The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum announced on Friday November 5 the 10-person ballots that will be considered by its Early Baseball Era Committee and Golden Days Era Committee for Hall of Fame election for the Class of 2022. These Era Committees will both meet on December 5 at baseball’s Winter Meetings in Orlando, Florida.
The Golden Days Era ballot includes Dick Allen, Ken Boyer, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Roger Maris, Minnie Minoso, Danny Murtaugh, Tony Oliva, Billy Pierce and Maury Wills. Kaat, Oliva and Wills are the only living members of this group. Twins fans are excited to see “Tony O” and “Kitty” get another opportunity to enter the hallowed halls of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Both players are in their early 80’s and deserve the opportunity to enter the HOF while they are still around to enjoy it.
Jim Kaat pitched 25 seasons with the Senators, Twins, White Sox, Phillies, Yankees and Cardinals, winning 283 games over the course of four different decades. Kaat was named to three All-Star Games and helped the Cardinals win the 1982 World Series. Kaat also helped the Twins to the 1965 World Series and was 25-13 with 19 complete games in 1966. Kaat won 16 consecutive Gold Glove awards between 1962-1977.
Tony Oliva played 15 seasons for the Twins, winning three batting titles and leading the American League in hits five times. Tony Oliva and Ichiro Suzuki are the only two players to win batting titles as rookies. He was named to eight All-Star Games and won the 1964 AL Rookie of the Year Award.
The Early Baseball Era ballot includes Bill Dahlen, John Donaldson, Bud Fowler, Vic Harris, Grant “Home Run” Johnson, Lefty O’Doul, Buck O’Neil, Dick “Cannonball” Redding, Allie Reynolds and George “Tubby” Scales. All of these candidates are deceased.
The results of the Early Baseball Era Committee vote and the Golden Days Era Committee vote will be announced live on MLB Network’s “MLB Tonight” at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 5.
Any candidate who receives votes on 75 percent of the ballots cast by either 16-member committee will earn election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and will be inducted in Cooperstown on July 24, 2022, along with any electees who emerge from the 2022 Baseball Writers’ Association of America election, to be announced on January 25, 2022. Committee members may not vote for more than four players.
The last time that the Golden Era committee voted was in 2014 with no one being selected for the HOF and voting went like this. Dick Allen (11 votes); Tony Oliva (11 votes); Jim Kaat (10 votes); Maury Wills (9 votes); Minnie Minoso (8 votes); Ken Boyer, Gil Hodges, Bob Howsam, Billy Pierce and Luis Tiant received three or fewer votes each. Allen and Oliva were one vote short and Kaat needed two more votes.
With a little bit of luck the Minnesota Twins will have two more players voted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame before 2021 comes to an end.
John,
Excellent analysis. These committees, like most, are politically motivated.
All these candidates have merit, but from an historical look, I think fall just a
little bit short. Time does allow for reflection and revisionism certainly plays a role.
Both Kaat and Olivia were above average players. The question remains where the demarcation line is for entry into what once was an elite club. Over the last quarter century or so, it seems that the Hall has become a Hall of Pretty Good more than a Hall of Excellence.