Two Chatham natives will have a say on whether some of the best baseball players get inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Fergie Jenkins and Doug Melvin have been appointed to the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee.
This 16-member committee will decide whether Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, Gary Sheffield, and Fernando Valenzuela deserve to be inducted. Each lost their eligibility into the Hall of Fame after failing to get 75 per cent of votes in any of their 10 years on the ballot or because they didn't receive at least five per cent of votes in one year.
Clemens and Delgado are former Toronto Blue Jays, while Mattingly spent the last three seasons on the team's coaching staff.
Bonds holds several MLB records, including most career home runs with 762.
Kent holds the record for most home runs by a second baseman, while Sheffield is one of 28 members of the MLB's 500 career home run club.
Murphy is a two-time MLB MVP winner, with Valenzuela being the only player ever to win a Cy Yougn Award and Rookie of the Year Award in the same season.
As for Jenkins, he's a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, haveing been inducted in 1991. He was the first Canadian inducted, followed by Larry Walker in 2020.
Melvin never played in the MLB but is currently a Special Assistant to the Milwaukee Brewers' General Manager. He previously served as the general manager for the Brewers and Texas Rangers.
The committee will meet on Sunday to discuss the Hall of Fame case of each candidate. Those who receive votes from at least 12 of the 16 members will be inducted next year alongside those chosen by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
The results of the vote will be shared on the same day.
