Golden Era Committee

The Golden Era Committee was one of three 16-member committees appointed by the board of directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ("the Hall of Fame") in 2010 to replace the National Baseball Hall of Fame Committee on Baseball Veterans (best known as the Veterans Committee), which had been formed in 1953. All of these committees were established to consider and elect eligible candidates to the Hall of Fame who were not elected via the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) ballot.

Ron Santo was the only player elected to the Hall of Fame by the Golden Era Committee.

The Golden Era Committee considered players no longer eligible for election via BBWAA balloting—along with managers, umpires, and executives—from the 1947 to 1972 era.[1] Half of the committee's 16 members were Hall of Fame inductees, and the balance were baseball executives and media members. A BBWAA-appointed Historical Overview Committee would identify ten candidates for consideration by the Golden Era Committee every three years.

The Golden Era Committee considered nominees in 2011 (selecting Ron Santo) and in 2014 (making no selections). In July 2016, the Hall of Fame announced a restructuring of committees; the Golden Era Committee was superseded by the Golden Days Committee, to consider candidates from 1950 to 1969.

Further information: Veterans Committee § 2016 revisions

Golden Era Ballot candidates

Eligibility requirements
  • Players: Having played in at least 10 major league seasons, not being on Major League Baseball's ineligibility list, and having been retired for 21 or more seasons.
  • Managers and umpires: Having served for at least 10 seasons, not being on Major League Baseball's ineligibility list, and having either been retired for at least five years or both attained 65 years of age and been retired for at least six months.
  • Executives: Having either been retired for at least five years or attained 65 years of age.

All candidates receiving votes on at least 75% of ballots cast will earn election.[1]

2011 Election (for Hall of Fame class of 2012)

(Major League Baseball Winter Meeting, December 5, 2011)

Golden Era Committee members

The Baseball Hall of Fame officially named this group the "Golden Era Committee", which voted for the first time on December 5, 2011. The Hall of Fame members on the committee were inducted as players except for executive Pat Gillick and Tommy Lasorda who was inducted as a manager.

Golden Era ballot and vote totals

The Golden Era Committee elected Ron Santo to the National Baseball Hall of Fame with 15 out of 16 of their votes. With a 75 percent vote needed for election,[2] Santo was the first and only Golden Era Ballot candidate elected to the Hall of Fame Class of 2012.[3] The Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held on Sunday, July 22, 2012, in Cooperstown, New York.[3]

Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner was a member of the Golden Era Committee in 2011.
Candidate Category Votes Percent
Ron SantoPlayer1593.75%
Jim KaatPlayer1062.5%
Gil HodgesPlayer956.25%
Minnie MiñosoPlayer956.25%
Tony OlivaPlayer850%
Buzzie BavasiExecutive318.75%
Ken BoyerPlayer318.75%
Charlie FinleyExecutive318.75%
Allie ReynoldsPlayer318.75%
Luis TiantPlayer318.75%

denotes inducted to the Hall of Fame

2014 Election (for Hall of Fame class of 2015)

(Major League Baseball Winter Meeting, December 8, 2014)

Golden Era Committee members

The Golden Era Committee's 16-member voting electorate, appointed by the Hall of Fame's board of directors, was announced at the same time as the ballot of 10 candidates.[4] All of the Hall of Fame members on this committee were inducted as players, except for executive Pat Gillick.

Golden Era ballot and vote totals

The ballot for election by the Golden Era Committee was released on October 30, 2014;[5] the committee voted at the MLB winter meetings in San Diego on December 8, 2014, with the results announced by MLB immediately thereafter. Election criteria remained the standard 75%, or 12 of 16 votes.[4] None of the candidates received enough votes, continuing a long period of difficulty in electing players eligible under the Hall's special committees; the last living player elected to the Hall after the expiration of their BBWAA eligibility was Bill Mazeroski in 2001.[6]

Dick Allen missed election to the Hall of Fame by a single vote in 2014.
Candidate Category Votes Percent
Dick Allen Player 11 68.75%
Tony Oliva Player 11 68.75%
Jim Kaat Player 10 62.5%
Maury Wills Player 9 56.25%
Minnie Miñoso Player 8 50%
Ken Boyer Player < 3 < 18.75%
Gil Hodges Player < 3 < 18.75%
Bob Howsam Executive < 3 < 18.75%
Billy Pierce Player < 3 < 18.75%
Luis Tiant Player < 3 < 18.75%

References
  1. National Baseball Hall of Fame: Eras: Golden. Rules for election Archived April 30, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Santo, Hodges among 10 on Golden Era ballot". Archived from the original on 2011-11-04.
  3. "Ron Santo Elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by Golden Era Committee" (Press release). National Baseball Hall of Fame. December 5, 2011.
  4. "Newest Hall of Fame Candidates Announced" (Press release). National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  5. "Baseball Hall of Fame 2015: Hodges, Oliva, Allen, Tiant among candidates". Sporting News. October 30, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  6. "All Golden Era candidates fall short". espn.go.com. December 8, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
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