2018 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting

Last updated
2018 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting
New inductees6
via BBWAA4
via Modern Baseball Era Committee2
Total inductees323
Induction dateJuly 29, 2018
  2017
2019  

Elections to the National Baseball Hall of Fame for 2018 proceeded according to rules most recently amended in 2016. As in the past, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from a ballot of recently retired players. The results were announced on January 24, 2018, with the BBWAA electing Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman to the Hall of Fame. Jones and Thome were elected in their first year of eligibility. [1]

Contents

The three voting panels that replaced the more broadly defined Veterans Committee following a 2010 rules change [2] were replaced by a new set of four panels in 2016. [3] The Modern Baseball Era Committee convened on December 10, 2017, to select from a ballot of retired players and non-playing personnel who made their greatest contributions to the sport between 1970 and 1987, [3] with Jack Morris and Alan Trammell elected by this body. [4] The formal induction ceremony was held at the Hall's facilities in Cooperstown, New York, on July 29, 2018. [1]

BBWAA election

Key
    Elected to the Hall of Fame on this ballot (named in bold italics).
    Elected subsequently, as of 2024 (named in plain italics).
    Renominated for the 2019 BBWAA election by adequate performance on this ballot and has not subsequently been eliminated.
    Eliminated from annual BBWAA consideration by poor performance or expiration on subsequent ballots.
    Eliminated from annual BBWAA consideration by poor performance or expiration on this ballot.
First time on the BBWAA ballot.
* Eliminated from annual BBWAA consideration by poor performance on this ballot (not expiration).

The BBWAA election rules remained identical to those that were in effect for the most recent elections. The BBWAA voted at the 2016 winter meetings to make all Hall of Fame ballots public one week after the results were announced, effective with this election. [5] However, the Hall rejected the BBWAA's proposal, and ballots remain confidential unless individual voters choose to reveal them (which is allowed by Hall of Fame rules). [6]

Another recent rules change, announced in 2015, tightened the qualifications for the BBWAA electorate. Beginning with the 2016 election, eligible voters must not only have 10 years of continuous BBWAA membership, but also be currently active members, or have held active status within the 10 years prior to the election. A BBWAA member who has not been active for more than 10 years can regain voting status by covering MLB in the year preceding the election. [7] As a result of the new rule, the vote total in 2016 decreased by 109 from the previous year, to 440. [8]

The ballot included two categories of players:

422 ballots were cast, 20 fewer than in 2017. There were 422 ballots cast, with a total of 3570 votes for individual players, an average of 8.46 names per ballot—the highest per-ballot average since 1960 (8.51 votes per ballot).

Voting results from 2018: [9]

Chipper Jones Chipper jones 4-18-12.jpg
Chipper Jones
Vladimir Guerrero Vladimir Guerrero 2011.jpg
Vladimir Guerrero
Jim Thome Jim Thome 2008.jpg
Jim Thome
Trevor Hoffman Trevor Hoffman 02.jpg
Trevor Hoffman
PlayerVotesPercentChangeYear
Chipper Jones 41097.2%1st
Vladimir Guerrero 39292.9%Increase2.svg21.2%2nd
Jim Thome 37989.8%1st
Trevor Hoffman 33779.9%Increase2.svg5.9%3rd
Edgar Martínez 29770.4%Increase2.svg11.8%9th
Mike Mussina 26863.5%Increase2.svg11.7%5th
Roger Clemens 24257.3%Increase2.svg3.2%6th
Barry Bonds 23856.4%Increase2.svg2.6%6th
Curt Schilling 21651.2%Increase2.svg6.2%6th
Omar Vizquel 15637.0%1st
Larry Walker 14434.1%Increase2.svg12.2%8th
Fred McGriff 9823.2%Increase2.svg1.5%9th
Manny Ramírez 9322.0%Decrease2.svg1.8%2nd
Jeff Kent 6114.5%Decrease2.svg2.2%5th
Gary Sheffield 4711.1%Decrease2.svg2.2%4th
Billy Wagner 4711.1%Increase2.svg0.9%3rd
Scott Rolen 4310.2%1st
Sammy Sosa 337.8%Decrease2.svg0.8%6th
Andruw Jones 317.3%1st
Jamie Moyer *102.4%1st
Johan Santana *102.4%1st
Johnny Damon *81.9%1st
Hideki Matsui *40.9%1st
Chris Carpenter *20.5%1st
Kerry Wood *20.5%1st
Liván Hernández *10.2%1st
Carlos Lee *10.2%1st
Orlando Hudson *00%1st
Aubrey Huff *00%1st
Jason Isringhausen *00%1st
Brad Lidge *00%1st
Kevin Millwood *00%1st
Carlos Zambrano *00%1st

