The New York Yankees for over 100 years now, have been blessed with some of the best baseball players to ever play the game. A host of them has made it all the way to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. A few familiar names are Earl Combs, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mikey Mantle, Derek Jeter and the only player ever to be elected to the Hall unanimously, Mariano Rivera. It might surprise you to know that “Donny Baseball” and Thurmon Munson are not in the Hall of Fame, more about that later.
First, let’s get to know how the HOF works. Each year a “class” is picked by certified sportswriters of America. The nominees will not be announced until January. If they are not elected they stay on the list each year until their eligibility runs out. Then they can be considered 10 years later on one of these two committees.
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 Dec. 5 at baseball’s Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla.
Seven Negro Leagues and pre-Negro Leagues legends and three American League/National League stars comprise the 10-name Early Baseball Era ballot, which features candidates whose primary contribution to the game came prior to 1950. The Golden Days Era Committee considers candidates whose primary contribution to the game came from 1950-69.
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 Golden Days Era ballot includes Dick Allen, Ken Boyer, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Roger Maris, Minnie Miñoso, Danny Murtaugh, Tony Oliva, Billy Pierce and Maury Wills. Of this group, Kaat, Oliva and Wills are living.
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, Dec. 5.
Allie Reynolds was 182-107 over 13 years with the Indians and Yankees, with six All-Star team selections. He led his teams to six World Series titles, going 7-2 with a 2.79 ERA. He twice finished in the Top 3 of the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award voting.
Jim Kaat had a long coreer, playing his last season wht the New York Yankees. When his was finished pitching he bacame a Yankeee announcer. Kaat was named to three All-Star Games and helped the Cardinals win the 1982 World Series.
Roger Maris won back-to-back American League Most Valuable Player Awards in 1960 and 1961, setting a new single-season home run record in the latter season with 61. In 12 big league seasons with the Indians, Athletics, Yankees and Cardinals, Maris earned seven All-Star Game selections and was a part of three World Series title teams.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 Jan. 25, 2022.
Other interesting tidbits regarding the Yankees and the HOF. One of the best Yankee catchers, Thurmon Munson, never got enought votes to stay on that ballot, the same goes for Don Mattingly. Writers seldom give a reason of why they vote the way they do, but it is genreally seen that neither Munson or Mattingly played the game long enough to get the votes needed. This year is Roger Clemens last years of eligibility, last year he recieved on 60% of the 75% needed. Many feel Clemens although one of the best pitchers ever, will never get into the Hall due to his involvement in prerformance enhancing drugs.