Three-time Manager of the Year award winner Jim Leyland elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
Veteran coach Jim Leyland has earned a place among the baseball greats. Leyland, who led three ballclubs to the postseason and even won the 1997 World Series with the Florida Marlins, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee process.
Leyland was listed on 15 of 16 ballots and was the only contender to receive the required 75% of the vote. The 78-year-old will be joined in the Hall of Fame Class of 2024 by any electees selected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Leyland managed for 22 seasons in the major leagues. Having managed the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Miami Marlins, the Colorado Rockies and the Detroit Tigers, he has amassed 1,769 victories, six first-place finishes, three pennants and the 1997 World Series title with the Marlins.
He was selected as the Manager of the Year three times, twice with the Pirates in 1990 and 1992 and again with the Tigers in 2006. Moreover, he was the finalist for the coaching award six times in his illustrious career. Outside MLB, the Hall-of-Fame coach also led Team USA to their first World Baseball Classic title in 2017.
The induction ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, July 21, 2024, during Hall of Fame Weekend 2024 in Cooperstown, New York. The BBWAA election results will be announced on MLB Network on Tuesday, January 23, at 6 p.m. ET.
Did Jim Leyland ever play in the MLB?
It may be surprising for some, but Jim Leyland never took the baseball field in the MLB. The Detroit Tigers signed him as a catcher in September 1963. However, he never got promoted to the majors, spending seven seasons in the minors, hitting .222.
As a manager, Jim Leyland led to 90-plus wins seven times, and his win total ranks second all-time among managers who never played in the major leagues, following only Hall of Famer Joe McCarthy.
He was also previously inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in Detroit in 2017. He is currently serving as a special assistant to the Detroit Tigers.