Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Don Mattingly, and Dale Murphy have advanced on the Hall of Fame’s contemporary baseball era committee ballot. They will be joined by former Toronto Blue Jays players Carlos Delgado and Jeff Kent, as well as Gary Sheffield and the late Fernando Valenzuela next month.
The committee, consisting of 16 members, is scheduled to convene on December 7 during the winter meetings in Orlando, Florida. To secure induction, a 75 percent vote is required. The elected individuals will be honored on July 26, alongside those chosen in the Baseball Writers’ Association of America vote set for January 20.
Albert Belle, Rafael Palmeiro, and Curt Schilling did not make the cut after their previous appearance on the contemporary era ballot in December 2022. During that round, Fred McGriff was unanimously elected with 16 votes. Mattingly garnered eight votes, Schilling received seven, Murphy earned six, and Belle, Bonds, Clemens, and Palmeiro each received less than four votes.
In 2022, the Hall revamped its veterans’ committees for the third time in 12 years, introducing panels to evaluate the contemporary era from 1980 onward, in addition to the classic era. Separate ballots are held for players and for managers, executives, and umpires within the contemporary baseball era.
These committees convene every three years, with contemporary managers, executives, and umpires set for consideration 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 feature on a Hall of Fame ballot following a ruling by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred in May, ending Rose’s permanent suspension after his passing in September 2024. The Hall prohibits individuals on the permanent ineligible list from inclusion on a ballot.
A rule change announced by the Hall in March outlined that candidates who receive fewer than five votes on a ballot will be ineligible for the next three-year cycle. If a candidate reappears on a ballot after being dropped and once again receives fewer than five votes, they will be barred from future ballot appearances.
Bonds and Clemens missed the mark in 2022, marking their 10th and final appearances on the BBWAA ballot. Bonds secured 260 of 394 votes (66 percent), with Clemens falling short. Sheffield earned 63.9 percent in his last BBWAA vote in 2024, coming 43 votes shy of induction.
Bonds denied any knowledge of using performance-enhancing drugs, Clemens maintained his innocence regarding PEDs, and Sheffield claimed ignorance about the steroids found in substances he used during training in 2002.
Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner, amassed an impressive career record of 354-184 with a 3.12 ERA and 4,672 strikeouts, placing him third in all-time strikeouts behind Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson. Bonds, a seven-time National League MVP and 14-time All-Star outfielder, set records for career home runs at 762 and a single-season high of 73 in 2001.
Sheffield, a nine-time All-Star and 1992 NL batting champion, boasted a career batting average of .292 with 509 home runs, 1,676 RBIs, and 253 stolen bases. Murphy, a seven-time All-Star outfielder, recorded 398 home runs, 1,266 RBIs, and 161 stolen bases during his career.
Mattingly, a six-time All-Star first baseman, achieved a high of 145 votes (28.2 percent) in his initial appearance on the BBWAA ballot in 2001. He retired with a .307 batting average, 222 home runs, and 1,099 RBIs over 14 seasons.
Delgado, a former outfielder for the Blue Jays, received 3.8 percent of the 2015 BBWAA vote but was subsequently removed from future ballots. He concluded his career with a .280 batting average, 473 home runs, and 1,512 RBIs.
Kent, a five-time All-Star second baseman, peaked at 46.5 percent in his final BBWAA ballot appearance in 2023. He retired with a .290 batting average, 377 home runs, and 1,518 RBIs.
Valenzuela, who passed away in October 2024, garnered 6.2 percent and 3.8 percent support from the BBWAA in 2003 and 2004, respectively, before being dropped. The six-time All-Star and 1981 NL Cy Young Award winner amassed a record of 173-153 with a 3.54 ERA and 2,074 strikeouts over 17 seasons.
The ballot was determined by the BBWAA’s historical overview committee, comprised of