Overview
- The eight-player slate features Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valenzuela.
- Voting will be conducted by a 16-person committee appointed by the Hall of Fame board, with results determined on December 7.
- Bonds and Clemens carry overwhelming statistical cases yet face headwinds because of links to performance-enhancing drugs, with Sheffield drawing lesser PED scrutiny.
- Mattingly, Murphy, Valenzuela, Kent and Delgado are presented as more traditional cases after falling short with the BBWAA, with prior peaks including Kent at 46.5%, Mattingly at 28.2%, Murphy at 23.2%, Valenzuela at 6.2% and Delgado at 3.8%.
- The article cites Baseball-Reference for WAR figures and predicts, as opinion, that Mattingly and Murphy could be the beneficiaries on this ballot.