Elections to the
Baseball Hall of Fame
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...
for 2012 proceeded according to rules most recently revised in July 2010. As in the past, the
Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from a ballot of recently retired players, with results announced on January 9, 2012. The
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 Ve ...
, the second of three new era committees established by the July 2010 rules change, replacing the
Veterans Committee, convened early in December 2011 to select from a Golden Era ballot of retired players and non-playing personnel who made their greatest contributions to the sport between 1947 and 1972, called the "Golden Era" by the Hall of Fame.
The induction class consisted of
Ron Santo
Ronald Edward Santo (February 25, 1940 – December 3, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman who played for the Chicago Cubs from 1960 through 1973 and the Chicago White Sox in 1974. In 1990, Santo became a member of the ...
, elected by the Golden Era Committee,
and
Barry Larkin, elected by the BBWAA.
The induction ceremonies were held on July 22, 2012, at the Hall of Fame in
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in and county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in the C ...
.
On July 21, the Hall presented two awards for media excellence—its own
Ford C. Frick Award
The Ford C. Frick Award is presented annually by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in the United States to a broadcaster for "major contributions to baseball". It is named for Ford C. Frick, former Commissioner of Major League Baseball. Before h ...
for broadcasters and the BBWAA's
J. G. Taylor Spink Award
The BBWAA Career Excellence Award, formerly the J. G. Taylor Spink Award, is the highest award given by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). It is given "for meritorious contributions to baseball writing" and voted on annually by ...
for writers.
BBWAA election
The BBWAA ballot was announced on November 30, 2011. The BBWAA was authorized to elect players active in 1992 or later, but not after 2006; the ballot included candidates from the 2011 ballot who received at least 5% of the vote but were not elected, along with selected players, chosen by a screening committee, whose last playing appearance was in 2006. All 10-year members of the BBWAA were eligible to vote.
The ballot consisted of the 14 candidates who received at least 5% of the vote in the
2011 election, plus 13 first-time candidates. Voters were instructed to cast votes for up to 10 candidates. Under BBWAA rules, write-in votes were not permitted.
Results of the 2011 election by the BBWAA were announced on January 9, 2012.
A total of 573 ballots were cast (including nine ballots which supported no candidates), with 430 votes required for election. A total of 2,921 individual votes were cast, an average of 5.10 per ballot - the lowest rate ever, breaking the record of 5.32 set in 1997. Any candidate who received votes on at least 75% of the ballots would be inducted.
Those candidates who received less than 5% of the vote will not appear on future BBWAA ballots, but may eventually be considered by the Veterans Committee.
Candidates who were eligible for the first time are indicated with a dagger (). The candidate who received at least 75% of the vote and was elected is indicated in ''bold italics''; candidates selected in subsequent elections, if any, will be indicated in ''italics''.
The newly eligible candidates included 20 All-Stars, 9 of whom were not on the ballot, representing a total of 33 All-Star selections.
Bernie Williams was the only candidate selected to at least five All-Star Games; he was selected exactly five times. The new field of candidates featured a pair of four-time Gold-Glove winners (Williams in center,
Mike Matheny at catcher) and a pair of Rookie-of-the-Year Award winners (
Todd Hollandsworth
Todd Mathew Hollandsworth (born April 20, 1973) is an American former professional baseball outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). In , he won the National League Rookie of the Year Award, setting a record as the fifth consecutive Los Angeles ...
and
Tim Salmon
Timothy James Salmon (born August 24, 1968), nicknamed "King Fish", is an American former professional baseball player and current sportcaster. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to with the Anaheim Angels as an o ...
), neither of whom was ever selected for an All-Star Game.
The biggest issue surrounding this election, as in elections in the recent past, was the controversy over
use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).
During the 2012 voting, debate about the influence of steroids on the game in the 1990s was widely believed to have affected the vote totals for several power hitters on the ballot, including McGwire, Bagwell, Walker, Palmeiro, and González, regardless of whether they had ever tested positive for steroid use or had even been accused of involvement with steroids. Of these players:
* McGwire, long dogged by allegations of steroid use, admitted in January 2010 to having used them for much of his career.
* Bagwell never tested positive, but was the subject of PED rumors during his career.
* Walker was never linked to PED usage, much less testing positive. His candidacy is more affected by his extreme home/away statistical splits, attributed by many to his long tenure with the
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...
in
Coors Field, most of which came before the team's installation of a
humidor
A humidor is a humidity-controlled box or room used primarily for storing cigars, cigarettes, cannabis, or pipe tobacco. Either too much or too little humidity can be harmful to tobacco products; a humidor's primary function is to maintain a ste ...
to store game balls which caused a noticeable decline in the number of home runs hit.
