Ted Simmons & Marvin Miller Elected to the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020

Last night in San Diego, Tim Mead, the new President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, revealed the names of the first members of the Hall’s Class of 2020. Catcher Ted Simmons and Marvin Miller, the former Executive Director of the MLB Players Association, were elected by receiving at least 75% of the vote from the 16-member “Modern Baseball” Eras Committee, which was tasked with looking at the resumes of 10 candidates whose primary impact on the game occurred from 1970-87.

Simmons and Miller were chosen from a star-studded ballot featuring nine players. From the group of players, Simmons bested some of the biggest names of the game in the ’70’s and ’80’s, players who won 6 MVP Awards, who appeared in 57 All-Star Games and won 35 Gold Gloves

Here are the final vote tallies for the 10 candidates. The Hall of Fame traditionally reports “less than x” so as to not embarrass anyone who might have received zero votes or just one.

The 2020 Modern Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot:

• Ted Simmons: elected (13 votes)
• Marvin Miller: elected (12 votes)
• Dwight Evans: 8
• Dave Parker: 7
• Steve Garvey: 6
• Lou Whitaker: 6
• Dale Murphy: less than 4
• Tommy John: less than 4
• Don Mattingly: less than 4
• Thurman Munson: less than 4

After 16 years of not inducting any living members to the Hall, the most recent incarnation of what used to be known as the Veterans Committee has now inducted five new living members in the last three years. Simmons, as a member of the Class of 2020, joins Lee Smith, Harold Baines, Jack Morris and Alan Trammell as Eras Committee inductees from 2018-20.

For Simmons, the selection to Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020 is particularly satisfying. Two years ago, when Morris and Trammell were elected, the longtime backstop received 11 out of 16 votes, one less than the 12 that are needed for a Cooperstown plaque. Simmons also became the first player to be elected by the Eras Committee (formerly known as the Veterans Committee) who was “one and done” on the writers’ ballot. In 1994, Simmons received just 3.7% of the vote from the BBWAA (Baseball Writers Association of America). By getting less than 5% of the vote that year, he was excluded from consideration on any future BBWAA ballots.

As for Miller, one of the most important figures in the history of baseball, his election is long overdue. This was Miller’s 9th appearance on a Veterans Committee ballot, the first time coming in 2001. Like Simmons, Miller once previously received 11 out of 16 votes, falling a vote shy of Cooperstown. Miller finished a vote shy on the 2011 ballot, when he was 93 years old. He passed away just under two years after that close call. Now that he’s gotten the required 12 votes (on the nose), he will be inducted posthumously next summer.

For the record, here are the names of the 16 voters, the members of the Modern Baseball Committee. 7 of the 16 members were also on the 2018 committee that elected Morris and Trammell and gave Simmons those 11 votes.

The 16 Members of the 2020 Modern Baseball Committee

• Hall of Fame players: Rod Carew, Dennis Eckersley, Robin Yount, George Brett, Eddie Murray, Ozzie Smith
• Former MLB General Managers: Sandy Alderson, Dave Dombrowski,  Walt Jocketty, Doug Melvin, Terry Ryan
• Former MLB owner: David Glass
• Longtime media members: Steve Hirdt, Bill Center, Tracy Ringolsby, Jack O’Connell

Bold: were also members of the 2018 Modern Baseball Committee.

Here are some very brief capsules about the newest members of the Hall of Fame, with links to longer pieces in which their candidacies were analyzed.

Ted Simmons (C): 21 MLB Seasons

• Cardinals (1968-80), Brewers (1981-85), Braves (1986-88)
• Career: .285 BA, .348 OBP, .437 SLG, 248 HR, 1,389 RBI, 2,472 Hits
• Career: 118 OPS+, 50.3 WAR (Wins Above Replacement)
• 8-time All-Star, 1980 Silver Slugger
• HOF vote: 3.7% on 1 BBWAA ballot, 4th time on Vets/Eras ballot

With his election into the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020, Ted Simmons becomes the 32nd former member of the modern St. Louis Cardinals (since 1901) to be inducted into Cooperstown, the 11th alumnus of the Braves (Atlanta years only) and 7th man who played for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Simmons is just the 15th catcher to be elected to the Hall (defining catchers as players who played at least 50% of their games behind the dish). Simmons was a part of what was the golden age of catchers. He is now the fourth backstop who had a significant impact in the 1970’s and early 1980’s to be granted a Hall of Fame plaque; he joins Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk and Gary Carter.

