A new class of Baseball Hall of Fame hopefuls will be announced Monday with several returning faces and a new group of first-timers up for consideration.
To refresh on the basics, candidates must have at least 10 career seasons in the Majors and have been retired for at least five years, and to be inducted they must receive at least 75 percent of the votes from BBWAA members (more on the official rules here).
Voters can choose up to 10 players on each ballot, and candidates must receive at least five percent of votes to remain on the ballot for the following year.
Here’s a look at the returning names on the ballot for 2021:
Curt Schilling – Ninth year on the ballot – Received 70 percent of votes last year
Roger Clemens – Ninth year on the ballot – Received 61 percent of votes last year
Barry Bonds – Ninth year on the ballot – Received 60.7 percent of votes last year
Omar Vizquel – Fourth year on the ballot – Received 52.6 percent of votes last year
Scott Rolen – Fourth year on the ballot – Received 35.3 percent of votes last year
Billy Wagner – Sixth year on the ballot – Received 31.7 percent of votes last year
Gary Sheffield – Seventh year on the ballot – Received 30.5 percent of votes last year
Todd Helton – Third year on the ballot – Received 29.2 percent of votes last year
Manny Ramirez – Fifth year on the ballot – Received 28.2 percent of votes last year
Jeff Kent – Eighth year on the ballot – Received 27.5 percent of votes last year
Andruw Jones – Fourth year on the ballot – Received 19.4 percent of votes last year
Sammy Sosa – Ninth year on the ballot – Received 13.9 percent of votes last year
Andy Pettitte – Third year on the ballot – Received 11.3 percent of votes last year
Bobby Abreu – Second year on the ballot – Received 5.5 percent of votes last year
This year will also mark the arrival of many notable players including a pair of former New York Yankees champions to the ballot.
Mark Buehrle – 16 MLB seasons, Five-time All-Star, 59.1 career WAR
A.J. Burnett – 17 MLB seasons, One-time All-Star, 28.8 career WAR
Michael Cuddyer – 15 MLB seasons, Two-time All-Star, 17.8 career WAR
Dan Haren – 13 MLB seasons, Three-time All-Star, 35.1 career WAR
LaTroy Hawkins - 21 MLB seasons, 17.8 career WAR
Tim Hudson – 17 MLB seasons, Four-time All-Star, 57.9 career WAR
Torii Hunter – 19 MLB seasons, Five-time All-Star, 50.7 career WAR
Aramis Ramirez – 18 MLB seasons, Three-time All-Star, 32.4 career WAR
Nick Swisher – 12 MLB seasons, One-time All-Star, 21.5 career WAR
Shane Victorino – 12 MLB seasons, Two-time All-Star, 31.5 career WAR
Barry Zito – 15 MLB seasons, Three-time All-Star, 31.9 career WAR
A.J. Burnett spent three of his 17 years in pinstripes from 2009 to 2011 and helped the Bombers capture their 27th franchise championship back in 2009. Over that three-year span, Burnett went 34-35 with a 4.79 ERA across 584 innings.
Another member of that 2009 championship team was Nick Swisher, who is also eligible for the first time this year. The fan-favorite outfielder was an All-Star with the Yankees in 2010 and crushed at least 30 home runs in each of his four seasons in pinstripes.
Last year’s Hall of Fame class saw the induction of Yankees legend and first-time candidate Derek Jeter with 99.7 percent of the vote, as well as Larry Walker in his 10th and final year of eligibility with 76.6 percent of the vote. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jeter and Walker’s induction ceremony was unable to take place this past summer so they will be honored alongside the 2021 class next year in Cooperstown.
There's sure to be plenty of discussion about the 2021 class of contenders and which players should get the nod and which shouldn’t, but voting results won’t be revealed until January.
For more on the Hall of Fame, visit BaseballHall.org.
