Era Committee elections rescheduled to 2021

The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced Monday that it is delaying each of its scheduled Era Committee elections to the winter of 2021 due to uncertainties caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

"With the nation's safety concerns, the travel restrictions and the limitations on group gatherings in effect for many regions, it is not possible to ensure that we can safely and effectively hold these committee meetings," said Jane Forbes Clark, chairman of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. "The Era Committee process, which has been so effective in evaluating Hall of Fame candidates, requires an open, yet confidential conversation and an in-person dialogue involving the members of the 16-person voting committee.

"In view of these concerns, the board of directors has decided that the Golden Days Committee and the Early Days Committee will instead meet during the winter of 2021."

Both the Golden Days (candidates whose most indelible contributions came between 1950-69) and Early Baseball (contributions prior to '50) Era Committees were scheduled to vote this winter on potential Hall of Fame candidates who were not previously elected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America or a different veterans committee. Those two committees will now vote in the winter of 2021, with the Today's Game Era (1988-present) Committee's vote postponed until the winter of '22 and the Modern Baseball Era (1970-87) Committee moved to the winter of '23.

Each committee's ballot consists of 10 candidates compiled by the BBWAA's Historical Overview Committee. Former MLB Players' Association executive director Marvin Miller and catcher Ted Simmons were the most recent veterans to be elected by the Modern Baseball Era Committee for the Class of 2020. Both figures will be celebrated alongside BBWAA electees Derek Jeter and Larry Walker -- along with the Class of 2021 -- in a historic double induction ceremony next July in Cooperstown, N.Y.