MLB Hall of Fame: Today’s Game Era Ballot Announced
Today’s Game Era Committee has announced 10 names up for consideration for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Who will be inducted this summer of 2019?
Yesterday, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum announced 10 names that are up for Today’s Game Era ballot. Today’s Game Era (1988-present) is one of four Era’s committees that provides an avenue for umpires, managers, executives, and players retired for more than 15 years to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
According to mlb.com, to be named into the Hall of Fame, candidates must meet the following criteria:
“Any candidate who receives votes on 75 percent of the ballots cast by the 16-member Today’s Game Era Committee will earn election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and will be inducted in Cooperstown on July 21, 2019, along with any electees who emerge from the 2019 Baseball Writers’ Association of America election, to be announced on Jan. 22, 2019.”
The following individuals will be up for consideration:
- Harold Baines, OF/DH
- Albert Belle, OF
- Joe Carter, OF/1B
- Will Clark, 1B
- Orel Hershiser, SP
- Lee Smith, RP
- Davey Johnson, manager
- Charlie Manuel, manager
- Lou Piniella, manager
- George Steinbrenner, executive
According to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Eras Committee has elected “96 major leaguers, 28 executives, 22 managers, 10 umpires and nine Negro Leaguers to the Hall of Fame.”
For now, let’s get to know these candidates a little more.
Harold Baines
Career: .289 BA / .356 OBP / .465 SLG / 38.7 WAR
Harold Baines’ career spanned three decades, from 1980 to 2001. He played for the White Sox (14 yrs), Orioles (7 yrs), A’s (3 yrs), Rangers (2 yrs), and Indians (1 yr).
For his career, Baines amassed 2866 hits, appeared in six All-Star games, and won two Edgar Martinez awards. He also finished in the top ten in batting average and OPS three times each.
He appeared in the Hall of Fame ballot from 2007 – 2011, never exceeding 6.1%.
Albert Belle
Career: .295 BA / .369 OBP / .564 SLG / 40.1 WAR
Albert Belle played for three teams in his brief and sometimes troubling MLB career. He spent eight years in Cleveland, and two years each with the Orioles and the White Sox.
Known as one of baseball’s most feared hitters, in his 12 years in MLB Belle hit 381 home runs. For a four year span, from 1995-1998, Belle smashed 177 homers, including a 50 home run season. Having never won an MVP award, Belle finished in the top 10 for MVP consideration five times. Three of those times, Belle finished in the top three.
Albert Belle appeared in five All-Star games, and won five silver slugger awards. He also finished in the top ten in batting average and OPS three times each.
Shockingly, Belle has only appeared in the Hall of Fame ballot twice in 2006 and 2007. This looks to be his last chance to make it to the Hall.
Will Clark
Career: .303 BA / .384 OBP / .497 SLG / 56.5 WAR
Will Clark played 15 years with four different teams, the Giants (8 yrs), Rangers (5 yrs), Orioles (2 yrs), and Cardinals (1 yr). He is the definition of a contact hitter, hitting .300 or better for 10 of 15 seasons.
Clark appeared in six All-Star games and won two silver slugger awards. He finished top five for MVP consideration four times and won the NLCS MVP award after hitting .650 with a 1.882 OPS in the 1989 NLCS against the Chicago Cubs.
Will Clark has only appeared in one Hall of Fame ballot in 2006 and only received 4.4% of the vote.
Joe Carter
Career: .259 BA / .306 OBP / .464 SLG / 19.6 WAR
Joe Carter was a power-hitting first baseman and outfielder who is best known for one of the most memorable home runs in baseball history. Carter’s walk-off home run in Game 6 of the 1993 Fall Classic was only the second time a World Series ended on a home run.
Carter appeared in five All-Star games and led MLB in RBI (121) in 1986. He appeared in the Hall of Fame ballot one in 2004 and only received 3.8% of the vote.
Lee Smith
Career: 3.03 ERA / 2.93 FIP / 1.256 WHIP / 29 WAR
Lee Smith appeared in 1022 games in his career and only started six of them. He played the better part of his career with the Chicago Cubs (8 yrs) and then was pretty much a hired gun, playing for seven other teams. appeared in seven All-Star games.
Smith led MLB in saves four times in his career and is third (478) on the all-time saves list behind Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman. He appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot 15 times from 2003-2017, never exceeding 50.6% of the vote.
Orel Hershiser
Career: 3.48 ERA / 3.69 FIP / 1.261 WHIP / 56.3 WAR
Cy Young Award winner Orel Hershiser is best known for going 59 IP without allowing a run, the highest scoreless inning streak in MLB history. Hershiser won 23 games in 1988, the same year he won the Cy Young award.
Hershiser pitched the better part of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers (13 yrs) though he did spend time with the Indians (3 yrs), Mets (1 yr), and Giants (1 yr).
Hershiser appeared in three All-Star games and led the league in IP three times in his career. In his career, he has amassed 68 CG and 25 SHO.
Hershiser has appeared in the HOF ballot two times in 2006 and 2007, never exceeding 11.2% of the vote.
Davey Johnson
Managerial Career: .561 W-L%
Davey Johnson managed five teams beginning with the Mets (7 yrs), Reds (3), Orioles (2), Dodgers (2), and Nationals (3). He’s finished the season above .500 13 of 17 years and won a World Series with the New York Mets in 1986. Johnson won the AL Manager of the Year in 1997 and the NL Manager of the Year in 2012.
Charlie Manuel
Managerial Career: .548 W-L%
Charlie Manuel managed two teams beginning with the Indians (2 yrs) and the Phillies (9 yrs). He’s finished the season above .500 10 of 12 years and won a World Series with the Phillies in 2008. Johnson won the AL Manager of the Year in 1997 and the NL Manager of the Year in 2012.
Charlie Manuel never won a Manager of the Year award, but finished in the top 10 eight of his 12 years as a manager.
Lou Pinella
Managerial Career: .517 W-L%
Lou Pinella managed five teams beginning with the Yankees (3 yrs), Reds (3 yrs), Mariners (10 yrs), Rays (3 yrs), and Cubs (4 yrs). He’s finished the season above .500 14 of 23 years and won a World Series with the Reds in 2008. Johnson won the AL Manager of the Year in 1990 and the NL Manager of the Year in 2012.
His 2001 Mariners team finished the season 116-46, the best record in baseball history.
Lou Pinella won the Manager of the Year award three times in 1995, 2001, and 2008.
George Steinbrenner
New York Yankees Owner from 1973-2010 / .565 W-L%
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George Steinbrenner purchased the New York Yankees for $10 million in 1973 from CBS. At that time, the Yankees hadn’t won the World Series in 10 years and were in the midst of the worst dought in franchise history.
Steinbrenner made a huge impact on the Yankees, immediately thrusting them into the spotlight with his brash behavior. He wanted to win at all costs and did anything and everything to field the best team possible.
In his 37 years as owner, the Yankees appeared in the postseason 19 times, winning the pennant 11 times, and the World Series seven times.
Under his watch, the Yankees put together winning seasons in 32 of his 37 years as owner and averaged a W-L % of .565. They strung together a historic consecutive postseason streak of 13 seasons. In that span, they won the pennant six times and won the World Series four times.
George “The Boss” Steinbrenner passed away on July 13, 2010 of a massive heart attack. His absence has been felt within the Yankees organization since he left.
Next. 1990s All-Decade team. dark
The vote is to be held during the Baseball Winter Meetings on December 9th.
Who on this list do you think we’ll see inducted to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in the summer of 2019?