“This is a great, great day in my life… It makes for a long day and a difficult day at times, but when I finally got the call, it was real special… There’s never too long a time to wait if you finally make the leap. And today, I finally did.”

— Ted Simmons (12/8/2019)

Simmons credited the analytics community with bringing renewed attention to his worthiness as a Cooperstown candidate.

“I have to be honest… If it weren’t for the analytics people, my career as a potential Hall of Famer probably would have been shut down and forgotten about a long time ago.”

— Ted Simmons (12/8/2019)

To learn more about why Simmons is a highly worthy member of the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020, please take a look at this feature.

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Marvin Miller: Executive Director of the MLB Players Association (1966-1982)

• Executive Director of the MLB Players Association (1966-82)
• Oversaw the dismantling of the reserve clause, which kept players bound to their teams in perpetuity
• Secured rights for players to salary arbitration and free agency
• During his tenure, the average MLB salary rose from $19,000 to $241,497
• 9th time on Vets/Eras ballot

Miller first appeared on the Veterans Committee ballot 19 years ago, when a 14-member committee inducted Bill Mazeroski and Negro League star Hilton Smith. As previously noted, the closest he ever got to a Cooperstown plaque was on the vote for the Class of 2011, when he received 11 out of 16 votes, one shy of what was needed for a plaque.

Seven years ago (November 27, 2012), Miller passed away at the age of 95. He’ll be inducted posthumously next summer. The question is whether members of his family will attend. In his final years, Miller grew bitter about the Hall of Fame Veterans voting process. Regardless, he’s now a Hall of Famer, which is putting a smile on a lot of players’ faces.

“Players are pleased that Marvin will now take his rightful and long overdue place in the Hall of Fame in recognition of the monumental and positive impact he had on our game and our industry.”

— Tony Clark (current MLBPA Executive Director, 12/8/2019)

“I can’t even begin to tell you what Marvin Miller means to me and family… We all know what he meant to Major League players in general… I can’t even begin to make you understand that I couldn’t be more honored to go into the Hall of Fame with a more incredible man.” 

— Ted Simmons (Hall of Fame Class of 2020, 12/8/2019)

Miller Gets 12 Votes on the Nose

As I noted in my preview of the Modern Baseball ballot vote, this seemed to be the most potentially Miller-friendly panel of voters that we have ever seen within the small committees. There were six Hall of Fame players on the panel, all of whom made millions of dollars thanks in part to Miller’s efforts in negotiating for free agency and arbitration rights. There were four long-time media members on the committee; there is near unanimity in the baseball writing class that Miller’s induction was long overdue.

We don’t know this for sure but that theoretically could mean that Miller had at least 10 votes “banked.” If that’s what happened, he needed two more votes from the executives on the committee. Usually there are several current or former owners on the committee, men who had an adversarial relationship with the MLBPA. That wasn’t the case this time.

David Glass of the Kansas City Royals was the only former owner. The other executives were former General Managers, all of whom represented their clubs after Miller retired after 1982. Based on the math, Miller got at least two needed votes from either Glass or these five former GMs (Doug Melvin, Dave Dombrowski, Terry Ryan, Sandy Alderson, Walt Jocketty). I’m just speculating here: Melvin was a minor league player from 1972-78. Might he have been sympathetic to the players’ cause?

For more on Miller’s impact on the game of baseball, why he is a worthy addition to the Hall of Fame and why his family might not attend, please take a look at this piece.

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Other Takeaways from the 2020 Modern Baseball Ballot

As noted earlier, Simmons credited the analytics community for giving his Hall of Fame case renewed interest. Simmons specifically cited his on-base% and high WAR (for a catcher) as helping his cause. The top vote-getter who did not get the Hall call (Dwight Evans) is also a favorite of the analytics community, thanks to his high OBP and WAR. This was Evans first appearance on an Eras Committee ballot and he received 8 votes.

The other first-timer on the ballot (Lou Whitaker) received 6 votes. Again, Sweet Lou is an analytics darling. His career WAR (75.1) is the 7th best of any position player in all of baseball history who is not in the Hall of Fame. He’s behind Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, Adrian Beltre, Pete Rose, and Bill Dahlen (a shortstop who played from 1891-1911). When you consider that Pujols, Beltre and A-Rod are not yet eligible and that Bonds and Rose are tainted by scandal, Whitaker has the highest WAR of any “scandal-free” eligible player since 1911 who is not in Cooperstown.

