HOF to announce Contemporary Baseball Era voting tonight

The National Baseball Hall of Fame will announce the outcomes tonight for the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee’s voting as a part of the Hall of Fame Class of 2023.

Albert Belle, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Dale Murphy, Rafael Palmeiro and Curt Schilling make up the Contemporary Baseball Era poll, which options candidates whose major contribution to the sport got here in 1980 or later.

The Contemporary Era Committee will convene at this time on the Winter Meetings in San Diego, with voting outcomes to be introduced reside on MLB Network at 8 p.m. ET. The announcement will even be streamed on MLB.com and the MLB app.

Candidates must obtain votes on 75% of the ballots solid by the committee to earn election. Here’s a have a look at the eight gamers up for consideration:

Albert Belle, OF
Though he’s maybe greatest remembered for his fiery character and controversial habits, Belle was additionally a top-flight slugger, producing 381 homers, 1,239 RBIs and a .295/.369/.564 (144 OPS+) slash over 12 seasons earlier than his profession was lower quick attributable to a hip harm. With Cleveland in 1995, Belle turned the primary participant in AL/NL historical past to file 50-plus homers and 50-plus doubles in a single season, garnering a second-place end within the AL MVP race — a part of a stretch of three straight top-three finishes. Belle left Cleveland to signal a free-agent contract with the White Sox, turning into the primary MLB participant to earn at the very least $10 million in a season.

Barry Bonds, OF
Bonds’ affiliation with performance-enhancing medication saved him from being elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, however from a statistical perspective, the 14-time All-Star has only a few friends. A profession .298/.444/.607 hitter (182 OPS+), Bonds ranks first in homers (762), walks (2,558) and MVP Awards gained (seven). He additionally stole 514 bases, making him the one member of the 400-400 and 500-500 golf equipment. Bonds earned 4 straight NL MVPs from 2001-04, setting a single-season file with 73 homers the primary 12 months in that span and posting a collective 1.368 OPS. He completed his profession with 162.8 wins above alternative, which locations him fourth all time behind Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson and Cy Young, in keeping with Baseball-Reference.

Roger Clemens, RHP
Another participant whose ties to PEDs prevented his election by the BBWAA, Clemens went 354-184 with a 3.12 ERA and 4,672 strikeouts — third most all time behind Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson — over 24 seasons for the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Yankees and Astros. The overpowering righty gained a file seven Cy Young Awards, the primary and the final coming practically 20 years aside, a testomony to his longevity. Clemens additionally gained the AL MVP Award in 1986, and he’s the one pitcher to strike out 20 batters in an outing on a number of events.

Don Mattingly, 1B
Mattingly was slowed by a again harm within the latter half of his profession, however from 1984-89, there have been few higher on the plate than Donnie Baseball. Mattingly hit .327 with 160 homers, 257 doubles, 684 RBIs and a .902 OPS in that span, successful the AL MVP Award in 1985. Also a premier defender, he gained 9 Gold Glove Awards at first base. Named the 14th captain in Yankees historical past in 1991, Mattingly was mired on non-contending golf equipment for a lot of his profession, however he reached the postseason for the primary time in his ultimate season (1995) and hit .417 with a homer and 6 RBIs over 5 video games earlier than calling it a profession. He later went into managing, spending 5 years on the helm with the Dodgers and 7 with the Marlins.

Fred McGriff, 1B
A constant energy risk throughout his 19-year profession, McGriff reached the 30-homer plateau in 10 seasons and had 100-plus RBIs eight instances. Involved in a number of high-profile trades, McGriff suited up for six groups and had at the very least one 30-homer season for 5 of them. Three of the primary baseman’s 5 All-Star choices got here as a member of the Braves, with whom he additionally gained a World Series ring in 1995. He fell simply seven homers shy of the storied 500 mark and 10 hits wanting 2,500 whereas batting .284 with an .886 OPS.

Dale Murphy, OF
Murphy’s run as an elite participant didn’t final lengthy, however the outfielder was among the finest within the recreation at his peak with the Braves. From 1980-87, Murphy made seven All-Star groups, gained 5 Gold Glove Awards and ranked second behind Mike Schmidt in homers. Murphy was named NL MVP in each 1982 and ’83, turning into the ninth participant all time to win MVP honors in back-to-back seasons, and he adopted that up by main the NL in dwelling runs in 1984 and ’85.

Rafael Palmeiro, 1B
Like Bonds and Clemens, Palmeiro noticed his Hall of Fame candidacy damage by his affiliation with performance-enhancing medication, falling off the BBWAA poll after simply 4 probabilities. The slugger was suspended 10 video games after testing optimistic for a performance-enhancing substance in 2005, after which he performed simply seven extra video games within the Majors. If Palmeiro have been judged solely by the numbers, he’d have a transparent case for Cooperstown, as he’s one in every of solely seven gamers to affix each the three,000-hit and 500-homer golf equipment. The four-time All-Star completed with 569 homers, hitting 37 or extra in 10 seasons, and 1,835 RBIs.

Curt Schilling, RHP
Yet one other participant whose Hall of Fame candidacy has been marred by controversy, the outspoken Schilling put collectively a formidable on-field resume throughout his 20-year profession. The right-hander had a knack for developing large within the playoffs, going 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA over 19 postseason begins and successful three World Series rings — one with the D-backs in 2001 and two with the Red Sox (2004, ’07) — alongside the best way. After being named co-MVP of the 2001 World Series, Schilling pitched via a extreme ankle harm — famously bleeding via his sock — to assist the Red Sox finish an 86-year title drought in 2004. Schilling can also be a member of the three,000-strikeout membership, and he recorded a 3.46 ERA (127 ERA+) over 3,261 profession innings within the common season. However, he fell off the BBWAA poll after 15 years amid controversy surrounding his social media conduct and political opinions.