How Do Baseball Players Get Into the Hall of Fame?

Many adolescents grow involved in a hobby and hope to take it to greater heights someday, only to later view it as a pipe dream. However, this has not stopped the famous legends from attaining these goals and creating a name for themselves that would be remembered throughout history. When it comes to baseball, many players dream of one day making it into the Hall of Fame. But just how does this process work?

1. Meeting Requirements

First and foremost, to even be considered eligible for the Hall of Fame, a baseball player must meet some strict requirements. The player must have been an active player in the MLB during a time period that began 20 years before and ended five years before their election. Secondly, they must have played in all ten Major League championship seasons and shall have ceased being an active player in the Major Leagues at least five calendar years before the election. Although these requirements may sound a bit complicated, the main gist is that the player must be retired at least five years prior to being elected.

2. Must Be Nominated

Living up to the democracy of the United States, any player wishing to get into the Hall of Fame must first be nominated. This nomination may come from any individual, but the Selection Committee then handles the nominations and makes the deciding factor on who gets in.

3. The Selection Committee’s Process

Every year, the Selection Committee is polled three times before they release their Final List of Preliminary Nominees. With all the nominations coming their way, this is no doubt a time-consuming process. Upon studying this list, the selectors can make a case for athletes who may have been overlooked or not nominated. Making it onto the preliminary list is not enough to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, however. Nominees must make it onto the Second Preliminary List, then the Third Preliminary List. From this list, the Selection Committee decides who its 25 Modern-Era Semifinalists are. In November, they narrow it down to 15 individuals. Prior to the all-encompassing Hall of Fame Selection Meeting that takes place in February, the Selection Committee is provided with detailed biographies of the finalists before making a series of reduction votes at the annual meeting. After reducing the number of finalists to ten, followed by a vote for the final five, the committee then goes on to vote on whether each individual candidate shall be inducted into the Hall of Fame or not. A nominee must receive at least 80% of the vote to be considered. These votes are then counted by a firm before being revealed to the selectors who the winners of these ballots are.

This arduous process has been carefully crafted over the decades to ensure that not just anybody is inducted into the Hall of Fame so as not to take away from its glory. Instead, players are conscientiously selected for having earned this great honor. Although the process is more than challenging, those that are lucky enough to be in the Hall of Fame will take that tribute with them to the grave.

About the Author

Frank LoBue is a real estate professional in Hoboken, NJ, who is very knowledgeable in the local markets. He’s often referred to as an easy-going person who pays special attention to each of his clients’ unique needs. In addition to his real estate career, Frank enjoys coaching youth sports — specifically baseball. To learn more about Frank LoBue, visit his website at FrankLoBue.net!