Dunn headlines Reds' 2020 HOF candidates

November 18th, 2019

CINCINNATI -- A fresh batch of newly eligible former players are appearing for the first time on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, which was released on Monday by the Cooperstown, N.Y., museum.

The 2020 ballot is headlined by Yankees great Derek Jeter, but there are three former Reds -- outfielder , third baseman and first baseman -- also on the ballot.

To be eligible, players must have played at least 10 seasons of Major League Baseball and remained retired for five full seasons. To gain election from the Baseball Writers' Association voters to the Hall of Fame, a player needs to be on at least 75 percent of the ballots cast. To remain eligible for the ballot, he must have been on at least five percent of ballots cast. As long as they stay above that threshold, players have 10 years of eligibility on the BBWAA ballot.

Results will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020, and fans can watch live on MLB Network.

Dunn, who turned 40 on Nov. 9, played 14 seasons with his first eight being spent in Cincinnati from 2001-08 after he was the Reds' second-round pick in the 1998 MLB Draft. He also played for the D-backs, Nationals, White Sox and A’s before retiring after the 2014 season with 462 career home runs -- a ratio of one for every 14.9 at-bats.

During his career with the Reds, Dunn hit 270 homers and is ranked fourth in the franchise’s history behind Johnny Bench, Tony Perez and Frank Robinson. He slugged at least 40 homers in six seasons -- including five straight from 2004-08 and totaled at least 100 RBIs in six seasons as well. The two-time All-Star led his league in walks twice with at least 100 walks in eight seasons and had a .364 career on-base percentage.

On the national ballot for the third time, Rolen was inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame in ’19 but spent the end of his career with the Reds from 2009-12. Over his 17-year career with the Phillies, Cardinals, Blue Jays and Reds, he had a slash line of .281/.364/.490 with 316 home runs and 1,287 RBIs. He was a member of the 2006 World Series championship team with St. Louis.

Rolen was the 1997 National League Rookie of the Year, a seven-time All-Star and eight-time NL Gold Glove winner. He was viewed by many as the best defensive third baseman of his era, but he has been well short of election over his first two years on the ballot. The 44-year-old received 17.9 percent of the vote on the ’19 ballot, an improvement from the 10.2 percent he received from his first time in ’18.

Konerko was acquired from the Dodgers in July 1998 and played in 26 games, then was traded to the White Sox for Mike Cameron after the season.

The 2020 Hall of Fame induction in Cooperstown is scheduled for July 26.