Hall of Fame Ballot

The annual BBWAA ballot listing eligible players — requiring 75% of votes for induction and dropping players below 5%.

The Baseball Hall of Fame ballot is distributed annually to eligible members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). Each writer may vote for up to 10 players from the list of eligible candidates.

Eligibility requirements: a player must have played at least 10 MLB seasons, been retired for at least 5 years, and passed a screening committee review. The ballot typically includes 25–35 candidates.

Key thresholds: - 75% of votes cast: inducted into the Hall of Fame - Below 5% of votes: removed from future ballots - Players can remain on the ballot for up to 10 years (reduced from 15 in 2014)

Players who fall off the ballot may still be considered by era-based committees (formerly the Veterans Committee). The ballot system creates fascinating multi-year narratives as players like Tim Raines and Jeff Bagwell gradually built support over several cycles.

AllFame's HOF Score projects the likelihood of reaching that 75% threshold while players are still active.