Turner joins 7 others on Hall of Fame executive committee ballot

Ted Turner, the late owner of the Atlanta Braves, is one of eight men named to the ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s contemporary era committee for managers, executives and umpires. The Hall of Fame announced the list on Monday. The committee will meet on December 6 during the winter meetings in San Diego.

The other seven candidates are retired managers Dusty Baker, Bruce Bochy, Joe Maddon and Lou Piniella. Former general managers Sandy Alderson and Brian Sabean also appear on the list. Bill White, a former player, broadcaster and National League president, rounds out the group. The identities of the 16 voters will be revealed closer to the meeting date.

Turner purchased the Braves in 1976 and led the franchise until 1996. He died on May 6 at age 87. Under his ownership, the team captured the 1995 World Series title. Turner also transformed WTBS into a national superstation. Piniella, 83, received 11 votes in 2023 and another 11 in 2018. He has not previously been elected by this committee.

Dusty Baker, 77, managed in the majors from 1993 to 2023. He finished with a 2,183-1,862 record and won the 2022 World Series with the Houston Astros. Bruce Bochy, 71, managed from 1995 to 2025 and won four World Series titles. Joe Maddon, 72, managed from 1996 to 2022 and won the 2016 World Series with the Chicago Cubs.

Sandy Alderson, who will turn 79 on November 22, served as general manager for the Oakland Athletics and New York Mets. He won the 1989 World Series with the Athletics. Brian Sabean, 70, was the general manager for the San Francisco Giants from 1996 to 2014. He won three World Series titles during that tenure. Bill White, 92, won the 1964 World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals and served as National League president from 1989 to 1994.

The Hall of Fame restructured its veterans committees in 2022. This change created separate panels for the contemporary era from 1980 onward and the classic era from before 1980. The contemporary panel for managers, executives and umpires meets every three years. The next meeting for this specific group is scheduled for December 2029.

Election requires a vote of at least 75% of the panel. Any inductee will be enshrined on July 25 alongside players voted in by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. The BBWAA balloting results will be announced on January 19. Candidates who receive fewer than five of the 16 votes are ineligible for the next ballot three years later.

The historical overview committee that selected these candidates included historians and former writers such as Adrian Burgos, Bob Elliott and Steve Hirdt. Players Buster Posey, Jon Lester and Ryan Zimmerman are eligible for the BBWAA vote for the first time. Holdovers on that ballot include Chase Utley, Andy Pettitte and Félix Hernández.