wcpo
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum's Contemporary Baseball Era Committee has included former Cincinnati Reds managers Dusty Baker and Lou Piniella on its eight-person ballot for the Class of 2027. The committee is scheduled to convene on December 6 in San Diego, and the voting outcome will be broadcast live on MLB Network's MLB Tonight at 8 p.m. ET.
The Contemporary Baseball Era ballot consists of four managers and four executives, covering candidates whose primary impact on the game occurred from 1980 onward. The non-player ballot features Sandy Alderson, Dusty Baker, Bruce Bochy, Joe Maddon, Lou Piniella, Brian Sabean, Ted Turner, and Bill White. Turner is the only candidate who is deceased.
To gain election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, a candidate must appear on at least 75% of the ballots cast by the committee. Inductees will be enshrined in Cooperstown on July 25, 2027, alongside any players elected through the 2027 Baseball Writers' Association of America vote, which will be announced on January 19, 2027.
Baker spent 26 seasons as a manager with the Giants, Cubs, Reds, Nationals, and Astros, reaching the postseason 13 times and capturing the 2022 World Series with Houston. He led the Reds from 2008 to 2013. A three-time Manager of the Year (1993, 1997, 2000) and three-time runner-up, Baker guided his teams to the playoffs in each of his final eight seasons at the helm. As a player, he was a two-time All-Star during a 19-year career that included a World Series championship with the 1981 Dodgers.
Piniella managed for 23 seasons with the Yankees, Reds, Mariners, Devil Rays, and Cubs, amassing 1,835 wins. He steered the Reds to the 1990 World Series title and managed Cincinnati from 1990 to 1992. He also led the 2001 Mariners to an American League record 116 victories. Piniella took his clubs to seven postseason appearances and was named Manager of the Year in his league three times (1995, 2001, 2008). His 18-year playing career included a .291 batting average and World Series rings with the 1977-78 Yankees.
Key Analysis
The Contemporary Baseball Era Managers/Umpires/Executives group is one of three categories in the Era Committee process, which offers a path to Hall of Fame consideration for managers, umpires, executives, and players retired for more than 15 seasons. The Contemporary Baseball Era has two separate ballots: one for managers, umpires, and executives (considered this fall) and one for players (next considered in the fall of 2028). The Classic Baseball Era Committee, which reviews candidates whose primary contributions came before 1980, will next meet in the fall of 2027.
Originally reported by wcpo.