Who Was Elected To The Baseball Hall Of Fame?

The Baseball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and honor roll located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, displays baseball-related artifacts and exhibits, and recognizes those who have excelled in playing, managing, and serving the sport.

The Baseball Hall of Fame

The Baseball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, and operated by private interests. It serves as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, displays baseball-related artifacts and exhibits, and honors those who have fostered the sport’s development.

Who was elected?

On January 24, 1936, the Baseball Hall of Fame opened in Cooperstown, New York, to honor the game’s greatest players. Since then, more than 300 players have been elected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA), latent members of the Hall of Fame, or selections made by the Veterans Committee or other groups. The most recent inductees were announced on January 22, 2019.

Players are elected to the Hall of Fame through a vote by eligible members of the BBWAA. To be eligible for the ballot, a player must have played at least 10 major league seasons and have been retired from baseball for five years. Players who meet those requirements are placed on a ballot that is distributed to eligible members of the BBWAA at the end of each calendar year. Voting is conducted (and made public) in January during baseball’s annual Winter Meetings.

A player must receive 75% of all votes cast to be elected to the Hall of Fame. If no player receives 75% of the votes in a given year, no one is elected that year; instead, finalists are carried over to future ballots until they either achieve election or drop below 5% of votes cast (at which point they are permanently arc off future ballots but may eventually be considered by one of the Hall’s specialized committees).

In order to remain on future ballots, a player must receive at least 5% of votes cast in any given year; players who fail to do so are arc off future ballots but may eventually be considered by one o fthe hall’s specialized committees.

What is the criteria for election?

The baseball hall of fame is an American institution that honors baseball players who have excelled in the sport. To be eligible for election, a player must be retired from playing for at least five years. Players who are on major league baseball’s ineligible list, such as Pete Rose, are also not eligible for election. A player must also receive votes on at least 75% of the ballots cast by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) to be inducted into the hall of fame.

What is the process for election?

Each year, eligible members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) vote by secret ballot to elect up to four individuals to the Hall of Fame. Any candidate who receives votes on at least 75% of the eligible ballots is elected. A candidate who remains on the ballot for 10 years but fails to be elected may still be considered by a smaller, 16-member Veterans Committee, which meets every three years to discuss nominees from all eras who were not elected by the BBWAA.

To be eligible for election, a player or manager must have been retired for five full seasons before he can first appear on a BBWAA ballot. A pitcher is eligible if he has been retired for five seasons or if he has pitched in fewer than 200 games in his career. If a player remains active after accumulating the necessary 10 years of service time and subsequently retires, he may continue to appear on BBWAA ballots until he either earns induction or falls off the ballot completely. Players who are on Major League Baseball’s ineligible list also may not appear on the ballot as long as they remain on that list.

The Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2020

On January 21, 2020, the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) announced their choices for the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2020. This year’s class consists of two first-time eligible players, Derek Jeter and Larry Walker. They were both elected to the Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility with Jeter receiving 396 out of a possible 397 votes (99.7%) and Walker receiving 76.6% of the votes.

Larry Walker

Larry Walker, who played 17 seasons in the major leagues, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his 10th and final year of eligibility.

A five-time All-Star and seven-time Gold Glove winner, Walker hit .313 with 383 home runs and 1,311 RBIs in 2,160 games. He also stole 230 bases and scored 1,355 runs.

Walker is the only player in major league history with at least a .300 batting average, .400 on-base percentage, .500 slugging percentage, 240 home runs, 330 stolen bases and 1,300 runs scored. He is one of just four players with at least three seasons of at least a .700 OPS (on-base plus slugging), joining Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Stan Musial.

Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter played his entire 20-year career with the New York Yankees, winning five World Series titles and becoming one of the most revered players in baseball history. Jeter was a 14-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner, finishing his career with a .310 batting average, 3,465 hits and 258 home runs. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility with 396 out of 397 possible votes.

Curt Schilling

Curt Schilling was born on November 14, 1966, in Anchorage, Alaska. He was drafted by the Red Sox in the 1986 MLB Draft and made his Major League debut with the team in 1988. He played for the Red Sox from 1988-1990 and 1992-1995. He was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies following the 1995 season and played for the Phillies from 1997-2000. He was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2000 and helped lead the team to a World Series victory in 2001. He became a free agent after the 2003 season and signed with the Red Sox. He helped lead the team to two more World Series victories in 2004 and 2007. He retired from baseball after the 2007 season.

Curt Schilling was a six-time MLB All-Star and won three World Series titles. He was also a member of the famed 2004 Red Sox team that came back from an 0-3 deficit to defeat the Yankees in seven games. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020.