Let the debate begin: Baseball Hall of Fame unveils 10 names on Modern Era ballot

A few of baseball’s most contentious Hall of Fame debates will get new life this winter, as Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, Alan Trammell, Marvin Miller and others are back on the Hall of the Fame ballot.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced Monday the 10 men on its “Modern Era” ballot, whose Cooperstown cases will now be heard by a committee of 16 Hall of Famers, executives and media members in December at baseball’s Winter Meetings.

Here are the 10 candidates, as announced Monday:

• Steve Garvey: 10-time All-Star first baseman who spent the majority of his career with the Dodgers. Won the National League MVP award in 1974, and had four other top-10 finishes in the voting.

• Tommy John: First pitcher to undergo the surgery now named after him in 1974. Sat out 1975 recovering, and spent 14 more seasons in the majors. Compiled 288 wins and a 3.34 ERA over 26 seasons and paved the way for many injured pitchers since then.

• Don Mattingly: Six-time All-Star, nine-time Gold Glove winner and MVP in 1985. Hit .307/.358/.471 over 14 seasons with the Yankees. A back injury forced his retirement despite strong production.

• Marvin Miller: Executive director of the MLB Players Union from 1966 to 1982. Under Miller, the union flourished. Miller oversaw Curt Flood’s challenging of the reserve clause, which eventually led to players being eligible for free agency.

• Jack Morris: Pitched 18 seasons, won 254 games, is best known for his 10-inning shutout in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series for the Twins.

• Dale Murphy: Won back-to-back MVP awards with the Braves in 1982 and 1983. Seven-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glove award winner. Finished with a .265/.346/.469 slash line over 18 seasons.

• Dave Parker: Two-time World Series champion. Hit .290/.339/.471, with 339 home runs, over 19 years in the majors. Won the NL MVP in 1978, and was a three-time Silver Slugger award winner.

• Ted Simmons: Over 21 years, Simmons hit .285/.348/.437, with 248 home runs. Eight-time All-Star. Considered one of the best catchers of all-time despite not being in the Hall of Fame.

• Luis Tiant: Three-time All-Star who led the league in ERA twice. Tiant posted a 3.30 ERA over 19 years in the majors. Was partially known for his unorthodox delivery, in which he would twist his entire body so he was looking at second base during his windup.

• Alan Trammell: Six-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove winner and World Series MVP during his 20-year career with the Tigers. Considered one of the Hall’s biggest snubs by those who embrace sabermetrics.

While this will have no bearing on each player’s result on the Modern Era ballot, here’s a look at how they fared on their 15th year on the normal Hall of Fame ballot:

The Modern Era ballot is one of four under the Hall of Fame’s umbrella that used to known as the Veteran’s Committee. The four committees cover different eras in the game — the Modern Era covers 1970-1987. The other committees are Early Baseball (1871-1949), Golden Days (1950-1969) and Today’s Game (1988-Present).

The votes are intended to give another chance to players who weren’t elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America. The rules for election among the committees are mostly the same — a candidate needs 75 percent of the vote to get in. The committees are just a much-smaller voting pool and each elector is only allowed four votes. A candidate needs to get 12 out of 16 possible votes for enshrinement.

Voting will take place Dec. 10 in Orlando at the MLB Winter Meetings. Winners will be inducted into the Hall of Fame next July along with any players elected by the BBWAA in January.

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

– – – – – –

Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz