On Monday, the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown announced eight candidates for election to the 2027 Modern Baseball Era Committee ballot. The non-player ballot includes four former managers and four former executives: Sandy Alderson, Dusty Baker, Bruce Bochy, Joe Maddon, Lou Piniella, Brian Sabean, Ted Turner and Bill White.
The non-player ballot includes managers, administrators and referees. Alternatively, the Era Committee also evaluates a ballot of former players. As for qualifications and criteria, the Hall of Fame describes it as follows:
“The eight Modern Baseball Era finalists were selected by a BBWAA-appointed Historical Review Committee from among all eligible nominees among managers, umpires, and umpires who had the most significant career impact since 1980. Eligible nominees include managers and umpires with at least five years of 10 or more major league appearances, or six months since retirement, and executives who have been retired for at least five years (age 70 or higher, all candidates must be ineligible on Baseball’s Ineligible List, regardless of their tenure with the organization and whether or not their employment has been completed).
As for the numbers on the Era Committee ballot for 2027, here’s a quick summary:
Sandy Alderson
Alderson built a powerhouse and won a World Series as general manager of the Oakland A’s. He later won multiple playoff berths and pennants as GM of the New York Mets.
Dusty Baker
One of the winningest managers of all time, Baker led five different clubs to the playoffs and won three pennants and one World Series. His success in the dugout came after a long and distinguished playing career as an MLB outfielder.
Bruce Bochy
Bochy led three different clubs to the postseason as a manager and is one of six managers to win at least four World Series. Three of Bochy’s rings came with the San Francisco Giants, and his last in 2023 with the Texas Rangers.
Joe Maddon
Maddon won more than 1,300 games as a manager for three different franchises. He also won a pennant as manager of the Tampa Bay Rays, and in 2016, he led the Chicago Cubs to their first World Series title in more than a century.
Lou Piniella
After an 18-year playing career, Piniella has more than 1,800 wins as a major league manager. He led three different clubs to the playoffs, won a World Series as manager of the Cincinnati Reds in 1990 and led the Seattle Mariners to a record 116 regular-season wins in 2001.
Brian Sabean
Sabean joined the Giants as general manager after filling a key role in the New York Yankees front office. Under his leadership, the Giants won the World Series in 2010, 2012 and 2014.
Ted Turner
Turner, the only posthumous nominee on the ballot, owned the Atlanta Braves for two decades. Along the way, he innovated the distribution of televised baseball games and oversaw a dynasty. Under Turner, the Braves claimed 14 straight division titles and won the 1995 World Series.
Bill White
A five-time All-Star and Gold Glove first baseman, White served as National League president after his playing days ended. White was also the first Black broadcaster in MLB history, and his leadership of the NL made him the first Black president of a major sports league.
The results of the committee’s vote will be announced on MLB Network on Sunday, December 6th at 8:00 p.m. ET. As with the BBWAA ballot, a candidate’s name must appear on at least 75% of the ballot to win election. The 16-member commission will vote for the candidates.
The more traditional BBWAA ballot, where nominees are voted on by writers and other media members, will be announced on November 16. The results of the 2027 BBWAA ballot will be announced in January, and that’s when we’ll know the full Hall of Fame class for 2027.