The Classic Baseball Era Committee concluded their voting process for the National Baseball Hall of Fame class of 2025 on Sunday with Dick Allen and Dave Parker becoming the two newest members.
Former Los Angeles Dodgers Steve Garvey and Tommy John were among the six candidates who did not receive the necessary amount of votes needed for induction into the Hall of Fame.
Garvey received less than five votes, falling well short of the 12 votes needed for election. Ken Boyer, John Donaldson, Vic Harris and Luis Tiant also received fewer than five votes. John’s seven votes made him the only nominee with more than five among those who weren’t elected.
Allen and Parker were the only two players to reach the 12-vote threshold, with 13 and 14, respectively.
Garvey enjoyed a lengthy Major League career, spending parts of 15 seasons with the Dodgers and four with the San Diego Padres.
His accolades were many, with 10 All-Star Game selections, four Gold Glove Awards and one National League MVP Award among them. For his career, he had a batting average of .294 and .775 on-base plus slugging percentage to go along with 272 home runs and 1,308 RBI.
Garvey has had a tough time gaining support from Hall of Fame voters with the highest percentage of votes during his 15 years on the BBWAA ballot was 42.6% in 1995.
John’s 26-year MLB career dwarfs Garvey’s in comparison. He is tied with Deacon McGuire for the second longest career in MLB history, one season shy of Nolan Ryan’s record of 27.
John was a textbook definition of a work horse with 4,710.1 innings logged. He appeared in 760 games over his career with a 3.334 ERA, 2245 strikeouts and 1.28 WHIP. He was also a four-time All-Star.
But his impact on the game of baseball goes beyond what he did on the field, which could be why he has more traction with the Hall of Fame voters.
John spent six seasons with the Dodgers from 1972-1978, where he enjoyed some of his best seasons. Included in that stretch was an excellent year in 1974 that saw him go 13–3 with a 2.59 ERA, 78 strikeouts, 42 walks in 153 innings.
However, John’s season was prematurely cut short when he suffered damage to the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his pitching arm.
At the time, that likely would have permanently ended John’s career if not for Dodgers’ team physician Dr. Frank Jobe revolutionizing medical science by performing the world’s first UCL reconstructive surgery, better known today as Tommy John surgery.
John proceeded to pitch 14 more seasons in the Majors following the successful procedure.
The Era Committees consider retired Major League players, managers, umpires and executives who are no longer eligible for election by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) with an emphasis on contributions to the game prior to 1980 or after 1980.
The Era Committee has been a part of the Hall of Fame voting process since the first class of electees in 1936.
Those up for induction are separated into two separate periods of baseball, with the Contemporary Baseball Era consisting of the period from 1980 to present day and the Classic Baseball Era consisting of the period before 1980. The Classic Baseball Era also includes the Negro Leagues and pre-Negro Leagues players.
Former Dodgers slugger Dick Allen elected to Hall of Fame
Allen only spent one season of his 15-year career with the Dodgers, but he was productive in that time. Over his career, he totaled 351 home runs and 1,119 RBI.
He won the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year Award with the Phillies and was named the 1972 American League Most Valuable Player with the White Sox. He reached the 20-home run mark in nine straight seasons and 10 overall while leading his league in slugging percentage three times, extra base hits three times and on-base percentage twice.
Hall of Fame Weekend 2025 will be held July 25-28 in Cooperstown, N.Y., with the Induction Ceremony for Allen, Parker and future electees slated for July 27, 2025. The BBWAA election results will be announced at 3 p.m. PT on Tuesday, Jan. 21, on MLB Network.
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