Jim Leyland, Lou Piniella among eight on HOF contemporary ballot

Four former managers -- Cito Gaston, Jim Leyland, Lou Piniella and Davey Johnson -- are among eight candidates on the ballot for the Hall of Fame contemporary era committee that is scheduled to meet Dec. 3 at the winter meetings in Nashville, Tenn.

Former umpires Joe West and Ed Montague will join former National League president Bill White and former general manager Hank Peters on the ballot. The identities of the 16 voters on the committee, which selects among managers, executives and umpires, will be revealed closer to the meeting. Those who garner 75 percent of the vote will be inducted into the Hall on July 21.

Gaston, 79, guided the Toronto Blue Jays to back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993 and finished with 894 victories over 12 seasons.

Leyland, 78, managed the Pittsburgh Pirates, then-Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies and Detroit Tigers during his 22-year career, finishing with 1,769 wins. He led the Marlins to the franchise's first World Series title in 1997.

Piniella, 80, guided the Cincinnati Reds to a World Series title in 1990. He also managed the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs, winning 1,835 games during his 23-year managerial career.

Johnson, 80, finished with 1,372 wins while managing the New York Mets, Reds, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals. He guided the Mets to a World Series title in 1986.

West, 70, umpired a record 5,460 games and worked six World Series from 1976 to 2021. Montague, 74, also umpired in six World Series, including being the crew chief in four, and worked 4,369 from 1974 to 2009.