PITTSBURGH -- The last three years, Barry Bonds has inched forward in the Hall of Fame voting. Is this the year he takes a big step into Cooperstown?
The 2018 National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released Monday includes Bonds, the Major Leagues' all-time home run leader, for the sixth time. He was listed on 53.8 percent of last year's ballots, up from 44.3 percent in 2016 and 36.8 in '15. He is the only former Pirate up for election into the Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame election announcement will be Jan. 24 at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network. To gain election, nominees have to appear on at least 75 percent of ballots submitted by Baseball Writers' Association of America voters.
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Three players made up the Hall of Fame's Class of 2017: Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez. How many legends will join them next summer? Trevor Hoffman fell just short last year, earning 74 percent of the vote, and Vladimir Guerrero was not far behind at 71.7 percent. Edgar Martinez was next up at 58.6 percent, followed by two players whose otherwise-undeniable candidacy is shrouded by suspicions of performance-enhancing drug use: Roger Clemens and Bonds.
This year's Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot also includes a number of worthy newcomers like Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Omar Vizquel, Andruw Jones and Scott Rolen. Not on the ballot is Jack Wilson, the former Pirates shortstop and 2004 All-Star, who spent 12 years in the Majors and parts of nine seasons in Pittsburgh.
Meanwhile, Bonds appears to be gaining momentum the longer he remains on the ballot. Most of his historical achievements came for the Giants, but he established himself with the Pirates. Bonds slugged 176 of his 762 home runs for Pittsburgh, stole 251 bases and slashed .275/.380/.503 in seven seasons.

Bonds, the National League MVP Award winner in 1990 and '92 and the runner-up in '91 with the Pirates, made two All-Star teams while playing for Pittsburgh and won three straight Gold Glove Awards and Silver Slugger Awards from '90-92. From 1986-92, he accumulated 50.1 Wins Above Replacement -- the ninth most in Pittsburgh franchise history.
Bonds then signed with the Giants and spent the next 15 years in San Francisco. He played 22 years in the big leagues, racking up 2,935 hits, 2,558 walks, 1,996 RBIs and 514 steals to go along with his MLB-record 762 homers. Bonds, a seven-time MVP and 14-time All-Star, retired as a career .298 hitter with a .444 on-base percentage and a .607 slugging clip.
Bonds debuted on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2013 and received 36.2 percent of the vote. That total dipped to 34.7 percent in '14, then climbed each of the past three years. Players named on at least 5 percent of voters' ballots remain eligible for 10 years. Voters can select up to 10 eligible candidates each year.