2022 Hall of Fame Election
The results of the 2022 Hall of Fame Election were announced on January 25, 2022, with David Ortiz being elected in his first time on the ballot. Before that, on December 5th, the Veterans Committee announced the results of votes covering two separate eras, resulting in six other players gaining election: Bud Fowler, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Minnie Minoso, Tony Oliva and Buck O'Neil. This was in marked contrast with 2021, when the BBWAA elected no one and the Veterans Committee had failed to meet.
BBWAA Voting[edit]
Eligible members of the Baseball Writers Association of America voted on a ballot comprising holdover candidates from the 2021 Hall of Fame Election and players who played their last major league game in 2016.
The ballot was announced on November 22nd and comprised 30 names. Only David Ortiz, who was making his first appearance, obtained the required 75% and gained election. It was the final year of eligibility for Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds (as well as Sammy Sosa) and they both fell off the ballot, having failed to change the minds of enough electors who still resented their association with the steroids scandals of the 2000s. Antother sign of this was the low vote total obtained by Alex Rodriguez in his first year of eligibility. There were at total of 394 ballots cast, with 296 votes needed for election.
| Player | Votes | Percentage | Year on the Ballot | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Ortiz | 307 | 77.9 | 1st | ELECTED |
| Barry Bonds | 260 | 66.0 | 10th | Dropped |
| Roger Clemens | 257 | 65.2 | 10th | Dropped |
| Scott Rolen | 249 | 63.2 | 5th | |
| Curt Schilling | 231 | 58.6 | 10th | Dropped |
| Todd Helton | 205 | 52.0 | 4th | |
| Billy Wagner | 201 | 51.0 | 7th | |
| Andruw Jones | 163 | 41.1 | 5th | |
| Gary Sheffield | 160 | 40.6 | 8th | |
| Alex Rodriguez | 135 | 34.3 | 1st | |
| Jeff Kent | 129 | 32.7 | 9th | |
| Manny Ramirez | 114 | 28.9 | 6th | |
| Omar Vizquel | 94 | 23.9 | 5th | |
| Sammy Sosa | 73 | 18.5 | 10th | Dropped |
| Andy Pettitte | 42 | 10.7 | 4th | |
| Jimmy Rollins | 37 | 9.4 | 1st | |
| Bobby Abreu | 34 | 8.6 | 3rd | |
| Mark Buehrle | 23 | 5.8 | 2nd | |
| Torii Hunter | 21 | 5.3 | 2nd | |
| Joe Nathan | 17 | 4.3 | 1st | Dropped |
| Tim Hudson | 12 | 3.0 | 2nd | Dropped |
| Tim Lincecum | 9 | 2.3 | 1st | Dropped |
| Ryan Howard | 8 | 2.0 | 1st | Dropped |
| Mark Teixeira | 6 | 1.5 | 1st | Dropped |
| Justin Morneau | 5 | 1.3 | 1st | Dropped |
| Jonathan Papelbon | 5 | 1.3 | 1st | Dropped |
| Prince Fielder | 2 | 0.5 | 1st | Dropped |
| A.J. Pierzynski | 2 | 0.5 | 1st | Dropped |
| Carl Crawford | 0 | 0.0 | 1st | Dropped |
| Jake Peavy | 0 | 0.0 | 1st | Dropped |
Veterans Committee[edit]
The Veterans Committee examined candidates from two separate eras, Early Baseball (prior to 1950) and Golden Days (1950-1969), making up for not meeting in 2020. The results of its deliberations were made public on December 5th, during the annual Winter Meetings in Orlando, FL, while MLB was in the middle of a lockout. Each committee included 16 members and 75% of the votes were required for election, with the six successful candidates to be inducted the following summer.
The Early Baseball ballot comprised nine names, with voting results listed below. The committee consisted of Hall of Famers Bert Blyleven, Ferguson Jenkins, John Schuerholz, Ozzie Smith and Joe Torre, Major League executives Bill DeWitt, Ken Kendrick and Tony Reagins and veteran media members/historians Gary Ashwill, Adrian Burgos Jr., Leslie Heaphy, Jim Henneman, Justice B. Hill, Steve Hirdt, Rick Hummel and official MLB historian John Thorn.
