Doc Adams Appeared On A Hall Of Fame Ballot For The 1st Time In 2015
On October 5, 2015, Daniel Lucius ‘Doc’ Adams appeared on a Hall of Fame ballot for the first time, 153 years after he retired from the Knickerbockers. The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced Doc Adams as one of the 10 candidates on the 2016 Pre-integration Era ballot. This marked a major milestone on the road to recognizing Doc Adams with induction as a member of the Hall of Fame.
Doc Adams has been dead since 1899; he is too well versed in the art of patience.
John Thorn, Official Historian of Major League Baseball
For a more detailed announcement read DOC ADAMS HELPED SHAPE BASEBALL’S EARLIEST DAYS.
Sadly, Doc came up 2 votes short for election. However, shortly after the vote, the re-discovery of Doc’s handwritten “Laws of Base Ball” was announced. Surely, this seminal document should convince any voter with doubts, that Adams belongs in the Hall of Fame. However, it did not convince the Early Baseball Historical Overview Committee as they inexplicably left Doc Adams off of the 2022 Early Baseball Ballot. He will next be eligible for the 2025 Classic Baseball Era ballot.
Thanks for your continued support as we take this final step to achieve the goal of getting Doc his long overdue recognition.
This post says Doc Adams will not be eligible again for the ballot until 2032. However, the banner at the top of the page says that he will be eligible on the “2025 Classic Baseball Era Ballot.” This is confusing.
Sorry for the confusion. This was a re-post and I inadvertently neglected to update that date. The National Baseball Hall of Fame updated their rules (again) in April of 2022.
Contemporary Baseball Era/Player Ballot: December of 2022 for inclusion in the Class of 2023
Contemporary Baseball Era/Managers/Executives/Umpires Ballot: December of 2023 for inclusion in the Class of 2024
Classic Baseball Era: December of 2024 for inclusion in the Class of 2025
The Classic Baseball Era ballot will then be on a 3-year cycle.
So, Doc Adams IS next eligible for 2025 Classic Baseball Era ballot to be announced around October of next year.
Again, sorry for the confusion. Thanks for reading closely!