* Palmeiro tested positive for the steroid
stanozolol in 2005, a few months after testifying in front of a
U.S. House
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
panel and vehemently denying that he had ever used steroids. To this day, he claims that his positive test was due to a tainted B12 injection.
* González was named by
Jose Canseco
José Canseco Capas Jr. (born July 2, 1964), nicknamed Parkway Jose, Mr. 40-40 and El Cañonero Cubano (The Cuban Cannon), is a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and designated hitter. During his time with the Oaklan ...
in his 2005 tell-all book ''
Juiced
Juiced may refer to:
* ''Juiced'' (video game), a racing video game
** Juiced (series), the subsequent series of games
* ''Juiced'' (book), a book by Jose Canseco noted for revealing the extent of steroid use in baseball
* '' Juiced.GS'', a maga ...
'' as one of several players whom he injected with steroids, although González has denied this report. González was also named in the ''
Mitchell Report
The ''Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball'', informally known as the Mitchell Report, is the res ...
'' regarding a 2001 incident in which a bag belonging to either him or his personal trainer was found to contain drugs that were legal in MLB at the time but are now banned. It remains disputed whether that bag contained steroids.
The field of potential new candidates was considered to be weaker than it was in 2011. The most prominent new candidates included
Bernie Williams,
Rubén Sierra,
Vinny Castilla,
Eric Young,
Tim Salmon
Timothy James Salmon (born August 24, 1968), nicknamed "King Fish", is an American former professional baseball player and current sportcaster. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to with the Anaheim Angels as an o ...
, and
Brad Radke
Brad William Radke (born October 27, 1972) is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who played his entire 12 season career with the Minnesota Twins. Radke won 148 career games and was one of the most consistent pitchers in ...
. Williams was the only new candidate who received enough votes to remain on the ballot in 2013.
Players who were eligible for the first time who were ''not'' included on the ballot were:
Manny Alexander
Manuel De Jesús Alexander (born March 20, 1971) is a Dominican former professional baseball infielder. He has played for the Baltimore Orioles (–, –), New York Mets (), Chicago Cubs (1997–), Boston Red Sox (), Texas Rangers () and San Dieg ...
,
Edgardo Alfonzo,
Pedro Astacio,
David Bell,
Giovanni Carrara
Giovanni Carrara Jiménez ar-rah'-ra(born March 4, 1968) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. Listed at 6' 2", 225 lb.,
Carrara batted and threw right-handed. He established himself as a valuable middle relief man in MLB, as w ...
,
Mike DeJean
Michael Dwain DeJean (; born September 28, 1970) is a former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball.
Career
DeJean played shortstop during his college career at Mississippi Delta Community College and Livingston University. In , w ...
,
Einar Díaz
Einar Antonio Díaz (born December 28, 1972) is a Panamanian professional baseball player and coach currently a coach for the AAA Gwinnett Stripers. Díaz played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher for the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers ...
,
Joey Eischen
Joseph Raymond Eischen (born May 25, 1970) is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball.
High school
Joey Eischen attended West Covina High School in West Covina, California and was a letterman in football, basketball, baseball, and tennis ...
,
Scott Erickson
Scott Gavin Erickson (born February 2, 1968) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Yankees over 15 seasons. He was a membe ...
,
Carl Everett,
Jeff Fassero
Jeffrey Joseph Fassero (born January 5, 1963) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.
Professional career
Montreal Expos
Fassero was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 22nd round of the amateur draft, but he bounced around in the mino ...
,
Alex Gonzalez,
Danny Graves,
Todd Greene
Todd Anthony Greene (born May 8, 1971) is a former Major League Baseball catcher. In an 11-year career, he played for the Anaheim Angels (–), Toronto Blue Jays (2000), New York Yankees (), Texas Rangers (–), Colorado Rockies (–), and San Fr ...
,
Jason Grimsley,
Chris Hammond
Christopher Andrew Hammond (born January 21, 1966) is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball.
Hammond was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth round of the amateur draft. Hammond had not sustained considerable success unt ...
,
Rick Helling,
Dustin Hermanson
Dustin Michael Hermanson (born December 21, 1972) is an American former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). Hermanson pitched for several MLB teams between 1995 and 2006. He had his best season with the 2005 Chicago White S ...
,
Jose Hernandez,
Todd Hollandsworth
Todd Mathew Hollandsworth (born April 20, 1973) is an American former professional baseball outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). In , he won the National League Rookie of the Year Award, setting a record as the fifth consecutive Los Angeles ...
