Mattingly, Morris highlight HOF hopefuls on Modern Era ballot

The National Baseball Hall of Fame released its 2018 Modern Era ballot Monday, with Don Mattingly and Jack Morris highlighting the group of 10 luminaries eligible to be elected by into Cooperstown next summer.

Along with Mattingly and Morris, Steve Garvey, Tommy John, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker, Ted Simmons, Luis Tiant, Alan Trammell, and former MLBPA boss Marvin Miller - each of whom made their largest impact on the game between 1970 and 1987 - will also be considered for election as part of the 2018 class. Any candidate who receives 75 percent of the vote from the 16-member Modern Era committee, comprised of veteran media members, executives, and already enshrined Hall-of-Fame members, gets a spot in Cooperstown.

Implemented by the Hall of Fame in 1936, the Eras Committees - originally known as the Veterans Committees - provide an avenue for Hall of Fame induction for those no longer eligible to be elected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. The Modern Era committee meets twice every five years, with their next election cycle to be held following the 2019 season.

In his 15 years on the BBWAA ballot, Mattingly, who earned six All-Star nods and an MVP award during his 14-year run with the New York Yankees, never garnered more than 28.2 percent in any vote. In 2015, his final year on the ballot, Mattingly received votes from just 9.1 percent of the electorate. Two years earlier, incidentally, Morris, the dependable right-hander who won four World Series championships and landed five All-Star berths in his 18 MLB seasons, landed a personal-best 67.7 percent of the vote before being removed from the ballot following the 2014 vote.