One thing to remember about the voting in these Eras Committee ballots: it’s extremely difficult mathematically for more than two individuals to be elected. There are 10 candidates and 16 committee members, who are the voters. The panelists are only allowed to vote for 4 out of the 10 candidates. With 12 out of 16 votes needed and a ballot filled with viable candidates, it’s easy to have a scenario where lots of players get 6 to 8 votes. That’s what happened this year; Evans got 8 votes, Dave Parker got 7, while Whitaker and Garvey got 6 each. The other candidates (Thurman Munson, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy and Tommy John) each received 3 or fewer votes.

What’s Next for the Best Players of 1970-87?

What is discussed in these committee meetings is a highly guarded secret but it’s clear that, as each of the 16 members gets the opportunity to comment on each of the 10 candidates, certain “favorites” emerge. How did Simmons and Miller clear the rest of the field? It may be as simple as the fact that each man had previously finished one vote shy of the Hall and that a consensus emerged that it was their “turn.”

This bodes well in particular for Evans, Parker, Whitaker and Garvey, who are seemingly guaranteed of another appearance on the ballot the next time the players from this era will be voted on (in December of 2022). It’s especially good news for any players from 1970-87 that they will no longer have to compete for Hall of Fame votes with the man who led their union so well.

With the election of Simmons and the strong showing by Evans, it’s clear that analytics were considered by the members of this committee. On the other hand, the 7 votes for Parker and 6 for Garvey showed that “fame” was a factor for several members as well. I can’t explain why Parker and Garvey did so much better than Munson, Mattingly, Murphy, or John. I’ll grasp at a straw regarding Parker: he’s been living with Parkinson’s disease for several years. To whatever degree sentimentality plays a role in these committee votes, the desire by some to honor the Cobra while he’s still with us might have been a factor.

Sad to say, the worst news from yesterday’s vote is for the fans of Thurman Munson. He was the only deceased player on the ballot. Because this was the 40th anniversary of his passing, I was among those who speculated that there might be a strong showing of support for him. That’s not what happened. Munson received anywhere between zero and three votes. Considering that this was an anniversary year and that there are a dozen or more worthy players who were not nominated for the 2020 Modern Baseball ballot, I would be surprised if Munson is nominated again for the 2023 ballot.

Looking Forward to Next Summer

Next summer in Cooperstown, Simmons and whomever accepts the plaque in place of Miller will almost certainly be joined on stage by longtime New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, the one obvious choice on the 2020 Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) ballot. Other possibilities for the BBWAA vote include pitcher Curt Schilling and outfielder Larry Walker.

If either Schilling or Walker are to make it, they would have to switch a lot of votes from “no” in 2019 to “yes” in 2020. Considering that eight players have been inducted by the BBWAA in 2018 and 2019, there are certainly enough slots on any writer’s 10-player maximum to cast in the affirmative for either player. The surge required for Walker is significant; he received just 54.6% of the 2019 vote in an election that requires 75%. Still, since it’s his last year of eligibility and the fact that the ballot is less stacked than in recent years, it’s a possibility.

The results about who will join Simmons and Miller in the Hall’s Class of 2020 will be announced on Tuesday, January 21st.

Future Eras Committee Votes

As the Eras Committee process continues, here’s what Hall of Fame enthusiasts have to look forward in upcoming years.

• Class of 2021: Golden Days Era Committee (players from 1950-1969)
• Class of 2021 (also): Early Baseball Era Committee (players before 1950)
• Class of 2022: Today’s Game (1988 and beyond)
• Class of 2023: Modern Baseball (1970-87)
• Class of 2024: Today’s Game (1988 and beyond)
• Class of 2025: Modern Baseball (1970-87)
• Class of 2026: Golden Days (1950-1969)

There will be a significant interest in particular with the Golden Days Committee vote. The players who will be eligible for this ballot haven’t had an opportunity at the Hall since December 2014. That vote highlighted the difficulty of getting 12 out of 16 votes on a ballot of 10 qualified candidates. On the horrible day in which it was revealed that none of the 10 candidates were elected to the Hall of Fame, the groans from the media were noticeable. Dick Allen and and Tony Oliva each received 11 votes, one short of the needed 12. Jim Kaat got 10 votes; Maury Wills 9, Minnie Minoso 8.

Will next year’s committee come to an open consensus next December that it’s “their turn” for Allen and Oliva? I think that’s very likely. The question is whether enough of a consensus builds in the room to elect a third or (can we dare to dream) fourth member from that group? Depending on what happens with the BBWAA ballot next January, it’s possible that any Golden Days inductees will be the only living players to take the stage in the summer of 2021.

In the meantime, we can look forward to July 2020 and the inductions of Jeter, Simmons, Miller and maybe Walker and/or Schilling.

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