Players who were eligible for the first time in 2018 but were not on the ballot included Rod Barajas, Miguel Batista, Geoff Blum, Miguel Cairo, Aaron Cook, Francisco Cordero, Juan Cruz, Brian Fuentes, Bill Hall, Willie Harris, Nick Johnson, Adam Kennedy, Rodrigo López, Mike MacDougal, Guillermo Mota, Will Ohman, Vicente Padilla, Carl Pavano, Scott Podsednik, Juan Rivera, J. C. Romero, Brian Schneider, Ben Sheets, Jeff Suppan, Kip Wells, Dan Wheeler and Jack Wilson.

Scott Rolen's 10.2% was the lowest first-year vote percentage in history for a candidate who was eventually elected by the BBWAA. He was voted in on the 2023 ballot. [10]

Modern Baseball Era Committee

Jack Morris Jack Morris 2013.jpg
Jack Morris
Alan Trammell Alan Trammell 2.jpg
Alan Trammell

On July 23, 2016, the Hall of Fame announced changes to the Era Committee system. The system's timeframes were restructured to place a greater emphasis on the modern game, and to reduce the frequency at which individuals from the pre-1970 game (including Negro league baseball figures) will have their careers reviewed. [3] Considering candidates whose greatest contributions occurred from 1970 to 1987, the Modern Baseball Era Committee met in 2017 as part of the elections for the next calendar year.

On November 6, 2017, the Hall announced the 10 candidates to be considered when the Modern Baseball Era Committee met at the 2017 winter meetings near Walt Disney World on December 10, with the voting results announced immediately after the committee met. [11] The cutoff for election and induction remained the standard 75%, or 12 of 16 votes.

The committee consisted of the following individuals: [4]

CandidateCategoryVotesPercentRef
Jack Morris Player87.5% [12]
Alan Trammell Player81.3% [12]
Ted Simmons Player68.8% [12]
Marvin Miller Executive43.8% [12]
Steve Garvey Player
[12]
Tommy John Player
[12]
Don Mattingly Player
[12]
Dale Murphy Player
[12]
Dave Parker Player
[12]
Luis Tiant Player
[12]

All candidates except Miller were living when the ballot and voting results were announced. Mattingly, Morris, Murphy and Trammell were being considered for the first time; the others had been considered at least once by one of the predecessors to this committee. Garvey, John, Miller, Parker and Simmons were most recently considered in 2014 by the former Expansion Era Committee, and Tiant was most recently considered by the former Golden Era Committee in 2015. Among players, Simmons was the only candidate who was not on the BBWAA ballot for the full 15-year period formerly allowed by Hall rules; he received less than 5% when he debuted on the BBWAA ballot in 1994 and thus did not appear on further ballots. The Hall changed the eligibility period to 10 years starting with the 2015 election, but Trammell and Mattingly (who were then past the new 10-year cutoff) retained their original 15-year eligibility window.

J. G. Taylor Spink Award

The J. G. Taylor Spink Award has been presented by the BBWAA at the annual summer induction ceremonies since 1962. [13] Through 2010, it was awarded during the main induction ceremony, but is now given the previous day at the Hall of Fame Awards Presentation. It recognizes a sportswriter "for meritorious contributions to baseball writing". [14] The recipients are not members of the Hall of Fame but are featured in a permanent exhibit at the National Baseball Museum.

