Can Barry Bonds still get into the Hall of Fame?

Barry Bonds will not be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022 after not getting 76 percent of the vote for the 10th straight year. But can he still get in?

Not that it was necessarily unexpected given the narrative from the Baseball Writers of America over the past nine years, but the final tally for the National Baseball Hall of Fame vote was revealed and Barry Bonds, once again, fell short of the 75 percent of votes needed to get inducted into Cooperstown.

The San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates legend has every accolade you could ever ask for in terms of his on-field performance. He’s the all-time home runs leader, a seven-time NL MVP, and probably the greatest hitter to ever step up to the plate. Yet, his PED links have kept him off.

Unfortunately, though, this was his 10th year on the BBWA ballot, meaning it was his final year. So now fans are asking the simple question of if this is it for Barry Bonds and his chance to get into the Hall of Fame.

Will Barry Bonds make it into the Hall of Fame?

The good news is that Bonds’ chances of making it to Cooperstown are not dead yet.

Bonds — along with Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa — will now be eligible for the “Today’s Game Committee” to vote on their candidacy for the 2023 class. This group will meet in December.

Now, what are the chances that Bonds (and the others) will get in by way of that route?

In short, they are promising. This committee is comprised of 16 people who have been involved with the game and are looking for players who made significant contributions from 1988-2016, which just so happens to be Bonds’ prime. Players will need 12 votes from that group to get in.

That doesn’t mean it’s a certainty, but the chances with this group appear better than they ever were with the BBWA.