,
Damian Jackson,
Kevin Jarvis
Kevin Thomas Jarvis (born August 1, 1969) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played professionally for many teams including the Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres, S ...
,
Steve Karsay,
Tim Laker
Timothy John Laker (born November 27, 1969) is an American professional baseball catcher and coach. He was most recently the hitting coach for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Montreal Expos, Baltimor ...
,
Matt Lawton
Matthew Lawton, Jr. (born November 30, 1971) is an American former professional baseball player whose career spanned 15 seasons, including 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Lawton, an outfielder, made his major league debut September 5, ...
,
Eli Marrero
Elieser Marrero (born November 17, 1973), is a former Major League Baseball player. Marrero started his career as a catcher, but spent time at first base, third base and in the outfield.
Playing career
Marrero was selected in the third round of ...
,
Mike Matheny,
Quinton McCracken
Quinton Antoine McCracken (born August 16, 1970) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played all or parts of 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), and was the Tampa Bay Devil Rays franchise's first center fielder and bat ...
,
Dan Miceli
Daniel Miceli (born September 9, 1970) is an American former major league baseball relief pitcher.
Early career
Miceli began playing baseball during his senior year at Dr. Phillips High School in Florida where he was teammates with Brian Barbe ...
,
Jeff Nelson,
Eduardo Pérez
Eduardo Atanasio Pérez Pérez (born September 11, 1969) is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and current television sports color commentator. He played in Major League Baseball and the Nippon Professional Baseball league as ...
,
Todd Pratt
Todd Alan Pratt (born February 9, 1967) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) catcher, playing from 1992 to 2006 and is the current manager for the Jupiter Hammerheads. He primarily served as a back-up catcher for most of his career.
P ...
,
Curtis Pride
Curtis John Pride (born December 17, 1968) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who is deaf. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. In 2015, Pride was named MLB's Ambassador For Inclusion. Since 2009 Pride has served as the head ba ...
,
Joe Randa,
Mike Remlinger
Michael John Remlinger (born March 23, 1966) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. Remlinger has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the San Francisco Giants (1991), New York Mets (1994–95), Cincinnati Reds (1995– ...
,
Félix Rodríguez,
Michael Tucker,
José Vizcaíno
José Luis Vizcaíno Pimental (born March 26, 1968) is a Dominican former professional baseball player. He was a backup infielder for most of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career. He, along with Darryl Strawberry and Ricky Ledée, are the on ...
,
Chris Widger,
Tim Worrell
Timothy Howard Worrell (born July 5, 1967) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. A right-hander, he pitched all or parts of 14 seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily as a relief pitcher. During his major league career, Worrell ...
and
Esteban Yan
Esteban Luis Yan (born June 22, 1975) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in all or parts of 11 seasons in Major League Baseball. At , , he batted and threw ri ...
.
José Lima last played in 2006, but was eligible for consideration in 2011 due to his death on May 23, 2010.
''ESPN.com'' columnist
Jim Caple noted several days before the announcement of the 2012 results that the PED issue and the BBWAA's limit of 10 votes per ballot was likely to result in a major backlog in upcoming elections:
Golden Era Committee
In keeping with the restructured Hall of Fame voting procedure, the existing BBWAA-appointed Historical Overview Committee identified 10 Golden Era candidates who were judged to have made their greatest contributions between 1947 and 1972. Along with the 1947–1972 era, these rules defined the consideration set:
*Players who played in at least 10 major league seasons, who are not on Major League Baseball's ineligible list (e.g.,
Pete Rose), and have been retired for 21 or more seasons.
*Managers and umpires with 10 or more years in baseball and retired for at least five years. Candidates who are 65 years or older are eligible six months following retirement.
*Executives retired for at least five years. Active executives 65 years or older are eligible for consideration.
Historical Overview Committee (11 BBWAA members):
Dave Van Dyck Dave may refer to:
Film, television, and theater
* ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver
* ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film
* Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...
(''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'');
Bob Elliott (''
Toronto Sun
The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices is located at Pos ...
'');
Rick Hummel
Richard Lowell Hummel (born February 25, 1946) is an American author and sports columnist best known for his work for the ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch''. Hummel was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in 2007 ...
(''
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a major regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the ''Belleville News-Dem ...
'');
Steve Hirdt The Elias Sports Bureau is a privately held company providing historical and current statistical information for the major professional sports leagues operating in the United States and Canada.
Elias is the official statistician for Major League Ba ...
(
Elias Sports Bureau);
Bill Madden (''
New York Daily News
The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
'');
Ken Nigro
Ken or KEN may refer to:
Entertainment
* Ken (album), ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer.
