Womack: Packed Hall of Fame veterans ballot likely to snub worthy players
From SABR member Graham Womack at The Sporting News on October 31, 2017:
Next Monday, the Baseball Hall of Fame is expected to release the latest ballot for its Modern Baseball Era Committee, which considers players, managers, umpires and executives who made their greatest contribution to the game between 1970 and 1987.
More than likely, a number of good players aren’t even going to make the ballot.
For whatever reason, since 2010 the Hall of Fame’s gone with an era-based approach for considering veteran candidates. Currently, candidates are assigned to one of four eras — Early Days, Golden Days, Modern Baseball or Today’s Game — based on their perceived best years. Candidates then get considered on a rotating basis, with the same era not considered in consecutive years.
Last year, this setup led to an unusually weak Today’s Game Era Committee ballot, because only candidates who’d made their greatest mark since 1988 but had been retired since 2001 were considered. This year, with a number of first-time candidates eligible for the Modern Baseball ballot, it looks stronger than it has in years.
Read the full article here: http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/news/baseball-hall-of-fame-veterans-committee-ballot-list-steve-garvey-dale-murphy/fccx2i8aj8wr1pbg8oei1vc7s
Originally published: October 31, 2017. Last Updated: October 31, 2017.