Griffey, Piazza give Class of 2016 unique flavor
The Hall of Fame Class of 2016 began their baseball journeys on opposite paths.
But the talent and drive of Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza took them both to Cooperstown.
The Baseball Writers’ Association of America elected Griffey and Piazza to the Hall of Fame on Jan. 6, 2016. The election set a new standard as Griffey became the first No. 1 overall MLB Draft pick to be elected while Piazza – a 62nd-round selection – became the lowest drafted player to earn a spot in Cooperstown.
Griffey also set a record for top vote percentage at 99.32, surpassing Tom Seaver’s longstanding mark of 98.84.
“It’s just an honor to be elected, and to have the highest percentage is definitely a shock,” Griffey told the Associated Press.
Griffey played 22 seasons for the Mariners, Reds and White Sox, totaling 630 home runs, 10 Gold Glove Awards in center field and 13 All-Star Game selections. The top pick in the 1987 MLB Draft, Griffey debuted for the Mariners at 19 years old and soon became the face of baseball.
“My father always told me there are more second, third, fourth and fifth-round draft choices in the big leagues than first round picks,” said Griffey, whose father, Ken Griffey Sr., played 19 big league seasons – including two as Griffey Jr.’s teammate with the Mariners in 1990-91. “If you work hard, you’ll get rewarded. You might get another look because of the higher round pick, but things aren’t going to be handed to you. You’ve got to get out, work hard and do what you’re supposed to do.”
Since the MLB Draft now only lasts 20 rounds, Piazza will likely be forever distinguished as being the lowest draft pick ever elected to the Hall of Fame. Piazza debuted in the minor leagues at an older age than Griffey was in his first big league season but soon rocketed through the Dodgers’ system before earning the team’s starting catching job in 1993. He quickly strung together some of the greatest offensive seasons by a catcher in history and played 16 years with the Dodgers, Marlins, Mets, Padres and Athletics – totaling 12 All-Star Game selections and 10 Silver Slugger Awards.
Piazza was elected to the Hall of Fame in his fourth appearance on the BBWAA ballot.
“When I first signed with the Dodgers, I knew it was going to be a very difficult path,” said Piazza about his first seasons in the minor leagues. “At the time I wasn’t having any fun and decided to quit the game. I was just fortunate that I had great coaches and people looking out for me to encourage me to go back. You don’t make it to the Hall of Fame alone. You have a lot of people looking out for you along the way.”
Together, Griffey and Piazza proved there is more than one road to Cooperstown.
“The most wonderful thing about baseball is the interesting multiple personalities,” Piazza in an interview prior to Hall of Fame Weekend 2016. “I always marveled that (Griffey Jr.) had a lot of fun, he never played with any anger, and he always played winning baseball.
“If everyone was the same, it would be a very boring, colorless game. It’s something to enjoy that every ballplayer is different.”
Craig Muder is the director of communications for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
