Los Angeles Angels owner, Arte Moreno is a part of a committee tasked with debating and ultimately voting on the eligibility status of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens for the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
The committee is set to meet on Sunday to discuss if Bonds and Clemens are destined for Cooperstown, or will their checkered past of steroid questions finally catch up with them and seal their fate for good. A candidate requires 75% of the vote to be elected to the Hall of Fame, and a minimum of 5% to stay on the ballot for a nominee’s next year of eligibility.
Bonds received 260 of 394 votes (66%), while Clemens garnered 257 votes (65.2%) and they’re close to reaching the threshold needed to join MLB’s most prestigious class.
According to Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times, the committee is made up of former players, MLB executives, and Hall of Fame representatives:
The committee that will vote next month on whether Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens make the Hall of Fame. pic.twitter.com/Xo29dtaL5k
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) November 28, 2022
12 out of 16 votes are required for entry, and because of some prior stances taken by Frank Thomas and Ryne Sandberg, those two could be a hard pass on Bonds and Clemens. However, with the public perception of both controversial candidates has shifted a tad, not much, but enough to make a sizable shift, hence their gain in votes.
Moreno and his inclusion to the committee are odd, considering the Angels are up for sale and he is marred by his own question marks, but he will nevertheless be a part of a very slippery slope if they do vote to allow Bonds and Clemens to make the Hall of Fame.
Arte Moreno chose to hang on to Angels star Shohei Ohtani despite knowing he plans to sell team
Now that the news is out there that Moreno is set to explore a sale of the Angels, the impact of his decision, and when he knew looms large with the massive decisions ahead for the franchise in terms of player personnel, mainly Shohei Ohtani.
Moreno has been the controlling owner of the Angels for the last 20 years and in that span, the club has won six division titles and has never sent Mike Trout past the first round of the playoffs.
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