Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling were left out of the Hall of Fame committee, which selected former slugger Fred McGriff to enter Cooperstown on Sunday.
It was the first time Bonds, Clemens and Schilling have faced the precinct committee since their 10th and final appearance on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot. Bonds and Clemens have been accused of using performance-enhancing substances, and support for Schilling collapsed after he made hateful comments toward Muslims, transgender people, reporters and others.
Nicknamed “Crime Dog,” McGriff hit. 284 with 493 home runs and 1,550 RBIs in 19 seasons with six major league teams. The first baseman was a five-time All-Star and helped Atlanta win the 1995 World Series.
McGriff, 59, received unanimous support from the 16-member Contemporary Baseball Committee, made up of Hall of Famers, managers and writers. The group included Greg Maddux , who played with McGriff with the Braves, as well as Paul Beeston, who was a Toronto manager when McGriff made his major league debut with the Blue Jays in 1986.
Another former Braves player, Chipper Jones, was expected to be part of the committee, but he fell ill and was replaced by Arizona Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall.
McGriff received 169 votes (39.8%) in his final year on the ballot in 2019. He will now be inducted on July 23 in Cooperstown along with whoever is selected in the writers’ association ballot, which they will announce on January 24.
The Contemporary Era Committee considers candidates whose careers spanned the 1980s and later. Players need 75% of the vote to be elected.
Hall of Famers Jack Morris, Ryne Sandberg, Lee Smith, Frank Thomas and Alan Trammell also participated in this year’s panel, which met in San Diego with baseball writers.
Rafael Palmeiro, Albert Belle, Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy rounded out the eight-man ballot.
Mattingly was the closest to being elected, with eight votes out of the required 12. Schilling had seven and Murphy six. No one else received more than three.
Bonds, Clemens and Schilling came up short in January in their last shot at the Writers Association. Bonds received 260 of 394 votes (66%), Clemens 257 (65.2%), and Schilling 231 (58.6%).