The three finalists for the 2018 award were announced during the 2017 All-Star break. [15]

Ocker was announced as the recipient during the 2017 winter meetings on December 12. [16] He covered the Cleveland Indians for more than three decades, serving as Cleveland Indians beat reporter for the Beacon-Journal from 1981 until his retirement at the end of the 2013 season. Ocker received 168 of the 426 ballots cast (including two blanks) to Reeves' 143 and Reusse's 113. [17]

Ford C. Frick Award

Various changes in July 2016 were also made to the annual Ford C. Frick Award elections, presented annually to a preeminent baseball broadcaster since 1978. According to the Hall, the new criteria for selection are "Commitment to excellence, quality of broadcasting abilities, reverence within the game, popularity with fans, and recognition by peers."

Additionally, a ballot of eight candidates will now be set, down from 10 in years past. The three ballot slots previously determined by fan voting on Facebook will now be filled by a committee of historians.

A new election cycle has been established, rotating annually between Current Major League Markets (team-specific announcers) with the 2017 Frick Award; National Voices (broadcasters whose contributions were realized on a national level) with the 2018 Frick Award; and Broadcasting Beginnings (early team voices and pioneers of baseball broadcasting) with the 2019 Frick Award. This cycle will repeat every three years. [3]

The Hall announced the following finalists for the 2018 Ford C. Frick Award on October 23, 2017. [18]

Four finalists were members of the Hall of Fame as players—Dean, Drysdale, Morgan and Reese. When the ballot was announced, Buck, Costas, Michaels and Morgan were still alive. The other four were deceased. [18]

Costas was announced as the recipient at the 2017 winter meetings on December 13. He began his sportscasting career as a play-by-play caller for the Spirits of St. Louis in the American Basketball Association, and went from there to calling NBA and NFL games for CBS, but made his greatest mark as part of NBC's broadcast team for its national MLB telecasts from 1982 to 2009. Costas then joined the MLB Network, where he was serving as the network's documentary host when he was announced as the Frick Award recipient. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veterans Committee</span> Various committees of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford C. Frick Award</span> Annual award for baseball broadcasters

The Ford C. Frick Award is presented annually by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in the United States to a broadcaster for "major contributions to baseball". It is named for Ford C. Frick, former Commissioner of Major League Baseball. Before his career as an executive, Frick was a baseball writer; he gained fame as the ghostwriter for Babe Ruth in the 1920s. The award was created in 1978, and named in tribute to Frick following his death that year.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting</span> Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame

Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 2001 followed the system in use since 1995. The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from recent major league players and elected two: Kirby Puckett and Dave Winfield. The Veterans Committee met in closed sessions and selected two people from multiple classified ballots: Bill Mazeroski and Hilton Smith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting</span> Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame

Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 2009 proceeded according to revised rules enacted in 2001 and further revamped in 2007. The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) held an election to select from among recent players, and elected Jim Rice and Rickey Henderson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting</span> Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame

Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 2010 proceeded according to rules enacted in 2001 and revised in 2007. As always, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from a ballot of recent players; one player was elected, Andre Dawson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting</span> Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame

Elections to the National Baseball Hall of Fame for 2011 proceeded according to the rules revised in July 2010. As in the past, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from a ballot of recently retired players. The new Expansion Era Committee, which replaced the Veterans Committee, convened in December 2010 to select from an Expansion Era ballot of long-retired players and non-playing personnel who made their greatest contributions to the sport from 1973 to the present time, called the "Expansion Era" by the Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting</span> Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame

Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 2012 proceeded according to rules most recently revised in July 2010. As in the past, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from a ballot of recently retired players, with results announced on January 9, 2012. The Golden Era Committee, the second of three new era committees established by the July 2010 rules change, replacing the Veterans Committee, convened early in December 2011 to select from a Golden Era ballot of retired players and non-playing personnel who made their greatest contributions to the sport between 1947 and 1972, called the "Golden Era" by the Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting</span> Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame

Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 2013 took place according to rules most recently revised in July 2010. As in the past, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from a ballot of recently retired players, with results announced on January 9, 2013. The Pre-Integration Era Committee, the last of three new voting committees established during the July 2010 rules change to replace the more broadly defined Veterans Committee, convened early in December 2012 to select from a ballot of players and non-playing personnel who made their greatest contributions to the sport prior to 1947, called the "Pre-Integration Era" by the Hall of Fame.

Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 2014 proceeded according to rules most recently revised in July 2010. As in the past, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from a ballot of recently retired players, with results announced on January 8, 2014. The Expansion Era Committee, one of three voting panels that replaced the more broadly defined Veterans Committee following the July 2010 rules change, convened early in December 2013 to select from a ballot of retired players and non-playing personnel who made their greatest contributions to the sport after 1972, a time frame that the Hall of Fame calls the "Expansion Era".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting</span> Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame

Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 2015 proceeded according to rules most recently amended in 2014. As in the past, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from a ballot of recently retired players, with results announced on January 6, 2015. Randy Johnson, Pedro Martínez, John Smoltz and Craig Biggio were elected to the Hall of Fame. It was the first time since 1955 that the BBWAA elected four players in one year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting</span> Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame

Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 2016 proceeded according to rules most recently amended in 2015. As in the past, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from a ballot of recently retired players, with results announced on January 6, 2016; Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza were elected to the Hall of Fame.

Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 2017 proceeded according to rules most recently amended in 2016. As in the past, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from a ballot of recently retired players, with results announced on January 18, 2017. The BBWAA elected Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, and Iván Rodríguez to the Hall of Fame.

Elections to the National Baseball Hall of Fame for 2019 proceeded according to rules most recently amended in 2016. As in the past, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from a ballot of recently retired players. The results were announced on January 22, 2019, with the BBWAA electing Mariano Rivera, Roy Halladay, Edgar Martínez, and Mike Mussina to the Hall of Fame. Rivera and Halladay were elected in their first year of eligibility, while Martínez was elected in his last year of eligibility. Rivera became the first player to be unanimously elected, appearing on all 425 ballots; he broke Ken Griffey Jr.'s record of 99.32 percent, set in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting</span> Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame

Elections to the National Baseball Hall of Fame for 2020 proceeded according to rules most recently amended in 2016. As in the past, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from a ballot of recently retired players. The results were announced on January 21, 2020, with Derek Jeter and Larry Walker elected to the Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting</span> Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame

Elections to the National Baseball Hall of Fame for 2021 proceeded according to rules most recently amended in 2016. As in the past, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from a ballot of recently retired players. The results were announced on January 26, 2021, with no players receiving enough votes to be inducted.

Elections to the National Baseball Hall of Fame for 2022 were conducted according to the rules most recently amended in 2016. As in the past, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from a ballot of recently retired players, with results announced on January 25. David Ortiz, in his first year of eligibility, was the only player elected from the BBWAA ballot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting</span>

Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 2023 were conducted according to the rules most recently amended in 2022. As in the past, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from a ballot of recently retired players, with the results announced on January 24. Scott Rolen, in his sixth year of eligibility, was the only player elected from the BBWAA ballot. Rolen had received 10.2% of the vote in his first year on the ballot in 2018, the lowest first-year percentage ever for a candidate eventually voted in by the BBWAA.

Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 2024 were conducted according to the rules most recently amended in 2022. As in the past, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from a ballot of recently retired players, with the results announced on January 23.

References

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  8. "Ken Griffey Jr. (99 percent of vote), Mike Piazza head to Cooperstown". espn.go.com. January 6, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  9. Baseball Hall of Fame. "BBWAA elects 4 to Hall of Fame".
  10. Axisa, Mike (January 24, 2022). "2023 Baseball Hall of Fame voting results: Scott Rolen squeaks in, will join Fred McGriff in Cooperstown". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  11. "2018 Modern Baseball Era Ballot" (Press release). National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. November 6, 2017. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Axisa, Mike (December 10, 2017). "Jack Morris and Alan Trammell voted into Hall of Fame by Modern Era Committee". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
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  14. "Awards: J. G. Taylor Spink". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  15. Miller, Phil (July 11, 2017). "Patrick Reusse nominated for Baseball Hall of Fame honor". Star Tribune . Minneapolis . Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  16. Francis, William (December 12, 2017). "2018 J. G. Taylor Spink Award Winner Sheldon Ocker". baseballhall.org. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  17. Castrovince, Anthony (December 12, 2017). "Ocker honored as 2018 Spink Award recipient". MLB.com . Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  18. 1 2 "2018 Ford C. Frick Award Ballot" (Press release). National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. October 23, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  19. Macklin, Oliver (December 13, 2017). "'National treasure' Costas wins '18 Frick Award". MLB.com . Retrieved December 13, 2017.