Pete Rose and Joe Jackson: Eligible for the Hall of Fame
A news story that shakes the world of baseball. Rob Manfred, commissioner of Major League Baseball (MLB), has removed Pete Rose, Joe Jackson, seven other members of the 1919 “Black Sox”, six more players, a coach and a former owner from the MLB ineligible list. This means they are now eligible to be considered for the Hall of Fame.
MLB’s decision to remove deceased individuals from the ineligible list will allow the Hall of Fame candidacy of such individuals to be considered.
Jane Forbes Clark, Hall of Fame Chairman
Due to Hall of Fame voting procedures, Rose and Jackson will not be eligible to be voted on until the Baseball’s Classic Era committee, which votes for individuals who had their greatest impact before 1980, meets in December 2027.
Why were these players banned?
All individuals on the ineligible list who were reinstated were declared permanently ineligible due to accusations related to baseball gambling, either for fixing games, accepting bribes, or, like Rose, betting on baseball games.
Most of the banned players, including Jackson and his seven Chicago White Sox teammates who fixed the 1919 World Series, played in the 1910s, when gambling in baseball was widespread. The Black Sox scandal was the biggest manifestation of a problem that had infested baseball for at least a dozen years.
Jackson, one of the biggest baseball stars along with Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker in the 1910s, was a participant in the World Series fix and accepted money from the betting group that paid the White Sox players.
Although the White Sox players were acquitted in a criminal trial in 1921, Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned the eight players in a statement that began with the words “Regardless of the verdict of the juries…”
Regarding Rose, he was banned in 1989 by commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti for betting on games while he was manager of the Cincinnati Reds, including those involving his own team. Rose confessed to the accusations and passed away in September at the age of 83.
Who else is affected?
Phillies owner William Cox was banned in 1943 and forced to sell the team for betting on games. None of the other non-White Sox players have major significance, although Benny Kauff was the Federal League’s big star in 1914-15, winning the batting title both seasons. The Federal League was a separate league that attempted to challenge the National and American leagues.
When could Rose and Jackson enter the Hall of Fame?
The voting process for players not considered by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA), such as Rose and Jackson, includes two eras: the Contemporary Baseball Era (1980 to the present) and the Classic Baseball Era (before 1980).
- December 2025: Contemporary Era Player Ballot.
- December 2026: Contemporary Era Ballot for Managers, Executives, and Umpires.
- December 2027: Classic Era Ballot for Players, Managers, Executives, and Umpires.
Each committee has an initial selection to place eight candidates on the ballot, so Rose and Jackson will first have to get on the ballot. Once the ballot is determined, a 16-person committee made up of Hall of Fame players, executives, and members of the media or historians will vote. A candidate must receive 12 votes to be selected.
Which players have the best cases for the Hall of Fame?
Rose, MLB’s all-time hits leader with 4,256, won three batting titles and was the National League MVP in 1973. His popularity and fame would have made him a Hall of Famer.
Jackson, for his part, was a star of the dead-ball era, with a .408 average in 1911 and .356 in his career. He finished with 62.2 WAR and 1,772 hits in a career that ended at age 32 due to the ban.
The only other player reinstated with a chance to enter a ballot is pitcher Eddie Cicotte, who won 209 games and finished with 59.7 WAR.
Other potential candidates prior to 1980 could include Thurman Munson, Bert Campaneris, Dave Concepción, and Stan Hack.
