2024 Contemporary Era Hall Of Fame Ballot

Four managers, two umpires, and two executives are up for induction on the 2024 Contemporary Hall of Fame Ballot. They are: 

Cito Gaston 

Davey Johnson 

Jim Leyland 

Lou Piniella 

Joe West 

Ed Montague 

Bill White 

Hank Peters 

If I were a voter, I'd vote for Johnson, West, White, and perhaps Peters. 

The Hall of Fame doesn't really need more managers, but Johnson would be a good addition. He played 13 seasons in the Majors, making four all-star teams and hitting 43 homers in 1973. As a manager, he won 1,372 games and had a .562 winning percentage, way above the Hall of Fame average. Johnson led the Mets to a World Championship in 1986 and was twice the Manager of the Year, once in each league. 

Joe West has had his share of criticism for his temper, but he remains one of the finest umpires in history. Active from 1976 through 2021, West umpired 5,460 games across 44 seasons - both MLB records. He showed his dedication to the game by opting to work for free in 2020 and contributed to umpire safety by popularizing a new kind of chest protector. He's a no-brainer. 

I've advocated White's case before. See https://thecooperstownadvocate.blogspot.com/2022/04/why-i-think-bill-white-should-be-in.html 

Hank Peters was largely responsible for the Orioles' success under manager Earl Weaver (mediating between him and owner Edward Bennett Williams) and for turning the lackluster Indians of the early 1990's into one of baseball's best teams of the decade. 

As for the other three managers on the list, they all had winning percentages under .520. Gaston has only 894 wins to his credit; Piniella was renowned for throwing temper tantrums; and Leyland was perhaps a bit behind the times in terms of strategy. The Hall has no need for any of them. 

Ed Montague was a decent umpire who had a long career, but there are a lot of guys like that. There is nothing special about him in particular that really warrants his induction.