In early 2022, the Baseball Hall of Fame restructured its Era Committee process. Now, there will be an additional avenue for former Atlanta Braves legends Fred McGriff and Dale Murphy to enter the Hall of Fame.
This new ballot, which is different from the traditional, yearly Hall of Fame ballot, features eight total players from the “Contemporary Era,” provides a new avenue for any player who played after 1980 who have also fallen off the yearly HOF ballot to get enshrined in Cooperstown.
Eight players are on the ballot including Albert Belle, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Don Mattingly, Rafael Palmeiro, Curt Schilling, and Atlanta Braves legends Fred McGriff and Dale Murphy, will be voted on by a committee of 16 members on December 4th.
Any player that receives 12 or more votes will be immediately inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. This article provides valuable additional context on this brand-new ballot as well as the other ballots that are set to appear once a year.
Many longstanding and diehard Braves fans will remember Dale Murphy, who spent 14 years with the club, won two MVP awards, had over 2,000 hits and nearly 400 home runs, and is already in the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame. In the difficult years prior to the Braves’ incredible run in the 1990s, Murphy was the shining light. He will likely be one of the favorites to be voted in on this ballot.
Fred McGriff, on the other hand, was more of a journeyman. Despite that, he played for the Braves for four years of his prime, which is more than he spent with any other team. In those seasons, McGriff was a notoriously feared slugger, slashing close to .300 with around 30 home runs every season. He finished his career with around 2,500 hits and nearly 500 home runs, making him also very likely to be voted in at some point.
For other players like Bonds and Clemens, who have dropped off the general Hall of Fame ballots, this will be their last and definitive chance to enter the Hall of Fame. The group of 16 voters that vote on the Contemporary Era Committee is significantly more exclusive than the typical Hall of Fame ballots that poll numerous members of the BBWAA, and that might just be what these players need.
We know that all of you will be rooting for our former Braves to be acknowledged, but what are your opinions on the eight-man list? Who else should get into baseball’s most prestigious club?