And on a day when Griffey became the first No. 1 overall pick to make the Hall of Fame since the amateur draft began in 1965, Piazza established a polar-opposite mark that may never be approached. The BBWAA announced the elections of Ken Griffey, Jr. and Mike Piazza to Cooperstown.
Advertisement
And, of course, wearing his dad’s hat backward in order to see. Griffey breezed in on his first year of eligibility, thrilling his family by appearing on a record 99.3 percent of ballots.
Whether this election also suggests a shift will be clearer in the coming years. You would have to be naïve to not at least wonder how a 62nd-round draft pick (by the Dodgers, in 1988) muscled his way into the record books, and in his first post-election session with the Baseball Writers Association of America, he danced around questions on the matter.
That round no longer exists.
“I’m just a proud father, just glad everything went the right way”, Griffey said.
The Baseball Hall of Fame will have two new members this July. There are so many opportunities in this game, and you can find a role be an underdog. Certain things you just don’t think of, and that’s one of them. He took a lot of easy bases, you know, when games were out of hand.
Griffey just retired in 2010, Piazza in 2007, but they and other eligible players hit their prime in the ’90s. “Mike’s offensive prowess, ability to deliver in the clutch, and tireless work ethic helped him become one of the great catchers of all-time”. “And they’ve done nothing but embrace me and honor me”.
Raines, considered the greatest leadoff hitter not named Rickey Henderson, also thanked the bilingual fans of Montreal in French in a fourth tweet. Despite hitting 210 home runs in nine years with the Reds, age seemed to be catching up with “the Kid”. It would make him the second such player in Cooperstown, alongside Seaver.
Curt Schilling was the only other player to be named on more than half of the ballots, earning 52.3 percent.
Like Piazza, Bagwell’s use was merely suspected, never documented. And by Top 10, I mean Ruth, Gehrig, Mays, Aaron, Cobb and Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Pete Rose, Frank Robinson and Stan Musial and one of them has to go. “This was a game he knew and he loved and he enjoyed playing”. Three current BBWAA members sent in ballots last month and did not check off Griffey’s name.
Griffey and Piazza represent the opposite ends of the draft spectrum.
“I don’t want to say it was hard”, Piazza said.
The percentage of white players in the Major League Baseball in 2014 more or less matches the US population, according to Pew Research, and the portion of black players has declined since the ’90s, while the share of Asian and Hispanic players has grown. “For me, that’s something I was able to draw from”. Clemens got 45.2 percent this year and Bonds 44.3 percent. “I can’t control any of that, so I don’t worry about those things”. “It’s an interesting world today, there are so many outlets out there…” In his mind, it was unfair Piazza had to wait as long as he did-and he wants Piazza’s contemporaries to avoid the same fate. “It wasn’t like I need to jump out and surprise people”.
“I truly found it healthy in life to be positive, try to set a good example, try to be appreciative of your blessings and keep it at that”.
“That’s the freedom we have”, he said. When he reached the major leagues in 1989, still a teenager, he joined a franchise that had never had a winning season, had been devoid of star attractions, and played its games in a dark, depressing concrete mausoleum. That is what Tim Raines is: “the definition of a Hall of Famer”.
Piazza, meanwhile, is the all-time leader in homers for a catcher.
Advertisement
“Incredibly special. Wow”, Piazza said.
