star and the 1981 NL Cy Young Award winner, tallied a record of 173-153, a 3.54 ERA, and 2,074 strikeouts over 17 seasons.
The composition of the ballot was determined by the BBWAA’s 11-person historical overview committee, comprising individuals from various sources and backgrounds.