Baseball Hall of Fame: Eight executives and managers join 2026 ballot
Dusty Baker and Bruce Bochy head a list of eight candidates for the Contemporary Baseball Era, with voting set for early December.
By Austin Reed ·
The Hall of Fame announced on Monday that eight individuals will compete for induction during the Contemporary Baseball Era vote. The group consists of four former executives and four retired managers whose primary contributions to the sport occurred after 1980.
The candidates include managers Dusty Baker, Bruce Bochy, Joe Maddon, and Lou Piniella. On the executive side, the ballot features Sandy Alderson, Brian Sabean, Ted Turner, and Bill White. Turner, who owned the Atlanta Braves from 1976 to 1996, passed away in May. All other candidates are currently alive.
Voting takes place on December 6 in San Diego, with results announced the same day. A candidate requires 12 of a possible 16 votes to secure a spot in the Hall of Fame. Inductees will join the class in July, following the announcement of player selections by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on January 19. Voters may select up to three names from the list.
Baker, 77, finished his managing career with 2,183 victories, placing him eighth all-time. He guided the Houston Astros to a World Series championship in 2022. Bochy, 71, holds the sixth-most wins in history with 2,252. He captured four World Series titles, including one with the Texas Rangers in 2023 and three with the San Francisco Giants.
Maddon, 72, amassed 1,382 wins while managing the Angels, Cubs, and Rays. He led the Chicago Cubs to their 2016 World Series victory. Piniella, 83, recorded 1,835 wins over 23 seasons as a manager. He lost by one vote to induction in 2023, marking his second close miss via the committee process.
Among the executives, Sabean, 70, oversaw baseball operations for the Giants from 1996 to 2018. He helped assemble three World Series teams during that tenure. Alderson, 79, served as general manager for the Athletics and helped build the 1989 World Series champion. White, 92, acted as president of the National League from 1989 to 1994 and received the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award earlier this year.
Only four managers with at least 1,800 career wins are currently excluded from the Hall of Fame. They are Bochy, Baker, Piniella, and the late Gene Mauch. Terry Francona remains the only active manager to meet that win threshold.
