The Pete Rose Saga: Do You Think He Will (or Should) Be Allowed into the Hall of Fame?

His fate will be in the hands of the decision-makers in two years.

There’s no point in debating anymore whether or not Pete Rose should be admitted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. For starters, you (and everyone else) either personally believe with all your heart that he should get in, or you’re dead set against it.

Chances are if you surveyed friends and family, you might be surprised to find a split between those who say, “Let him in,” and those who say, “Keep him out forever.” But it’s not 50-50 anymore: Today, it seems that the majority now believes he should be voted in.

However, none of that matters because everything has changed.

News alert: Pete Rose is now eligible to be considered for induction into the Hall.

We all heard the news. Commissioner Rob Manfred made the announcement on May 12, 2025, that MLB had reinstated Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson and a handful of other players who had been banned from baseball. He wrote a letter to Rose’s attorney that included this key language:

“In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served. Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game. Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has a more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve. Therefore, I have concluded that permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual, and Mr. Rose will be removed from the permanently ineligible list.”

In other words, it’s a brand-new day where Pete Rose is concerned. From 1989 to the present, he has been primarily considered persona non grata (an unwelcome person) by MLB. And he was banned strictly for his gambling.

However, Rose’s new status doesn’t ensure or even suggest that he’ll be voted in.

It’s not up to the Commissioner, the team owners or the players. And it’s not up to the fans—it’s not like the annual MLB All-Star Game, where fans vote for the starters.
When it comes to any player getting into the Hall of Fame, and especially Pete Rose, NOTHING is automatic or inevitable.

The background.

Rose would have been eligible for consideration in 1992, five years after his retirement, but his banishment from MLB occurred in 1989.

When he agreed to the ban, Rose was told he could petition for reinstatement after a year or more. However, Commissioner Bart Giamatti died eight days after the agreement was announced. Not long after that, the Hall of Fame voted to permanently exclude from consideration any player who was banned from baseball. Afterward, no commissioner considered lifting the ban on Pete Rose. Even as one of the best of all time, he was the poster boy for what happens to players who bet.

Until May 2025. Thanks to Commissioner Rob Manfred’s ruling, there is now a legitimate side door to the Hall that might have Pete Rose’s name on it.

This is Pete Rose’s first real chance.

Pete Rose’s baseball fate is now in the hands of two related but distinct committees that have the power to put Rose in the Hall of Fame. Here’s what will need to take place:

First, there is a wait of at least two years, unless something unexpected happens again. Why two years? Because 2027 is when the special Classic Baseball Era Committee meets again to vote on players who made their most significant impact on baseball before 1980. Rose entered the Majors in 1963 and retired at the end of the ’86 season.
However, even before any of that voting happens, Rose will have to make it onto that special list of eight select ballplayers who will be considered. While his name is likely to be on that list, that’s not automatic.

Here’s what happens two years from now:

First up, the Historical Overview Committee weighs in.

Jane Clark, Chairman of the Board of Directors of The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, wrote that Major League Baseball’s decision “will allow for the Hall of Fame candidacy of (previously banned) individuals to be now considered.

The Historical Overview Committee is described as “10 baseball historians” that includes eight current or former baseball writers, a professor and a statistician.
The committee is appointed by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, which is the committee that votes for Hall of Fame candidates under the normal process.

Next up, the Classic Baseball Era Committee.

Assuming Rose’s name is placed on the 2027 special ballot as a finalist along with other former players, it would then be voted on by the Classic Baseball Era Committee.

This committee is made up of a 16-member electorate.
For one of the eight nominees to be elected to the Hall of Fame, they would have to be voted in by 75%, or 12, of the committee members.
When they last met in 2024, the committee voted on players who had been selected for them: Dick Allen, Ken Boyer, Tommy John, John Donaldson, Steve Garvey, Vic Harris, Dave Parker and Luis Tiant. Dick Allen and Dave Parker were voted into the Hall and will be enshrined in 2025.

Will Pete Rose go all the way?

As voters are considering whom to vote for, one of the rules to follow is to consider “the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.” No doubt, voters will need to consider Rose’s character flaws and integrity.

Another voting rule states there is no such thing as an “automatic election” based on a few outstanding achievements. Rose has no worries there. His contributions to the game and the record book are plentiful and impressive.

There is no doubt that in two years everyone will be waiting to see if Pete Rose will become a Hall of Famer, or if the cloud of past indiscretions and lies casts too big a shadow on his chances.

You have to wonder what his odds are….

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