These Hall of Fame candidates on Contemporary Era ballot made cameos with Phillies during decorated careers

Barry Bonds, Major League Baseball’s all-time leader in home runs, will get Hall of Fame consideration once again this winter. So will Roger Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner and former MVP. On Monday, the National Baseball Hall of Fame announced the candidates that will be considered for election by the Contemporary Era Committee next month, and the ballot will be crowded with big names that did not reach Cooperstown through the writers’ vote.

Two of those players made appearances with the Phillies during their decorated careers. Both Dale Murphy, a two-time National League MVP and longtime Atlanta Brave, and the late Fernando Valenzuela, who won the 1981 NL Rookie of the Year and MVP with the Los Angeles Dodgers, briefly played in Philadelphia.

Murphy played 15 seasons in Atlanta, making his debut in 1976. He racked up six All-Star appearances and led the NL in homers twice. He won back-to-back MVPs for the Braves in 1982 and 1983, combining Gold Glove defense in center field with a Silver Slugger bat.

As Murphy began to decline, the Braves traded their star to the Phillies during the 1990 season.

“Now we’re 24 morons and one Mormon,” Murphy, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, remembered former teammate John Kruk saying after his arrival to Philadelphia, according to a 2015 interview with MLB.com.

The right-handed hitter had a solid 1991 campaign, but he was limited to only 18 games the next season. He finished his career with a quick stint in Colorado in 1993. Murphy hit 398 home runs with a career .815 OPS.

Valenzuela, a rookie phenomenon in Los Angeles in 1981, was a dominant force when he entered the major leagues. The left-hander had a 2.97 ERA in his first six full seasons, averaging 256 2/3 innings per year while earning six All-Star selections. The native of Mexico sparked “Fernandomania” in Southern California as Mexican-American and other Latino fans rallied behind Valenzuela’s success. The Dodgers retired Valenzuela’s No. 34 in 2023, just a year before his death.

In 1994, the lefty Valenzuela made eight appearances for the Phillies in a strike-shortened season. He pitched three more years in the majors with the Padres and Cardinals before retiring. Valenzuela had a 173-153 record in 17 seasons with a 3.54 ERA. In addition to his Cy Young and MVP Awards, he won a Gold Glove, two Silver Sluggers, a wins title, a strikeout title and a World Series ring.

Murphy and Valenzuela will have some stiff competition on the eight-player Contemporary Era ballot, which includes candidates who made their impact from 1980 to the present. In addition to Murphy and Valenzuela, Bonds and Clemens — two titans of the sport who have been kept out of the Hall of Fame to this point by allegations of using performance-enhancing drugs — other former MVPs in Don Mattingly and Jeff Kent and sluggers Carlos Delgado (473 home runs) and Gary Sheffield (509 home runs) will be considered.

A player must receive 75% of the vote from the 16-member committee to reach election. Results of the Contemporary Era balloting will be announced on Dec. 7.