Baker, Bochy, Maddon and Piniella among 8 men on Hall of Fame contemporary era committee ballot

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) — Retired managers Dusty Baker, Bruce Bochy, Joe Maddon and Lou Piniella are among eight men on the ballot for the Hall of Fame’s contemporary era committee for managers, executives and umpires that meets on Dec. 6 at the winter meetings in San Diego.

Former general managers Sandy Alderson and Brian Sabean also are on the ballot along with the late Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner and former player, broadcaster and National League President Bill White, the Hall announced Monday.

The identities of the 16 voters will be announced closer to the meeting, and 75% of the vote is needed for election. Anyone chosen will be inducted into the Hall next July 25 along with players voted in by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, whose balloting will be announced on Jan. 19.

Piniella received 11 votes in 2023, when Jim Leyland was elected, and 11 in 2018, when Harold Baines and Lee Smith were voted by the today’s game era committee.

The Hall in 2022 restructured its veterans committees for the third time in 12 years, setting up panels to consider the contemporary baseball era from 1980 on and classic baseball era from before 1980. The contemporary baseball era holds separate ballots for players and another for managers, executives and umpires.

Baker, 77, was a two-time All-Star outfielder who hit .278 with 242 homers and 1,013 RBIs for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta, the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants from 1968-86, then managed the Giants (1993-2002), Chicago Cubs (2003-06), Cincinnati (2008-13), Washington (2016-17) and Houston (2020-23). He had a 2,183-1,862 regular-season record as manager over 26 seasons, winning the 2022 World Series title. He was voted Manager of the Year in 1993, ’97 and 2000.

Bochy, 71, caught for the Astros, New York Mets and San Diego from 1978-87, then managed the Padres (1995-2006), the Giants (2007-19) and Texas (2023-25). He had a 2,252-2,266 regular-season record as manager over 28 seasons, winning World Series titles in 2010, ‘12, ’14 and ’23. He was voted NL Manager of the Year in 1996.

Maddon, 72, managed the Angels (1996, ‘99, 2020-22), Tampa Bay (2006-14) and Cubs (2015-19), leading the Cubs in 2016 to their first World Series title since 1908. He had a 1,382-1,216 regular-season record as manager over 19 seasons and won Manager of the Year awards in 2008, ’11 and ’15.

Piniella, 83, was 1969 AL Rookie of the Year and a one-time All-Star outfielder while hitting .291 with 102 homers and 766 RBIs for Baltimore, Cleveland, Kansas City and the Yankees from 1964-84. He managed the Yankees (1986-88), Cincinnati (1990-92), Seattle (1993-2002), Tampa Bay (2003-05) and the Cubs (2007-10), compiling an 1,835-1,713 regular-season record over 23 seasons. He won a World Series title with the Reds in 1990 and was voted Manager of the Year in 1995, 2001 and ’08.

Alderson, who turns 79 on Nov. 22, was Oakland’s general manager from 1983-97, helping the A’s win the 1989 World Series title. He was Major League Baseball’s executive vice president for baseball operations from 1998 to 2005, CEO of the San Diego Padres from 2005-09 and worked for the Mets as general manager from 2010-18 and as team president from 2020-23.

Sabean, 70, was head coach at the University of Tampa in 1983 and ’84, then joined the Yankees as a scout. He moved up to director of scouting in 1986 and vice president of player development/scouting in 1990, then joined the Giants in 1993 as assistant to the general manager and vice president of scouting/player personnel. He was promoted to senior vice president of player personnel in 1995 and was general manager from 1996-14, winning three World Series titles. Sabean was the Giants’ executive vice president of baseball operations from 2015-18.

Turner, who died on May 6 at age 87, bought the Braves in 1976 and led the team until 1996, when Turner Broadcasting System merged with Time Warner. He was a broadcasting innovator, turning WTBS into a superstation with national distribution. His Braves won the 1995 World Series title.

White, 92, was an All-Star in five seasons as a first baseman and occasional outfielder, hitting .286 with 202 homers and 870 RBIs for the New York and San Francisco Giants, St. Louis and Philadelphia from 1956-69. He won a World Series title with the 1964 Cardinals, was a Yankees broadcaster from 1971-88 and NL president from 1989-94.

Each committee meets every three years. Classic baseball meets in December 2027 and contemporary baseball/players in December 2028.

Managers and umpires were eligible if they had 10 or more big league seasons and have been retired for five years, though people 65 and older are eligible six months after retirement. Executives must be retired for five years, but active executives 70 or older are eligible.

A candidate who does not receive at least five of the 16 votes is not eligible for the next ballot of that committee three years later. A candidate who does not receive at least five of the 16 votes on multiple ballots would no longer be eligible for that committee.

The ballot was picked by a historical overview committee that included Adrian Burgos of the University of Illinois, Bob Elliott of the Canadian Baseball Network, historian Steve Hirdt, La Velle Neal of the Minnesota Star Tribune, former The Athletic writer David O’Brien, José de Jesus Ortiz of Our Esquina Media, BBWAA secretary-treasurer Jack O’Connell, former Fort Worth Star-Telegram writer Jim Reeves, former San Francisco Chronicle writer Glenn Schwarz, San Francisco Chronicle writer Susan Slusser and former Southern California News Group writer Mark Whicker.

Buster Posey, Jon Lester and Ryan Zimmerman are among players eligible for the BBWAA vote for the first time. Holdovers include Chase Utley, Andy Pettitte and Félix Hernández.

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