It seems clear that Ken Griffey Jr. will get the call later on Wednesday as a new inductee to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. But on MLB Network at 3 p.m. ET, we will find out which players, if any, will join Griffey in Cooperstown this summer.
MLB Hall of Fame 2016 announcement schedule & TV info
Ken Griffey Jr. will almost certainly be elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot, to be announced Wednesday. But who will join him in Cooperstown?
Griffey is in his first year on the ballot and figures to appear on far more than the 75 percent of Baseball Writers Association of America ballots required for induction. The center fielder, who retired in 2010, ranks sixth all-time with 630 home runs, hitting .284/.370/.538 with 1,836 RBI in 22 seasons, the first 11 and final two seasons of which were played with the Seattle Mariners.
Another first-timer on the ballot, Trevor Hoffman, figures to make some noise on the ballot. The seven-time All-Star is one of only two players in MLB history with 600 saves, with his 601 saves ranking only behind the gold standard at closer, Mariano Rivera. To date there are only five relief pitchers in the Hall of Fame — Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Bruce Sutter and Denis Eckersley.
John Smoltz, who was inducted to Cooperstown in 2015, had 154 saves, but the overwhelming bulk of his career was as a starting pitcher.
Mike Piazza is in his fourth year on the ballot, and received the highest percentage of votes last year among those not inducted at 69.9 percent. Everybody to receive that high a percentage of the writers' vote has eventually been elected into the Hall of Fame, which means this could be the year for Piazza, who hit .308/.377/.545 with 427 home runs in his 16-year career. Piazza holds the record for most home runs hit as a catcher, with 396.
Others to watch include former Houston Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell, in his sixth year on the ballot, and former Montreal Expos outfielder and leadoff man extraordinaire Tim Raines, in his ninth year. That duo received 55.7 percent and 55.0 percent of the vote, respectively, in 2015. There is a sense of urgency among Raines supporters with only one more year of eligibility on the writers' ballot after this year.
The MLB Network coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET and lasts for four hours, including the announcement, interviews with the inductee(s), plus analysis and highlights. The announcement of the 2016 inductees is in the final hour.
The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held in Cooperstown, N.Y. on July 24.
Hall of Fame induction announcement
When: Wednesday, Jan. 6, at 6 p.m. ET
Where: Seacaucus, N.J.
Who: Baseball Writers Association of America
TV: MLB Network
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