HOF committee to consider allowing BBWAA to vote up to 12 candidates

The Baseball Hall of Fame committee will consider increasing the number of candidates writers can vote for from 10 to 12 players.

ESPN's Jayson Stark reports the Baseball Writers' Association of America voted in favor Tuesday of putting forth a recommendation before the HOF committee that would see the proposed increase approved. The committee had already indicated it would not sign off on an unlimited number of candidates, according to Stark.

The current format has come under intense debate in recent years, particularly given the influx of players from the so-called Steroid Era. 

(Related: 5 things you need to know about the 2015 Hall of Fame ballot)

With ballots seemingly more stacked than ever, critics have argued that worthy entrants are at risk of exclusion due to the cap on how many players writers can throw their support behind. 

Further stacking the deck against candidates is the 10-year rule, which restricts the length of time a player can appear on the Hall of Fame ballot to no more than 10 seasons. Candidates require 75 percent of the vote in order to gain entrance into Cooperstown.