Allen, Minoso, Negro Leaguers highlight HOF's Era Committee ballots
The National Baseball Hall of Fame revealed Friday the candidates getting consideration by the Early Baseball Era and Golden Days Era committees for election as part of the Class of 2022.
Each ballot will consist of 10 names. The Early Baseball Era ballot features those who contributed to baseball before 1950, while the Golden Days Era ballot includes candidates from 1950-69. Players, managers, umpires, and executives from these eras are all eligible.
Seven of the 10 names on the Early Baseball ballot are Black players who were excluded from Major League Baseball due to segregation. John Donaldson, Vic Harris, Buck O'Neil, and George "Tubby" Scales starred in the Negro Leagues that have since been recognized as "major league" by MLB, while Bud Fowler, Grant "Home Run" Johnson, and Dick "Cannonball" Redding were pre-Negro League stars.
This marks the first time the Hall has considered Negro League players for induction since its special ballot in 2006. The seven aforementioned Early Baseball candidates appeared on that ballot 15 years ago. O'Neil, who gained fame as an ambassador for baseball in his later years, spoke at the 2006 induction ceremony despite narrowly missing election.
The Early Baseball ballot also includes three pre-1950 MLB players in Bill Dahlen, Lefty O'Doul, and Allie Reynolds.
The Golden Days ballot features former star players Dick Allen, Ken Boyer, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Roger Maris, Minnie Minoso, Tony Oliva, Billy Pierce, and Maury Wills, plus longtime manager Danny Murtaugh. Only Kaat, Oliva, and Wills are still alive out of that group, while Allen - who missed election by one vote in 2015 - died last year.
Both committees will announce voting results on Dec. 5. Candidates need 75% of the vote to gain election. Anyone elected will enter the Hall as part of the Class of 2022 alongside candidates selected by the BBWAA on Jan. 25. Induction day will take place on July 24, 2022.
The Early Baseball and Golden Days committees were initially scheduled to meet last year but were pushed back due to the pandemic.