* Ken (film), ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film.
* Ken (magazine), ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine ...
(formerly ''
The Baltimore Sun
''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries.
Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'');
Jack O'Connell Jack O'Connell may refer to:
* Jack O'Connell (actor) (born 1990), English actor
* Jack O'Connell (Australian politician) (1903–1972), member of the Victorian Legislative Council
* Jack O'Connell (diplomat) (1921–2010), American diplomat and C ...
(BBWAA secretary/treasurer);
Glenn Schwarz (formerly ''
San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...
'');
Claire Smith (
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
);
Tracy Ringolsby (
FSN Rocky Mountain
AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain is an American regional sports network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery through its sports unit as part of the AT&T SportsNet brand of networks, and is an affiliate of Bally Sports. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, ...
); and
Mark Whicker
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* Finn ...
(''
Orange County Register
''The Orange County Register'' is a paid daily newspaper published in California. The ''Register'', published in Orange County, California, is owned by the private equity firm Alden Global Capital via its Digital Fiest/Media News subsidiaries. ...
'').
The Golden Era Ballot for election by the Golden Era Committee on December 5 was released on November 3, 2011,
and the Hall of Fame announced the results on December 5, 2011.
Kaat, Miñoso, Oliva, and Tiant were living when the ballot was announced.
Golden Era Committee (16-member committee appointed by the Hall's board of directors) was announced at the same time as the Golden Era ballot:
*Hall of Famers:
Hank Aaron,
Al Kaline,
Ralph Kiner
Ralph McPherran Kiner (October 27, 1922 – February 6, 2014) was an American Major League Baseball player and broadcaster. An outfielder, Kiner played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, and Cleveland Indians from 1946 through 1955. Follow ...
,
Tommy Lasorda,
Juan Marichal,
Brooks Robinson
Brooks Calbert Robinson Jr. (born May 18, 1937) is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Baltimore Orioles from 1955 to 1977. Nicknamed "the Human Vacuum Cleaner" or "Mr. Hoover", he is generally c ...
,
Don Sutton,
Billy Williams
Billy Leo Williams (born June 15, 1938) is a former left fielder and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played from 1959 to 1976, almost entirely for the Chicago Cubs. A six-time All-Star, Williams was named the 1961 National League (NL) ...
*Executives:
Paul Beeston,
Bill DeWitt
William Orville DeWitt Sr. (August 3, 1902 — March 4, 1982) was an American professional baseball executive and club owner whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned more than 60 years. His son William Jr. is currently the principal o ...
,
Roland Hemond
Roland A. Hemond (October 26, 1929 – December 12, 2021) was an American professional baseball executive who worked in Major League Baseball. He served as the scouting director of the California Angels, general manager of the Chicago White Sox ...
,
Gene Michael,
Al Rosen
Albert Leonard Rosen (February 29, 1924 – March 13, 2015), nicknamed "Flip" and "The Hebrew Hammer", was an American baseball third baseman and right-handed slugger for the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball for ten seasons in the 194 ...
*Media:
Dick Kaegel
Richard James Kaegel (born c. 1940) is an American sportswriter. As a beat writer, he covered the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball, and also served as the editor-in-chief for ''The Sporting News''.
Biography
Ka ...
,
Jack O'Connell Jack O'Connell may refer to:
* Jack O'Connell (actor) (born 1990), English actor
* Jack O'Connell (Australian politician) (1903–1972), member of the Victorian Legislative Council
* Jack O'Connell (diplomat) (1921–2010), American diplomat and C ...
,
Dave Van Dyck Dave may refer to:
Film, television, and theater
* ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver
* ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film
* Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...
The Committee convened at the 2011 winter meetings on December 5, 2011, with the standard 75% or 12 of 16 votes required for election and July 22, 2012, induction.
J. G. Taylor Spink Award
The
J. G. Taylor Spink Award
The BBWAA Career Excellence Award, formerly the J. G. Taylor Spink Award, is the highest award given by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). It is given "for meritorious contributions to baseball writing" and voted on annually by ...
has been presented by the BBWAA at the annual summer induction ceremonies since 1962. Through 2010, it was awarded during the main induction ceremony, but is now awarded the previous day at the Hall of Fame Awards Presentation. It recognizes a
sportswriter "for meritorious contributions to baseball writing".
The recipients are not members of the Hall of Fame but are featured in a permanent exhibit at the National Baseball Museum.