| Player | Votes | Percentage | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buck O'Neil | 13 | 81.3 | ELECTED |
| Bud Fowler | 12 | 75.0 | ELECTED |
| Vic Harris | 10 | 62.5 | |
| John Donaldson | 8 | 50.0 | |
| Allie Reynolds | 6 | 37.5 | |
| Bill Dahlen | <5 | 31.3 | |
| Grant "Home Run" Johnson | <5 | <31.3 | |
| Dick "Cannonball" Redding | <5 | <31.3 | |
| George "Tubby" Scales | <5 | <31.3 |
The Golden Days ballot consisted of 10 names, with voting totals detailed below. The committee included the following members: Hall of Famers Rod Carew, Fergie Jenkins, Mike Schmidt, John Schuerholz, Bud Selig, Ozzie Smith and Joe Torre; Major League executives Al Avila, Bill DeWitt, Ken Kendrick, Kim Ng and Tony Reagins; and veteran media members/historians Adrian Burgos Jr., Steve Hirdt, Jaime Jarrin and Jack O’Connell.
| Player | Votes | Percentage | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnie Minoso | 14 | 87.5 | ELECTED |
| Gil Hodges | 12 | 75.0 | ELECTED |
| Jim Kaat | 12 | 75.0 | ELECTED |
| Tony Oliva | 12 | 75.0 | ELECTED |
| Dick Allen | 11 | 68.8 | |
| Ken Boyer | <3 | <18.8 | |
| Roger Maris | <3 | <18.8 | |
| Danny Murtaugh | <3 | <18.8 | |
| Billy Pierce | <3 | <18.8 | |
| Maury Wills | <3 | <18.8 |
Induction[edit]
The induction ceremony is scheduled took place on July 24, 2022 in Cooperstown, NY. David Ortiz was the star of the show as the only player elected by the BBWAA, but Jim Kaat and Tony Oliva, elected by the Veterans Committee were also on hand to receive the honor personally. The other inductees were represented by family members. Dominican flags were well in evidence in the crowd.
Other Awards[edit]
Jack Graney, pioneering broadcaster for the Cleveland Indians, was posthumously honored with the Ford Frick Award for broadcasting excellence; ironically, the equivalent award given out by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame already bore his name. Tim Kurkjian of ESPN was the recipient of the parallel BBWAA Career Excellence Award.
Further Reading[edit]
- "7 under-the-radar HOF candidates", mlb.com, December 14, 2021. [1]
- Nick Aguilera: "The most unlikely 2022 HOF candidates", mlb.com, December 28, 2021. [2]
- Associated Press: "Late Indians outfielder/commentator Graney wins Frick Award", Yahoo! News, December 8, 2021. [3]
- Mike Axisa: "Baseball Hall of Fame: Gil Hodges, Minnie Miñoso, Buck O'Neil among six voted in by eras committees: Bud Fowler, Jim Kaat, and Tony Oliva were also voted in", CBS Sports.com, December 6, 2021. [4]
- Anthony Castrovince: "Buck, Gil, Minnie among 6 elected to Hall: Black baseball pioneer Fowler, Twins icons Kaat, Oliva also in Class of 2022", mlb.com, December 5, 2021. [5]
- Anthony Castrovince: "Hall of Fame welcomes Class of 2022", mlb.com, July 23, 2022. [6]
- Zach Crizer: "Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens off the ballot, the Baseball Hall of Fame is in trouble", Yahoo!Sports, January 25, 2022. [7]
- Mark Feinsand: "Game's controversial greats fall off Hall ballot", mlb.com, January 25, 2022. [8]
- Gabe Lacques: "David Ortiz elected into baseball's Hall of Fame; Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens denied in final year on ballot", USA Today, January 25, 2022. [9]
- Bob Nightengale (USA Today): "This year's Hall of Fame ceremony will be a living, breathing history lesson of minorities in baseball", Yahoo! News, July 22, 2022. [10]
- Bob Nightengale (USA Today): "David Ortiz steals the Hall of Fame show and delivers powerful message in Cooperstown", Yahoo! News, July 25, 2022. [11]
- Manny Randhawa: "Every player making HOF ballot debut in '22", mlb.com, November 22, 2021. [12]
- Manny Randhawa: "4 players facing last chance on HOF ballot", mlb.com, November 22, 2021. [13]
- Liz Roscher: "Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz headline 2022 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot", Yahoo! Sports, November 22, 2021. [14]
- Shanthi Sepe-Shepuru: "Negro Leagues players up for Hall review", mlb.com, October 22, 2021. [15]
- Andrew Simon: "Storylines to watch on '22 Hall of Fame ballot", mlb.com, January 26, 2021. [16]
Related Sites[edit]
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