In celebration of the 10th season of professional baseball in southcentral Kentucky, the Bowling Green Hot Rods have announced the creation of the Hot Rods Hall of Fame, which will debut for the 2018 season.

The inaugural class, consisting of two former players or coaches, will be announced prior to opening day April 5.

“We have had so many tremendous players and people come through Bowling Green over the last decade,” Hot Rods GM/COO Eric C. Leach said in a news release. “Over 30 former Hot Rods players have reached the big leagues since we started. The tenth season is the perfect time to honor some of those rare talents.”

The inaugural class will come from a list of players or coaches that fit this criteria – playing for the Hot Rods in the first five seasons in the history of the organization (2009-2013), while also playing the minimum amount of games in a Hot Rods uniform. The minimum amount of games in a Hot Rods uniform for a person to be considered is 50 games for a position player, 10 games for a relief pitcher, five games for a starting pitcher and an entire season as a coach or manager.

The players and coaches will also have to fall under one of the following categories to qualify for a nomination:

1) Made a Midseason/Postseason All-Star Team for the South Atlantic League/Midwest League;

2) Selected as a Postseason Organizational All-Star for the Hot Rods parent club during the season played or coached in Bowling Green;

3) Played or coached in at least one game in Major League Baseball;

4) Have a personal affiliation to the Bowling Green area or southcentral Kentucky prior or during their playing or coaching career.

A player or coach will be selected to the Hot Rods Hall of Fame if they receive at least 75 percent of the votes. If a player or coach receives a vote but does not meet the percent threshold, they will remain on the ballot for a maximum of three seasons. A player or coach will be removed from the ballot if they do not receive a vote.

Bowling Green players or coaches will be selected as nominees by current and former Hot Rods employees and then will be voted yearly by a selection committee comprised of local media members, celebrities and government officials.

Fans can also participate in the Hall of Fame voting by clicking online vote, with the total fan vote counting as one vote.

The 2017 nominees are Tim Beckham, Matt Moore, Alex Colome, Kyle Lobstein, Derek Dietrich, Kevin Kiermaier, Victor Mateo, Enny Romero, Felipe Rivero and Drew Vettleson.{&end}