The 2020 Modern Era Baseball ballot includes nine former Major League Baseball players and one executive. All are under consideration by the Modern Era Baseball Committee for potential induction into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
The Modern Era Baseball Committee, established in 2016, considers pitchers and position players for the Hall of Fame who made their greatest contributions to the game between 1970 and 1987. The vote on the Modern Era Baseball ballot is scheduled to take place Dec. 8, with 75% percent of votes needed for a player to enter the hall. Last year, the committee voted to induct Jack Morris and Alan Trammell.
The following offers an overview of the players on the 2020 Modern Era Baseball ballot. Which one of these players do you think belong in the Baseball Hall of Fame? (All stats courtesy of the Baseball Hall of Fame).
Dwight Evans
An eight-time Gold Glove winner, Evans played all but one season of his 19-year career with the Boston Red Sox (he was a Baltimore Oriole his last year, in 1991). During the 1980s, he hit more home runs (256) and more extra-base hits (605) than any player in baseball. He retired with 2,446 hits, 1,470 runs, 385 home runs, 1,384 RBI and 1,391 walks.
Steve Garvey
Garvey played from 1969 until 1982 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and then finished his career between 1983 and 1987 with the San Diego Padres. He won National League pennants with both teams and a World Championship with the Dodgers in 1981. He was MVP in 1978 and 1984. Garvey retired with a .294 career average, 2,599 hits, 272 home runs and 1,308 RBI.
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Tommy John
Many fans know John’s name because of the surgical procedure named after him in which a tendon is used to replace a torn ligament in the pitching arm. The left-hander retired in 1989 after 26 years in baseball, pitching for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Dodgers, New York Yankees, California Angels, Oakland A’s and then the Yankees again. His 700 career starts rank eighth all-time, while his 4,710.1 innings rank 20th all time. He won 20 games three times in his career, all of them after he returned from his surgery in 1976.
Don Mattingly
“Donnie Baseball” played from 1982 to 1995 with the New York Yankees, retiring with a career .307 average, 222 home runs and 2,153 hits. He won nine Golden Gloves as a first baseman in just 14 years of playing. He also did cool things like help himself to a young fan’s popcorn. He won American League MVP in 1987 and the American League batting title in 1984. Mattingly is now manager of the Miami Marlins.
Marvin Miller
Miller is the only non-player on the list. He served as head of the Major League Baseball Players Association from 1966 until 1982 and helped usher in the era of free agency. During his time on the job, a player’s average salary increased by 10 times what it had been when he started in 1966.
Thurman Munson
Munson and Miller are the only two on the Modern Era Baseball ballot who have died. Munson died in a plane accident when he was just 32. Before his death, the catcher played 11 seasons, all of them with the Yankees. He earned Rookie of the Year honors in 1970 and was the American League MVP in 1976.
Dale Murphy
Murphy played most of his career with the Atlanta Braves, before finishing with the Colorado Rockies and Philadelphia Phillies. Murphy appeared in 160 or more games in five straight seasons. He hit 36 homers and stole 30 bases in 1983, joining the elite 30/30 club. He won five Gold Glove awards as a centerfielder.
Dave Parker
Parker played from 1973 to 1991 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland A’s, Milwaukee Brewers, California Angels, and Toronto Blue Jays. For his career, he hit 339 home runs and 1,493 RBI. He also won batting titles in 1977 and 1978. He played on World Series-winning teams in Pittsburgh (1979) and Oakland (1989).
Ted Simmons
The long-time catcher played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, and Atlanta Braves. He places both 1st and 2nd on the list of catchers with the most hits who caught at least 150 games in a season – he had 193 in 1975 and 192 in 1973. Among all-time catchers, Simmons ranks second in hits, doubles, and RBI.
Lou Whitaker
Whitaker played his entire career – 19 years – with the Detroit Tigers. He played every game at second base, winning three gold gloves. He was the 1978 American League Rookie of the Year and a member of the 1984 Tigers team that won it all. During his playing years, 1977-1995, Whitaker had 2,369 hits, 244 home runs, and 1,197 walks.
Do any of the 10 people on the Modern Era Baseball ballot deserve induction into the Hall of Fame? We all have our own opinions. But we’ll find out what the committee thinks this December.
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