Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 2023: What is the selection process to determine inductees?

The Baseball Hall of Fame has many members and is always adding more. Legendary players get voted in after they call it a career and learn that all their work has payed off. Every single year, more players become eligible and are selected for consideration.

Not every one of those players makes the Baseball Hall of Fame. Barry Bonds, for example, did not make it. Roger Clemens didn't, either. It's a process to get in and it sometimes takes a very long time. Here's what you need to know.

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Voting process for Baseball Hall of Fame Induction in 2023

In 2023, the induction process is the same as it always is. Candidates are named and returning candidates who didn't make it in in previous years (with a maximum of 10 years on the ballot being allowed) are put on a ballot and voted on. If players were on the ballot and did not receive 5% of a vote, they do not return the following year.

The Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) votes every year. Members get a ballot and check whether or not they believe said player is worthy of entry. The votes are then compiled into a percentage.

Each voter can only select 10 players from the ballot to put into the Baseball Hall of Fame, which adds a unique wrinkle. To enter Cooperstown and forever be enshrined, former MLB stars must earn 75% of the vote.

If they don't, they try again the following year. This year, just one player will be inducted officially. Scott Rolen is the sole player from the most recent ballot to receive 75%, and he only got in barely with 76.3%.

What is the voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame?

The induction ceremony will take place one mile south of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. The Induction Ceremony generally lasts two or three hours.

The voting process is key for players. Not only does it determine their fate, it is also something they must consider while they are playing. The voters do not solely consider talent or production, as is the case with Bonds and Clemens. Character is important, too.

Bonds was deemed to have cheated with PEDs and thus, he wasn't voted in. Clemens had the same issue. Curt Schilling has off-field issues and has been in the center of controversies and was denied entry as well.

Performance matters, but players like Alex Rodriguez and others will likely not get in due to off-field or other controversies. The voters are naturally subjective, so it's important to be good on and off the field.