We were this close last year when, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Early Baseball Era Committee election was postponed for a year.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced that it was delaying the Era Committee Elections scheduled for the 2020 Meetings until next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, Doc Adams had to wait another year for an opportunity to appear on a ballot.

This was the second delay to Doc Adams’ second chance at being honored with election into the Hall. Doc waited 153 years before appearing for the first time on a ballot in 2015 (Pre-integration Era Committee). After falling 2 votes short of election, he would have been eligible again in 2018.

However, the Hall revised it’s Era Committee structure in 2016 resulting in Doc’s next chance to appear on a ballot being 2020 for the Early Baseball Era Committee.

Around this time last year, the Hall has announced that it was postponing the 2021 Era Committee elections until the 2021 Winter Meetings. So here we are again. the clock is now counting down to the announcement of the 2022 Early Baseball Era Ballot and subsequent vote at the 2021 Winter Meetings. We are now closer than we’ve been in the last 6 years.

Sadly, we lost Marjorie Adams in July, but we carry on her mission in her honor.

The delay also eliminated the possibility of Doc Adams, the creator of the shortstop position, being enshrined alongside the latest shortstop to be elected, Derek Jeter, next month.

The next stop the announcement of the 2022 ballot. Fingers crossed, Doc Adams will be on that ballot. Then onto the vote at the 2021 MLB Winter Meetings. After this year, the Early Baseball Era Committee will not meet again for another 10 years..

Last year’s Hall announcement can be read here: Delayed again!