Baker, Bochy, Maddon, and Piniella named to Hall of Fame ballot

The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced on Monday that Dusty Baker, Bruce Bochy, Joe Maddon, and Lou Piniella are on the ballot for its contemporary era committee. The group of eight men also includes former general managers Sandy Alderson and Brian Sabean, the late Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner, and former National League President Bill White. The committee will convene on December 6 during the winter meetings in San Diego.

A candidate needs 75% of the vote from the 16 committee members to be elected. The specific identities of the voters will be revealed closer to the meeting date. If elected, these individuals will be inducted in Cooperstown, New York, on July 25, 2027. That induction ceremony will also include players chosen by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, whose voting results are scheduled for release on January 19.

Baker, 77, managed five teams over 26 seasons, finishing with a 2,183-1,862 record. He won the 2022 World Series with the Houston Astros and was named Manager of the Year in 1993, 1997, and 2000. Bochy, 71, managed for 28 seasons with a 2,252-2,266 record. He won four World Series titles with the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants and received the NL Manager of the Year award in 1996.

Maddon, 72, holds a 1,382-1,216 record from his 19 seasons as a manager. He led the Chicago Cubs to a 2016 championship, ending a 108-year drought, and won Manager of the Year awards in 2008, 2011, and 2015. Piniella, 83, has an 1,835-1,713 record over 23 seasons. He won a World Series with the Cincinnati Reds in 1990 and was named Manager of the Year in 1995, 2001, and 2008. Piniella previously appeared on this ballot in 2018 and 2023, receiving 11 votes in both years.

The executives on the list include Alderson, who turns 79 on November 22. He served as the general manager for the Oakland Athletics and later held executive roles with the San Diego Padres and the New York Mets. Sabean, 70, was the Giants' general manager from 1996 to 2014, a period during which the team won three World Series titles. Turner, who died in May 2026 at age 87, owned the Braves from 1976 to 1996. White, 92, played in the majors from 1956 to 1969 and later served as NL president from 1989 to 1994.

The Hall restructured its voting panels in 2022, separating the contemporary era from the classic era. Managers and umpires must have at least 10 big league seasons and be retired for five years, while executives must be retired for five years or be active and at least 70 years old. A candidate who receives fewer than five votes is ineligible for the next ballot of that committee. The current panel will meet every three years, with the next classic baseball committee meeting scheduled for December 2027.