Hall of Fame

Each year, former Major League Baseball players who have been retired for at least five years become eligible for election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. To be elected, eligible candidates are required to garner at least 75 percent of the votes on ballots cast by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. In addition, every two years, the Committee on Baseball Veterans votes in players who have been retired as players for at least 21 years or whose service in the Negro Leagues before 1946 and the major leagues totals at least 10 years. Every four years, the committee votes in executives, managers or umpires who have been retired for at least five years. The waiting period is reduced to six months if the candidate is 65 at retirement or turns 65 during the five-year waiting period.