Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Don Mattingly, and Dale Murphy have advanced to the next round of voting on the Hall of Fame’s contemporary baseball era committee ballot. Joining them are former Toronto Blue Jays players Carlos Delgado and Jeff Kent, as well as Gary Sheffield and the late Fernando Valenzuela.
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 new inductees will be honored on July 26, alongside those chosen in the Baseball Writers’ Association of America vote scheduled for January 20.
Following the previous contemporary era ballot in December 2022, Albert Belle, Rafael Palmeiro, and Curt Schilling were removed from consideration. Fred McGriff was elected unanimously with 16 votes, while Mattingly received eight, Schilling seven, Murphy six, and Belle, Bonds, Clemens, and Palmeiro garnered less than four votes each.
In 2022, the Hall revamped its veterans’ committees for the third time in 12 years, establishing separate panels for the contemporary era (from 1980 onward) and the classic era. The contemporary baseball era features distinct ballots for players and another for managers, executives, and umpires.
Each committee convenes every three years, with the upcoming schedules including consideration for 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 will mark the first opportunity for Pete Rose to be included in a Hall ballot following a decision by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred in May that Rose’s lifetime ban concluded with his passing in September 2024. The Hall prohibits individuals on the permanent ineligible list from being featured on a ballot.
In a recent rule change announced by the Hall in March, candidates who receive fewer than five votes on the ballot will be ineligible for the next three-year cycle. Additionally, candidates who are dropped from consideration and later reappear on a ballot, receiving fewer than five votes again, will be barred from future ballot appearances.
Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens fell short in their final appearances on the BBWAA ballot, with Bonds receiving 260 votes out of 394 (66%). Sheffield also missed the mark, receiving 63.9% of the vote in his final BBWAA appearance in 2024.
Bonds has denied using performance-enhancing drugs knowingly, while Clemens has maintained his innocence, stating he never used PEDs. Sheffield claimed he was unaware of the steroid content in substances he used for training before the 2002 season.
Roger Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner, boasts an impressive record of 354-184 with a 3.12 ERA and 4,672 strikeouts, ranking third in strikeouts behind Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson. Barry Bonds, a seven-time National League MVP and 14-time all-star outfielder, holds the career home run record with 762 and the single-season record with 73 homers in 2001.
Gary Sheffield, a nine-time all-star and 1992 NL batting champion, compiled a career batting average of .292 with 509 home runs, 1,676 RBIs, and 253 stolen bases. 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, hit .307 with 222 home runs and 1,099 RBIs during his 14-year career. Carlos Delgado, who was dropped from future ballots after receiving 3.8% of the 2015 BBWAA vote, had a career batting average of .280 with 473 home runs and 1,512 RBIs.
Jeff Kent, a five-time all-star second baseman, batted .290 with 377 home runs and 1,518 RBIs. Fernando Valenzuela, a six-time all-star and the 1981 NL Cy Young Award winner, amassed a record of 173-153 with a 3.54 ERA and 2,074 strikeouts in 17 seasons before his passing in October 2024.
