Next year’s Baseball Hall of Fame ballot was released Monday and former Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. and five former Orioles.
Among the group of holdovers remaining on the ballot from last year are former Orioles Tim Raines (55 percent), Curt Schilling (39.2), Lee Smith (30.2) and Mike Mussina (24.6).
Candidates must garner at least 75 percent of the vote to receive induction.
For former Oriole Sammy Sosa, who only received 6.6 percent of the vote last year, it could be his final year on the ballot. Players must receive at least 5 percent to remain on the ballot.
The ballot includes a 15-player group of first-year candidates headlined by Griffey, Jr. and closer Trevor Hoffman, as well as 17 holdovers from last year.
Among those holdovers, catcher Mike Piazza (69.9 percent) and first baseman Jeff Bagwell (55.7) received the highest percentage of votes.
The other players among the first-year candidates are Billy Wagner, David Eckstein, Mike Lowell, Garret Anderson, Jim Edmonds, Luis Castillo, Mike Hampton, Brad Ausmus, Jason Kendall, Mike Sweeney, Mark Grudzielanek, Troy Glaus and Randy Winn.
Among the holdovers, Mark McGwire and Alan Trammell are on the ballot for the final year of eligibility.
Voting is done by eligible members of the Baseball Writers Association of America — those with 10 or more consecutive years of membership — and results will be announced on Jan. 6 during an MLB Network telecast.
This year’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held in Cooperstown, N.Y., on July 24.
