For election by the baseball writers, a player must receive 75% of votes in a given Hall of Fame election. Currently, players who are retired five years are eligible for election to the Hall of Fame. Players are removed from the writers ballot if they fail to receive at least 5% of the vote or after ten years (this was fifteen years until 2014). Below is a table of the percentages of the vote for each Hall of Famer who has been elected by the writers. Most of the highest voting percentages have gone to First Ballot Hall of Famers.

Players can also be elected by the Committee on Baseball Veterans or a special committee such as the Centennial Commission or the Special Committee on the Negro Leagues.

Through 2020, 133 players have been elected by the BBWAA.

Mariano Rivera was the first player to be elected unanimously; Derek Jeter received the next-highest percentage of votes (99.74%).

Greg Maddux received the highest number of votes (555).

Rivera was not left off any ballot; Jeter was next, being left off just 1 ballot.

Further Reading [ edit ]

Paul Casella: "Highest voting percentages in HOF history", mlb.com, November 18, 2019. [1]





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