New York Mets

Brett, Carew, Eckersley among 7 holdovers on Hall committee

Published Dec. 2, 2019 1:47 p.m. ET

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) — Hall of Famers George Brett, Rod Carew and Dennis Eckersley are among seven holdovers on the Hall of Fame's 16-man modern era committee, which meets Sunday to consider nine players plus former union head Marvin Miller for election.

Former Kansas City Royals owner David Glass, former New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson and former Elias Sports Bureau executive Steve Hirdt also are holdovers from the committee that elected Jack Morris and Alan Trammell two years ago.

Newcomers announced Monday include Hall of Famers Eddie Murray and Ozzie Smith; former Boston president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski; former general managers Walt Jocketty, Doug Melvin and Terry Ryan; and media members Bill Center, Jack O'Connell and Tracy Ringolsby.

This year’s ballot includes newly added Dwight Evans, Thurman Munson and Lou Whitaker along with holdovers Steve Garvey, Tommy John, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker and Ted Simmons.

The modern era committee considers candidates from 1970-87, and a candidate needs at least 75% of the vote to be elected. Anyone picked will be inducted to the Hall on July 26 along with candidates elected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America in a vote announced Jan. 21. Former New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter will be on the BBWAA ballot for the first time.

Miller is on a Hall of Fame ballot for the eighth time.

Simmons fell one vote short two years ago, when Morris received 14 and Trammell 13. Miller received seven votes, while Garvey, John, Mattingly, Murphy, Parker and Luis Tiant received fewer than seven.

Miller received 44% of the votes in 2003 and 63% in 2007 when all Hall of Famers could vote on a veterans panel. After the Hall downsized the veterans committees, he received 3 of 12 votes in 2007, 7 of 12 in 2009, 11 of 16 in 2010 and six votes or fewer in 2013.

Miller asked after the 2007 vote that he not be on future ballots. He died in 2012 at 95.

Munson received his highest voting percentage, 15.5%, in the first of his 15 appearances on a BBWAA ballot. That was in 1981, two years after he died in a plane crash. Evans peaked at 10.4% in 1998, the second of his three appearances. Whitaker appeared on the ballot in 2001 and received 2.9% — below the 5% needed to stay on the ballot.

The Hall has four committees. The golden days (1950-69) and early baseball (before 1950) committees meet in December 2020 and the today's game (1988 to present) committee meets in December 2021.