The 2016 MLB Hall of Fame class was announced Wednesday, with superstar outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. headlining the two inductees. Also joining Griffey is catcher Mike Piazza.
Griffey making the Hall was not a surprise. He made every ballot except three, with 99.31 percent of voters electing him. He set the mark for highest percentage of all-time, breaking Tom Seaver's previous record of 98.84 percent.
Most known for his time with the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, Griffey was one of the greatest outfielders to ever play the game. In an era dominated by steroid usage, Junior was never linked. He was one of the greatest home run hitters of all-time, finishing with 630, good enough for sixth place. He was also incredible on defense, racking up 10 Gold Gloves. Had Griffey not battled injuries late in his career, he could have made a run at the all-time record.
Piazza was named on 83 percent of ballots in his fourth year of eligibility. He will enter the Hall as a Met, making him just the second player to ever do so. Piazza had a career average above .300 and belted 400 homers. He was the only player with those marks to not make into to the Hall of Fame before his induction this year. He leads all catchers in career home runs.
Notable omissions include first baseman Jeff Bagwell, pitcher Trevor Hoffman, outfielder Tim Raines, pitcher Curt Schilling, pitcher Roger Clemens and outfielder Barry Bonds.
Bagwell came up just short of the 75 percent needed to make the Hall. He had 71.6 percent of votes and needed just 15 more. Raines wasn't far behind either, with 69.8 percent.
In his first year on the ballot, Hoffman had 67.3 percent of the vote. That strong start indicates he'll likely be make the Hall at some point.
Bonds and Clemens failed to get 50 percent, as their names are tainted by steroid usage. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa suffered similar issues, with both failing to generate more than 13 percent.
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