Hudson, Buehrle, Hunter among stars to debut on 2021 Hall of Fame ballot
The 2021 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot has been released and, with it, the eligibility of a few stars has begun.
Right-hander Tim Hudson, workhorse southpaw Mark Buehrle, outfielder Torii Hunter, and third baseman Aramis Ramirez lead the class of 11 first-timers:
| Player | Pos. | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Tim Hudson | RHP | ATL/OAK/SF |
| Mark Buehrle | LHP | CWS/TOR/MIA |
| Torii Hunter | OF | MIN/LAA/DET |
| Aramis Ramirez | 3B | CHC/PIT/MIL |
| Barry Zito | LHP | OAK/SF |
| Nick Swisher | OF | NYY/OAK/CLE/CWS/ATL |
| A.J. Burnett | RHP | MIA/NYY/PIT/TOR/PHI |
| Dan Haren | RHP | OAK/ARI/LAA/LAD/WSH/MIA/STL/CHC |
| Shane Victorino | OF | PHI/BOS/LAD/LAA/SD |
| LaTroy Hawkins | RHP | MIN/COL/CHC/HOU/MIL/NYM/BAL/LAA/NYY/SF/TOR |
| Michael Cuddyer | OF | MIN/COL/NYM |
The new candidates join a crowded ballot that still includes many holdovers from the steroid era, including home run record holder Barry Bonds and seven-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens - both of whom enter their second-last year of eligibility:
| Player | Years on ballot | 2020 votes |
|---|---|---|
| Curt Schilling | 9 | 70% |
| Roger Clemens | 9 | 61% |
| Barry Bonds | 9 | 60.7% |
| Omar Vizquel | 4 | 52.6% |
| Scott Rolen | 4 | 35.3% |
| Billy Wagner | 6 | 31.7% |
| Gary Sheffield | 7 | 30.5% |
| Todd Helton | 3 | 29.2% |
| Manny Ramirez | 5 | 28.2% |
| Jeff Kent | 8 | 27.5% |
| Andruw Jones | 4 | 19.4% |
| Sammy Sosa | 9 | 13.9% |
| Andy Pettitte | 3 | 11.3% |
| Bobby Abreu | 2 | 5.5% |
A player needs 75% of the vote to earn induction into Cooperstown. Players are removed from the ballot after 10 years of eligibility or if they earn less than 5% of support.
Ballots from eligible members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America are due by Dec. 31.
The results will be announced Jan. 26 with the induction ceremony scheduled for July 25. Last year's class - including Derek Jeter, Larry Walker, Ted Simmons, and Marvin Miller - will be inducted alongside this year's class after their ceremony was postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.