COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — The classic era committee for the Hall of Fame, which includes notable players such as Paul Molitor, Eddie Murray, Tony Pérez, Lee Smith, and Ozzie Smith, is set to review an eight-man ballot. This ballot features candidates like Dick Allen, Dave Parker, and Luis Tiant among others. The committee is scheduled to meet on Sunday during the winter meetings in Dallas, with retired manager Joe Torre, also a Hall of Famer, leading the group.

Joining Torre on this committee are executives Sandy Alderson, Terry McGuirk, Dayton Moore, Arte Moreno, and Brian Sabean. Media members and historians involved in the discussions include Bob Elliott, Leslie Heaphy, Steve Hirdt, Dick Kaegel, and Larry Lester, as announced by the Hall on Monday. The focus of the classic era committee is on evaluating contributions to baseball made before 1980, considering players, managers, umpires, and executives.

The ballot under consideration features prominent names such as Tommy John, Steve Garvey, Ken Boyer, along with former Negro League stars John Donaldson and Vic Harris. To achieve induction into the Hall of Fame, a candidate must secure at least 75% of the votes. Those selected will be enshrined on July 27, along with any players who are honored by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA), whose voting results will be revealed on January 21.

Among the living candidates, Parker, John, and Garvey are noteworthy, while Tiant, who passed away on October 8 at the age of 83, made significant impacts during his playing career. Allen, who played from 1963 to 1977, boasted a .292 batting average with 351 home runs and 1,119 RBIs. He was celebrated as a seven-time All-Star and received recognition as the National League’s Rookie of the Year in 1964 and the American League’s MVP in 1972.

Parker, at 73, played from 1973 to 1991, maintaining a .290 batting average with 339 home runs and 1,493 RBIs. He earned the NL MVP award in 1978 and claimed batting titles in 1977 and 1978, in addition to being a seven-time All-Star. Tiant, who played from 1964 to 1982, was a hallmark of pitching excellence with a record of 229 wins and 172 losses, along with a 3.30 ERA. He earned All-Star honors three times and won two AL ERA titles.

Tommy John, now 81, made a mark over his 26 seasons from 1963 to 1989 with a 288-231 record and a 3.34 ERA, while also being a four-time All-Star. His name is forever linked to the surgical procedure now known as Tommy John surgery, which he was the first athlete to undergo in 1974. Garvey, at 75, had a .294 batting average with 272 home runs and 1,308 RBIs during his career from 1969 to 1987. He was an NL MVP in 1974 and played a key role in helping the Los Angeles Dodgers clinch the World Series title in 1981.

Boyer, who played from 1955 to 1969, was an 11-time All-Star with a .287 batting average over his career, hitting 282 home runs and amassing 1,141 RBIs. He was recognized as the NL MVP in 1964 during the St. Louis Cardinals’ championship season. Donaldson had an extensive career in the Negro Leagues and pre-Negro Leagues, while Harris spent 18 seasons primarily as an outfielder for the Homestead Grays and managed the team for over a decade, leading them to seven Negro National League pennants and a World Series title in 1948.

In a recent structural overhaul in 2022, the Hall of Fame revised its veterans committees for the third time in twelve years. This has created panels that focus separately on contemporary eras and classic eras. Committees now meet every three years, with the contemporary players committee having convened in December 2022 and electing Fred McGriff. Meetings focused on contemporary managers and executives took place in December 2023, recognizing Jim Leyland, while the process will continue for contemporary players in December 2025.

The selection of the ballot was determined by a committee of historical experts, which included Adrian Burgos from the University of Illinois, along with other notable figures from various baseball-related backgrounds. Past voting outcomes indicate that Allen previously received 11 votes from the 2014 golden era committee but fell just shy of the required threshold for election. Moreover, Donaldson secured eight votes in the 2021 early baseball era committee, while Parker garnered seven votes during the 2019 modern era committee review.

As the BBWAA prepares for its upcoming vote, new eligible players such as Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Félix Hernández join the ballot, while returning candidates include Billy Wagner, who narrowly missed induction by just five votes last January.