July 26, 2016

On Sunday, July 24, Ken Griffey, Jr., and Mike Piazza became the newest members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. At a ceremony attended by previous Hall of Fame members and some 50,000 fans, both players paid tribute to supportive parents and—with baseball-sized lumps in their throats—they each broke down in tears. Griffey, a graceful outfielder with a legendary swing, dedicated his inauguration “to my dad, who taught me how to play this game and to my mom, the strongest woman I know.” Piazza, one of the game’s all-time great catchers, was grateful for the freedom and opportunity to play baseball: “Dad always dreamed of playing in the major leagues. He could not follow that dream because of the realities of life. My father’s faith in me, often greater than my own, is the single most important factor of me being inducted into this Hall of Fame.” Griffey is the highest draft pick—number 1 overall in 1987—ever to enter the Hall of Fame. Conversely, Piazza was drafted in 1988 in the 62^nd round at number 1,390—the lowest draft pick to end up in Cooperstown. The Major League Baseball (MLB) draft was first held in 1965 and is now limited to 40 rounds.

Ken Griffey, Jr., springs from the batter’s box on April 27, 2000, during his first season with the Cincinnati Reds. He hit 40 home runs that year with 118 runs batted in.
Credit: © Ezra Shaw, Allsport/Getty Images

Griffey played 22 seasons in his MLB career, split mainly between the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds. He hit 630 home runs (sixth all time), drove in 1,836 runs, made 13 All-Star teams, won 10 Gold Gloves in center field, and was the 1997 American League Most Valuable Player. Griffey is the first Mariners player enshrined in Cooperstown. In Hall of Fame voting (cast by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America), he was named on 437 of 440 ballots. His vote percentage of 99.3 was the highest since Hall of Fame voting began in 1936.

Mike Piazza steps to the plate in a 2005 Spring Training game in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was Piazza’s last year with the New York Mets.
Credit: © Aspen Photo/Shutterstock

Piazza played 16 years in the big leagues, primarily as a catcher. He spent most of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets. Piazza retired with a .308 career batting average and 427 home runs, including an MLB record 396 as a catcher. He was selected to 12 All-Star teams. He is the second Mets player (after Tom Seaver) to enter the Hall of Fame. Piazza received 83 percent of the Hall of Fame vote. No other players reached the minimum of 75 percent.

Other World Book articles: 

Baseball (1997) – A Back in Time article
Baseball (2008) – A Back in Time article

January 7, 2016

Yesterday, Ken Griffey, Jr., and Mike Piazza were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Griffey’s election was considered a certainty. The only suspense may have been whether he would be the first player to be selected by a unanimous vote in his first year of eligibility. He came close. Griffey was named on 437 of the 440 ballots. His vote of 99.3 percent is the highest since Hall of Fame voting began in 1936. A minimum of 75 percent of the vote is required for election. Candidates remain eligible for 10 years after their retirement. Votes are cast by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, which consists of writers with 10 consecutive years of service in the association.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, honors players and other individuals who made outstanding contributions to the sport. Credit: © Andre Jenny, Alamy Images

Griffey was marked for stardom as a teenager. At the age of 18, he was the first selection in the 1987 major league draft. He became the first number-one draft pick ever voted into the Hall of Fame. Piazza had to wait until his sixth year of eligibility to gain entry into the Hall of Fame. Piazza was not chosen until the 62^nd round of the baseball draft in 1988 (there are now 40 rounds). As the 1,390th player selected, he became the lowest-drafted player in baseball history to enter the Hall of Fame.

Griffey, a brilliant outfielder as well as a feared hitter, played major league baseball from 1989 through 2010. He spent most of those years with the Seattle Mariners (1989-1999 and 2009-2010) and the Cincinnati Reds (2000-2008). Griffey hit 630 home runs, sixth on the career home run list. He was named the American League Most Valuable Player in 1997 and was selected for 13 All-Star teams. Griffey won 10 consecutive Gold Glove awards from 1990 through 1999 for his outstanding defense play.

Piazza played in the major leagues from 1992 through 2007, primarily as a catcher. He played most of his career for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1992-1998) and with the New York Mets (1998-2005). His 396 home runs is a major league career record for a catcher, and he was selected for 12 All-Star teams.

After Griffey and Piazza, the closest players to Hall of Fame selection were first baseman Jeff Bagwell with 71.6 percent of the vote and outfielder Tim Raines with 69.8 percent. Much attention has been focused on controversial candidates Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. Both players were tainted with charges of taking such illegal performance enhancing drugs as steroids during their career. In their fourth year of eligibility, Clemens and Bonds received their highest voting percentages. Clemens received 45.2 percent of the vote, and Bonds, 44.3 percent. Mark McGwire, a leading home run hitter of the 1990’s who admitted to using steroids, received only 12.3 percent of the ballots in 2016, his 10^th and final year of eligibility.

Other World Book articles: 

Baseball (1997) – A Back in Time article
Baseball (2008) – A Back in Time article