Boston Red Sox first-time nominees for Baseball Hall of Fame

The upcoming Baseball Hall of Fame election will include a number of former Boston Red Sox players making their first appearance on the ballot.

Now that David Ortiz has officially retired we can start the countdown to when his name will be eligible to appear on the ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame. While the Boston Red Sox will waste little time retiring his number at Fenway Park and enshrining him into the franchise Hall of Fame, Big Papi will need to wait five years before he gets the chance to be called to Cooperstown.

Candidates must have ceased to be an active Major League player at least five calendar years preceding the election. Ballots sent to members of the Baseball Writer’s Association must be submitted by December 31, with the results to be announced in January.

Ortiz isn’t eligible yet, but a number his former Red Sox teammates are among the first-time nominees on this year’s ballot.

Enshrinement into the Hall of Fame requires a vote on at least 75 percent of the ballots cast by writers that are limited to voting for no more than 10 players. Nominees that fall short of that threshold can remain on the ballot for up to 10 years as long as they receive at least 5 percent of the vote.

Former Red Sox pitchers Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling remain on the ballot after falling short in previous years.

Will any of the new names on the ballot receive enough votes to get in? Let’s take a look at some of these former Red Sox players that are now eligible.