The three nominees for the 2012 award were selected by a three-person BBWAA committee and announced at the BBWAA's annual All-Star Game meeting on July 12, 2011, at
Chase Field in
Phoenix. They were
Bob Elliott of the ''Toronto Sun'';
Paul Hagen
Paul Falck Hagen (19 March 1920 – 19 May 2003) was a Danish film and television actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1952 and 1999. He is most known for playing Mr. Clausen in the television series Huset på Christianshavn, whi ...
, then of the ''Philadelphia Daily News''; and Russell Schneider, formerly of ''The Plain Dealer'' of Cleveland. This was the fourth consecutive year Elliott had been nominated.
Under BBWAA rules, the winner was to be announced either during the
2011 World Series
The 2011 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2011 season. The 107th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Texas Rangers and the Nation ...
or at the 2011 winter meetings. The winner of the 2012 J. G. Taylor Spink Award, announced at the winter meetings, was Bob Elliott, who received 205 votes from the 455 ballots cast. Hagen received 169 votes and Schneider 61. Elliott became the first Canadian recipient of the award.
This is Elliott's second award for writing excellence from a major baseball hall of fame. He was the 2010 recipient of the
Jack Graney Award
The Jack Graney Award is presented by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum to a member of the Canadian media for their contributions to the game of baseball in Canada. The award is not presented every year, b ...
, given irregularly for excellence in either writing or broadcasting, from the
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
Ford C. Frick Award
The
Ford C. Frick Award
The Ford C. Frick Award is presented annually by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in the United States to a broadcaster for "major contributions to baseball". It is named for Ford C. Frick, former Commissioner of Major League Baseball. Before h ...
, honoring excellence in baseball broadcasting, has been presented at the induction ceremonies since 1978.
Through 2010, it had been presented at the main induction ceremony, but is now presented at the Awards Presentation. Recipients are not members of the Hall of Fame but are permanently recognized in an exhibit at the museum. To be eligible, an active or retired broadcaster must have a minimum of 10 years of continuous major league broadcast service with a ball club, a network, or a combination of the two. The honor is based on four criteria: longevity; continuity with a club; honors, including national assignments such as the
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
and All-Star Games; and popularity with fans. The recipient was announced during the 2011 winter meetings, following a vote by the same committee that selected seven of the finalists (below).
Ten finalists were announced on October 5, 2011.
In accord with guidelines established in 2003, seven were chosen by a committee composed of the living recipients along with broadcasting historians and columnists. Three were selected from a list of candidates by fan voting in September 2011 at the Hall's
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
page.
* Committee selections:
**
Skip Caray
Harry Christopher "Skip" Caray Jr. (August 12, 1939 – August 3, 2008) was an American sportscaster, best known for his long career as a radio and television play-by-play announcer for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball. He was the son ...
**
René Cárdenas
René Cárdenas (born February 6, 1930) is a Nicaraguan sports journalist and announcer. He became the first Spanish-language announcer to cover Major League Baseball, when he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1958. He has also broadcast games fo ...
**
Ken Coleman
**
Bill King
**
Tim McCarver
**
Graham McNamee
Thomas Graham McNamee (July 10, 1888 – May 9, 1942) was an American radio broadcaster, the medium's most recognized national personality in its first international decade. He originated play-by-play sports broadcasting for which he was awa ...
**
Eric Nadel
* Fan selections:
**
Tom Cheek
**
Jacques Doucet
**
Mike Shannon
Thomas Michael Shannon (born July 15, 1939) is an American former professional baseball infielder / outfielder who spent his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career playing for the St. Louis Cardinals (–). Shannon worked as a Cardinals radio ...
Five candidates were living when the ballot was announced—the active McCarver, Nadel, and Shannon; and the retired Cárdenas and Doucet.
On December 7, Tim McCarver, the lead analyst for ''
Major League Baseball on Fox'' since , was named as the recipient. A catcher in MLB for 22 years, mostly with the
St. Louis Cardinals and
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
, he joined the Phillies' local television broadcast team almost immediately after his first retirement as a player in 1979 (he would briefly return as a player late in the 1980 season). From there, he went on to the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
' local broadcast team before moving to national network television. McCarver has been an analyst for all four of the major U.S. over-the-air broadcast networks during his career.
McCarver became the second Frick Award winner, after recipient
Tony Kubek
Anthony Christopher Kubek (born October 12, 1935) is an American former professional baseball player and television broadcaster. During his nine-year playing career with the New York Yankees, Kubek played in six World Series in the late 1950s an ...
, whose broadcasting career was exclusively in television.
Notes and references
External links
National Baseball Hall of Fame Official WebsiteBBWAA Rules for Election to the Hall of Fame
{{2012 Baseball HOF
Baseball Hall of Fame balloting
Hall of Fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...