The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, located in Cooperstown, New York, honors and preserves the history of baseball and recognizes players, managers, umpires, and executives who have achieved greatness in the sport.
Inductees are primarily chosen through two main processes:
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Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) Vote: Eligible players appear on ballots for 10 years after retirement (previously 15). They must receive at least 75% of the votes cast to be inducted.
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Era Committees (formerly Veterans Committee): These committees periodically review the candidacies of players, managers, executives, and umpires who are no longer on the BBWAA ballot or who played in earlier eras.
Inductions happen annually, with new classes being announced in January and formally enshrined in a ceremony in July.
It's impossible to list every single inductee here, as the list is incredibly extensive, numbering over 300 individuals! The Hall of Fame has been inducting members since its first class in 1936.
However, I can tell you about some of the most iconic or recent inductees, and guide you on where to find the complete list:
Notable Inductees Across Eras (A Very Small Sample):
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Inaugural Class of 1936:
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Ty Cobb: Legendary hitter with the highest career batting average.
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Babe Ruth: Iconic slugger and pitcher, arguably the most famous baseball player of all time.
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Honus Wagner: One of the greatest shortstops in history.
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Christy Mathewson: Dominant pitcher of the Deadball Era.
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Walter Johnson: All-time great power pitcher.
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Other Key Figures:
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Jackie Robinson: Broke the color barrier in MLB.
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Willie Mays: One of the greatest all-around players.
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Hank Aaron: Long-standing home run king.
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Ted Williams: Legendary hitter.
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Roberto Clemente: Humanitarian and hitting star.
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Sandy Koufax: Dominant pitcher.
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Nolan Ryan: All-time strikeout and no-hitter leader.
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Cal Ripken Jr.: "Iron Man" who broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive games streak.
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Derek Jeter: Iconic New York Yankees shortstop.
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The most recent Hall of Fame class (for 2025 induction, as of July 2025) would typically have been announced in January 2025. (As an AI, I do not have real-time access to future announcements, but typically the voting results for the upcoming year's class are revealed in January of that year).
To view the complete and official list of all inductees, including their induction year and voting details, please visit the official website of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum:
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BaseballHall.org (Look for sections like "Hall of Famers" or "Inductees")