Zito, Hudson among 11 named to Hall of Fame ballot

[November 17, 2020]  Barry Zito, Tim Hudson, Mark Buehrle, Aramis Ramirez and Torii Hunter will highlight 11 additions to the 2021 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot being sent to the members of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Those players will join the holdovers from the 2020 ballot. The vote from earlier this year, among the more than 400 voting members of the media, placed Derek Jeter and Larry Walker into the Hall of Fame.

In order to be selected for Hall of Fame enshrinement, candidates must be named on 75 percent of ballots. The 2021 induction weekend is scheduled for July 23-26 in Cooperstown, N.Y.

The 2021 induction also will include the 2020 class since that ceremony was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to Jeter and Walker, former players' union director Marvin Miller and catcher Ted Simmons also were named to the 2020 class.

Zito pitched 15 seasons with the Oakland A's and San Francisco Giants, winning the 2002 American League Cy Young Award. Hudson pitched with Zito in Oakland and also had stints with the Atlanta Braves and Giants over a 17-year career in which he won 222 career games with 2,080 strikeouts.

Buehrle was a five-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner over 16 seasons, pitching a perfect game for the Chicago White Sox in 2009 and winning a World Series in 2002. Ramirez played 18 seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers, finishing his career with 386 home runs and 1,417 RBIs. Hunter was a five-time All-Star who won nine Gold Gloves and hit 353 homers over 19 seasons with the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Angels and Detroit Tigers.

San Francisco Giants pitcher Barry Zito pitches to the Toronto Blue Jays during the fourth inning of their MLB American League baseball game in Toronto, May 14, 2013. REUTERS/Mark Blinch

Also new to the 2021 ballot are A.J. Burnett, Michael Cuddyer, Dan Haren, LaTroy Hawkins, Nick Swisher and Shane Victorino.

The 2021 Hall of Fame class will be announced Jan. 26 live on MLB Network.

The entire list of candidates on the 2021 Hall of Fame ballot: Bobby Abreu, Barry Bonds, Buehrle, Burnett, Roger Clemens, Cuddyer, Haren, Hawkins, Todd Helton, Hudson, Hunter, Andruw Jones, Jeff Kent, Andy Pettitte, Ramirez, Manny Ramirez, Scott Rolen, Curt Schilling, Gary Sheffield, Sammy Sosa, Swisher, Victorino, Omar Vizquel, Billy Wagner and Zito.

--Field Level Media

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