Who Is Voting on Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens' Potential Induction into Hall of Fame?
On Sunday night, a 16-person committee made up of Baseball Hall of Famers, MLB executives, media members and historians will determine the Hall of Fame fate of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens.
Per the Associated Press, the Baseball Hall of Fame announced the members of the contemporary era committee tasked with potentially choosing members of the Hall's class of 2026. The committee is as follows:
- Ferguson Jenkins, Hall of Fame Pitcher
- Jim Kaat, Hall of Fame Pitcher
- Juan Marichal, Hall of Fame Pitcher
- Tony Pérez, Hall of Fame First Baseman
- Ozzie Smith, Hall of Fame Shortstop
- Alan Trammell, Hall of Fame Shortstop
- Robin Yount, Hall of Fame Shortstop and Center Fielder
- Mark Attanasio, Milwaukee Brewers Owner
- Arte Moreno, Los Angeles Angels Owner
- Kim Ng, former Miami Marlins GM
- Doug Melvin, former Texas Rangers and Brewers GM
- Tony Reagins, former Angels GM
- Terry Ryan, former Minnesota Twins GM
- Tyler Kepner, The Athletic Reporter
- Jayson Stark, The Athletic Reporter
- Steve Hirdt, Baseball Historian
Each of the 16 committee members can vote for up to three players from the eight-player pool of candidates, and a player must receive at least 75 percent of the vote to earn induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The eight-player ballot is made up of the following 1980s and 1990s baseball stars:
- Barry Bonds, Outfielder
- Roger Clemens, Pitcher
- Don Mattingly, First Baseman
- Dale Murphy, Outfielder
- Carlos Delgado, First Baseman
- Jeff Kent, Second Baseman
- Gary Sheffield, Outfielder
- Fernando Valenzuela, Pitcher
All of the aforementioned players can make a strong case for the Hall of Fame, but the most controversial candidates by far are Bonds and Clemens due to their links to the use of performance-enhancing drugs during their careers.
Bonds is baseball's all-time home run leader with 762. The longtime Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants star also slashed .298/.444/.607 with 1,996 RBI, 2,227 runs scored, 514 runs scored and an MLB-record 2,558 walks.
Regarded by many as the greatest hitter in baseball history, Bonds won a record seven MVP awards to go along with 14 All-Star selections, 12 Silver Slugger awards and eight Gold Glove awards.
Clemens pitched 24 MLB seasons with the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Houston Astros, winning 354 games, posting a 3.12 ERA and striking out 4,672 batters in 4,916.2 innings.
"The Rocket" was a seven-time Cy Young Award winner, one-time MVP, seven-time ERA champion and two-time World Series champion, who also earned 11 All-Star selections.
Both Bonds and Clemens dropped off the traditional Hall of Fame ballot in 2022 after garnering 66.0 percent and 65.2 percent, respectively, of the 75 percent needed to earn induction.
While Bonds and Clemens are undoubtedly among the greatest baseball players to ever live, PED allegations have forced them to take an alternative route to a potential Hall of Fame induction.
Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic wrote that while it has long been assumed that the contemporary era committee would be the best chance at induction for Bonds and Clemens, it is far from a slam dunk.
The thought that Bonds' and Clemens' peers voting rather than only baseball writers would help them is perhaps stymied by the fact that the Hall of Fame players on the committee primarily played before Bonds and Clemens reached the big leagues.
Baggarly noted that while Yount and Kaat have made public comments over the years that suggested they would be open to voting for players linked to PED use, Pérez and Smith were more opposed to it.
Everything will come to a head Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET in Orlando, Florida, when the committee meets to determine which members of the ballot, if any, will enter the hallowed halls in Cooperstown, New York, next year.
