Baseball America founder Allan Simpson makes J.G. Taylor Spink ballot

Canadian Allan Simpson (Kelowna, B.C.) has been named a finalist for the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s prestigious J.G. Taylor Spink Award.

September 3, 2020

Official Press Release

The J.G. Taylor Spink Award Committee met in July to select the three candidates for the 2021 ballot.

The nominees:

From the Kansas City Chapter: Dick Kaegel, former Sporting News editor and beat reporter covering the Cardinals and the Royals in a 53-year career.

From the New York Chapter: the late Marty Noble, career beat writer, primarily with the Mets, and longtime editor of Scorebook, the official publication of the BBWAA’s New York Baseball Writers’ Dinner.

From the Colorado Chapter: Allan Simpson (Kelowna, B.C.), former minor-league executive who founded Baseball America, an influential publication devoted to player development and scouting.

Ballots will be distributed by mail to 10-year members of the BBWAA in November.

Results will be announced during the BBWAA Meeting at the Winter Meetings in December in Dallas. The winner will be honored July 24, 2021 at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, N.Y., as part of the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Induction Weekend July 23-26, 2021, along with the late Nick Cafardo, the 2020 recipient.

From the National Baseball Hall of Fame website:

The J.G. Taylor Spink Award, named after the late editor of the Sporting News, has been voted upon annually since 1962 when Spink himself was the recipient of the inaugural honor.

The award honors a baseball writer (or writers) "for meritorious contributions to baseball writing."