The Modern Era Committee for voting on the Hall of Fame has selected the two representatives who will enter the Baseball Hall of Fame as a part of the 2020 class. Former St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ted Simmons and former Major League Baseball Players’ Association Executive Director Marvin Miller were the two candidates who were selected.
Marvin Miller and Ted Simmons have been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame via the Modern Baseball Era Committee. pic.twitter.com/c3fk08stVG
— MLB (@MLB) December 9, 2019
Simmons had a twenty-one-year career in the big leagues, spending most of his time with the Cardinals. He also played for the Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves at the end of his career. Simmons was an eight-time all-star and a Silver Slugger award winner during his career, coming out of the University of Michigan. The Michigan native was from Southfield, selected in the tenth round of the 1967 Amateur Player Draft. After receiving thirteen votes, Simmons will join the 2020 class of Baseball Hall of Fame inductees, which currently is just Simmons and Miller.
The other inductee, Miller, was instrumental to the unionization of the MLBPA. Miller worked hard to make it so that players could earn the right to free agency after six years of big-league service time. While working for the MLBPA, he also worked through five work stoppages helping the MLBPA work together with the MLB to keep the on-field products in motion. If that was not enough, after he retired, he went on to be an adviser for three more work stoppages helping assist the MLBPA during that time.
These two players are the first two to join the 2020 class that will be inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Last season, Mariano Rivera was the unanimous vote, but this year it appears it will be Derek Jeter who will be gunning for those honors as the ballots start to rain in for the BBWAA selections.
