Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza were formally enshrined into Baseball’s Hall of Fame during a ceremony on Sunday in Cooperstown, N.Y in front of an estimated crowd of 50,000. As the No. 1 overall pick from the 1987 Draft, Griffey became the highest-drafted player ever elected into the Hall.
He set a record by appearing on 99.32 percent (437 of 440) of the ballots in his first year of eligibility. Conversely, Piazza, who was taken with the 1,390th pick in 1988, became the lowest-drafted player enshrined.
Griffey won 10 Gold Gloves during his 22-year career. The famed Seattle Mariners center fielder won the American League MVP in 1997 and ranks sixth on the all-time home runs list with 630.
While Piazza was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 62nd round, Piazza’s relationship with the franchise is strained and he made the decision to wear a New York Mets cap on his Hall of Fame plaque. He joins Tom Seaver as the lone Mets player inducted into the iconic group.
Piazza, though, expressed gratitude toward the Dodgers franchise during his Hall of Fame induction speech. In particular former Dodgers coaches Reggie Smith and Dave Wallace, both of whom convinced Piazza to return to baseball after he briefly quit while in the Minors.
“It truly was an honor and privilege to be drafted, signed and developed by the Los Angeles Dodgers,” Piazza said. “Mr. Peter O’Malley was a wonderful owner.”
Piazza is the 48th player with ties to the Dodgers franchise to get elected to the Hall of Fame. He replaced Pedro Martinez (2015) as the most-recent player who fits that description.
Piazza batted .331/.394/.572 with 177 home runs, 563 RBIs and was a five-time All-Star over parts of seven seasons with the Dodgers. Piazza played a mere five games with the then-Florida Marlins before being traded to the Mets.
In eight seasons with New York, he hit .296/.373/.542 with 220 home runs, 665 RBIs and was named to six more All-Star teams. Piazza’s career accolades include a National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1993, and 10 Silver Slugger Awards. His 427 career home runs are most in Major League Baseball history by a catcher.
