Bruce Bochy is back in the Hall of Fame conversation, and this time the path runs through baseball’s Contemporary Era Committee.
The former Padres manager, who steered San Diego to the 1998 World Series, was named Monday as one of eight candidates for the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2027. The ballot also includes Dusty Baker, Joe Maddon, Lou Piniella, Sandy Alderson, Brian Sabean, Ted Turner and Bill White.
Bochy’s case is built on a long run of success that started in San Diego and stretched well beyond it. He managed the Padres for 12 seasons, from 1995 through 2006, and finished with a 951-975 record while guiding the club to four National League West titles.
His peak in San Diego came in 1998, when the Padres won 98 games, captured the National League pennant and then fell to the New York Yankees in the World Series. That team included Tony Gwynn, Ken Caminiti, Greg Vaughn and Trevor Hoffman, and it remains the last Padres club to get to the World Series.
Bochy also won National League Manager of the Year in 1996, when San Diego went 91-71 and claimed its first division title under his watch.
After his time with the Padres ended following the 2006 season, Bochy moved on to the San Francisco Giants and added three more championships there, winning World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014. He later won again with the Texas Rangers in 2023, giving him four World Series championships overall and putting him among only six managers in major league history to reach that mark.
Over 28 managerial seasons, Bochy piled up 2,252 wins, along with nine postseason appearances and six first-place finishes.
The Hall’s Contemporary Baseball Era Committee, made up of 16 members, will vote on December 6 during baseball’s Winter Meetings in San Diego. A candidate needs at least 75% of the vote - 12 of 16 - to be elected.
The results will be announced that night on MLB Network, and any inductees will be enshrined July 25, 2027, in Cooperstown, New York.
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Padres Suddenly Face A Costly Michael King Decision
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For a club that has spent plenty of time trying to stabilize its pitching staff, keeping King would go a long way toward preserving some continuity. There is at least one bit of good news on that front: left-handed reliever Yuki Matsui has opted not to exercise his out clause and will remain with the Padres for 2027, with a player option for 2028. Even so, King's situation looms as one of the more important decisions in the Padres' offseason. [Read more 🡒]