Curt Schilling should remain on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot next year regardless of his petition to be eliminated , the Baseball Writers’ Association of America said in its recommendation to the Hall’s board of directors Wednesday.
“It’s the position of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America who Mr. Schilling’s petition to eliminate himself from the ballot is a breach of the rules put forth by the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s board of directors, that have commissioned the BBWAA to conduct the yearly elections, especially the following:’The duty of the Screening Committee shall be to prepare a ballot listing in alphabetical order qualified applicants that (1) received a vote on a minimum of five percent (5%) of the ballots cast in the preceding election or (2) are qualified for the first time and are nominated by both of the six members of the BBWAA Screening Committee.’
“Mr. Schilling has fulfilled both of these requirements and should remain on the ballot because of the voting body for what could be his final year on the BBWAA ballot in 2022. The Hall of Fame assigned the BBWAA to be the electorate at 1936. This institution has abided by the principles for 85 years and shall continue to do so. The BBWAA urges the board to reject Mr. Schilling’s petition,” BBWAA secretary/treasurer Jack O’Connell said in a statement.
Schilling, a six-time All-Star over 20 seasons using all the Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox, has been the leading vote-getter in the Class of 2021 with 285 votes, however with 71.8% of the vote he did not match the 75% threshold to gain election to the Hall of Fame. After the voting totals were declared, Schilling shared Tuesday on Facebook that he composed a letter to the Hall of Fame on Monday requesting to be removed from the ballot at 2022.
“I won’t take part in the last year of voting. I am requesting to be removed from the ballot. I will defer to the veterans committee and guys whose opinions really matter and who are in a position to actually judge a participant,” Schilling wrote. “I really don’t think I’m a hall of famer as I’ve often stated but if former gamers believe I am then I’ll accept that with honour ”
Schilling had seen his vote share climb from 45% in 2017 to 70% this past year. Historically, most players who reach the 70% level finally garner sufficient support to land in Cooperstown. However, backlash against Schilling’s social and public media remarks appears to be restricting his support.
One of Schilling’s more controversial statements were a 2016 tweet, afterwards deleted, where he seemed to endorse the lynching of journalists. More recently, Schilling expressed support for the Jan. 6 attack to the U.S. Capitol — although the writers’ ballots were filed before that date.
In addition, Schilling has been dismissed as a baseball analyst by ESPN after submitting a derogatory message on societal media about transgender people. That followed his prior suspension from the network after he compared extremist Muslims to Nazis in a societal networking article.
“I will say at this stage I am mentally done. I understand math and I understand trends and that I understand I will not attain the 75% threshold for induction,” Schilling wrote in his letter. “As I’ve stated often over the previous years to those I have spoken with in my heart I’m at peace. Nothing, zero, none of these claims being made by some of those authors hold merit.”
“No matter mine is as a player it is going to be the truth, and I earned for better or worse,” he continued. “The game has made it clear it does not want me back and that is fine, the game owes me precisely nothing. It gave a billion times than it took and I will forever be deeply in debt .”