On Monday, the National Baseball Hall of Fame released its official 2020 ballot. The 32-player ballot includes 14 holdovers from last year and 18 newcomers. Here are those 18 candidates new to the ballot, in alphabetical order:
- Bobby Abreu
- Josh Beckett
- Heath Bell
- Eric Chavez
- Adam Dunn
- Chone Figgins
- Rafael Furcal
- Jason Giambi
- Raul Ibanez
- Derek Jeter
- Paul Konerko
- Cliff Lee
- Carlos Pena
- Brad Penny
- J.J. Putz
- Brian Roberts
- Alfonso Soriano
- Jose Valverde
Obviously, Jeter is going in on the first ballot, possibly even unanimously after longtime Yankees teammate Mariano Rivera became the first unanimous Hall of Fame inductee earlier this year. Abreu has a decent stathead case for the Hall of Fame and other first-timers like Giambi, Konerko, Lee, and Soriano had long careers that should garner Hall of Fame votes, though induction is unlikely.
Now here are the 14 players returning to the ballot and last year's voting percentage. Players are allowed a maximum 10 years on the ballot and must appear on 75 percent of submitted ballots to garner induction into the Hall of Fame. They must appear on at least five percent of submitted ballots to remain on the ballot another year.
| Player | Year on ballot | 2019 voting percentage |
|---|---|---|
Curt Schilling | 8th | 60.9% |
Roger Clemens | 8th | 59.5% |
Barry Bonds | 8th | 59.1% |
Larry Walker | 10th | 54.6% |
Omar Vizquel | 3rd | 42.8% |
Manny Ramirez | 4th | 22.8% |
Jeff Kent | 7th | 18.1% |
Scott Rolen | 3rd | 17.2% |
Billy Wagner | 5th | 16.7% |
Todd Helton | 2nd | 16.5% |
Gary Sheffield | 6th | 13.6% |
Andy Pettitte | 2nd | 9.9% |
Sammy Sosa | 8th | 8.5% |
Andruw Jones | 3rd | 7.5% |
Schilling's voting percentage has steadily increased and he is trending toward Hall of Fame induction, if not this year, than before his 10 years are up. Clemens and Bonds have clear-cut Hall of Fame credentials, though their voting percentages have stagnated in recent years due to their alleged involvement with performance-enhancing drugs. Historically, there is a bump in support for players in their final year on the ballot, which could help Walker. It's unlikely he'll jump over 75 percent, however.
The Baseball Writers Association of America will announce the results of its 2020 Hall of Fame balloting on Jan. 21. Any electees will be inducted on Sunday, July 26, at 1:30 p.m. ET at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, New York. The question boils down to who will be joining Jeter in the class of 2020.
