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COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Retired managers Dusty Baker, Bruce Bochy, Joe Maddon and Lou Piniella have been named to the eight-man ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame’s contemporary era committee for managers, executives and umpires. The committee will meet on Dec. 6 during the winter meetings in San Diego.
Ballot Contenders and Election Rules
The Hall announced that former general managers Sandy Alderson and Brian Sabean also secured spots on the ballot, alongside the late Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner and former player, broadcaster and National League President Bill White. The identities of the 16 voters will be revealed closer to the meeting date, and candidates will need 75% of the vote to gain election. Any successful candidates will be inducted into the Hall next July 25 alongside players chosen by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, whose voting results will be announced on Jan. 19. Previously, Lou Piniella received 11 votes in 2023 when Jim Leyland was elected, and another 11 votes in 2018 when Harold Baines and Lee Smith were chosen.
In 2022, the Hall restructured its veterans committees for the third time in 12 years, establishing panels to evaluate the contemporary baseball era from 1980 onward and the classic baseball era for the period before 1980. The contemporary baseball era features separate ballots for players and another specifically for managers, executives and umpires.
Managerial Candidates Profile
Baker, 77, played 19 seasons as a two-time All-Star outfielder before compiling a 2,183-1,862 regular-season record over 26 managerial seasons with the Giants, Cubs, Reds, Nationals and Astros, capturing the 2022 World Series title and three Manager of the Year awards. Bochy, 71, played nine seasons as a catcher before logging a 2,252-2,266 regular-season record over 28 years managing the Padres, Giants and Rangers, winning four World Series titles and an NL Manager of the Year award. Maddon, 72, managed the Angels, Rays and Cubs over 19 seasons with a 1,382-1,216 regular-season record, guiding the Cubs in 2016 to their first World Series title since 1908 and earning three Manager of the Year honors. Piniella, 83, was a 1969 AL Rookie of the Year and one-time All-Star outfielder who compiled an 1,835-1,713 regular-season record over 23 seasons managing the Yankees, Reds, Mariners, Rays and Cubs, winning a World Series title with Cincinnati in 1990 and three Manager of the Year awards.
Executives, Owner and Player Representative
Alderson, turning 79 on Nov. 22, served as Oakland’s general manager from 1983 to 1997, winning the 1989 World Series title, and later worked as MLB executive vice president for baseball operations, CEO of the Padres, and general manager and team president for the Mets. Sabean, 70, transitioned from coaching and scouting to become the Giants’ general manager from 1996 to 2014, securing three World Series titles, and later served as the team’s executive vice president of baseball operations. Turner, who passed away on May 6 at age 87, owned the Braves from 1976 to 1996, transformed WTBS into a nationally distributed superstation, and won a World Series title in 1995. White, 92, was a five-time All-Star first baseman and outfielder who won a World Series title with the 1964 Cardinals, broadcasted for the Yankees from 1971 to 1988, and served as National League president from 1989 to 1994.
Committee Guidelines and Selection Panel
The committees operate on a three-year rotation, with the classic baseball panel scheduled to meet in December 2027 and the contemporary baseball players panel in December 2028. Managers and umpires qualify if they accumulated 10 or more major league seasons and have been retired for five years, though individuals aged 65 or older become eligible six months after retirement, while executives must be retired for five years unless they are active executives aged 70 or older.
Candidates must receive at least five of the 16 votes to remain eligible for the subsequent ballot three years later, and failing to secure at least five votes across multiple ballots results in permanent ineligibility for that committee. The ballot was compiled by a historical overview committee consisting of Adrian Burgos, Bob Elliott, Steve Hirdt, La Velle Neal, David O’Brien, José de Jesus Ortiz, Jack O’Connell, Jim Reeves, Glenn Schwarz, Susan Slusser and Mark Whicker.
Buster Posey, Jon Lester and Ryan Zimmerman are among the players who will appear on the BBWAA ballot for the first time, alongside returning candidates Chase Utley, Andy Pettitte and Félix Hernández.
