Former New York Met and Los Angeles Dodger Mike Piazza has often been called the "best-hitting catcher of all-time," so why is it he wasn't voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame last year?
In the 2013 voting, Mike Piazza received 57.8% of approval from the writers at the BBWAA (Baseball Writers' Association of America)--a number considerably short of the 75% needed for admission (Baseball Reference). Not a single other player obtained the necessary number, and 2013 marked only the eighth ballot in history to not send a player into the Hall. While it brought up many questions, mine solely involves the legendary catcher Piazza.
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| (AP Photo) |
Growing up a die-hard Mets fan at the turn-of-the-century, it's not hard to see why I became Piazza's biggest fan. His towering home runs over everything from Shea Stadium's visitor's bullpen to its "Home Run Apple" seemed a regular occurrence, and many of his shots came at exactly the right time (Post-9/11).
However, it is thankfully not only my sentimental values which determine a player's eligibility for baseball immortality. It is rather a reflection of one's statistics and overall performance, a realization which should put Piazza straight-through to the Hall.
In examining his career hitting numbers, Mike ranks among some of the all-time greats and certainly Hall-of-Famers. And when compared to other catchers such as Carlton Fisk and Johnny Bench, his stats look even better. Piazza's 427 career HRs (Baseball Reference) would rank 24th among all Hall-of-Famers--above both Fisk (26th) and Bench (30th)--should he be elected. His slugging percentage, marked at .545, would tie him for 15th among all Hall-of-Famers (Baseball Reference).
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| Roger Clemens (left), Barry Bonds (center) and Mike Piazza (right) (photo: WIRES) |
A broader look at Piazza's career will reveal the greater scope of his success. Over 16 seasons he amassed 10 Silver Slugger Awards, was voted-into 12 All Star Games, and finished among the top-14 in Most Valuable Player voting 9 times (including placing 2nd in 1996 and 1997) (Baseball Reference).
Many cite Piazza's non-stellar fielding as reason for his ineligibility, but that just doesn't add-up. He held a career .989 fielding percentage which would rank among the best in Hall-of-Fame Catchers. And after all the comparison with other legendary catchers, Fisk passed with 79.56% approval and Bench did so with 96.42% (Baseball Almanac).
The only other possible reason the BBWAA doesn't believe Piazza deserves this honor, is because his play happened to coincide with what's known as the "Steroid Era." Some of the game's biggest cheaters such as Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds committed their crimes against baseball at the same time he put-up his numbers.
As a result of that coincidence, and though there is nothing but speculation based on Piazza's muscle-mass and body size. Rumors based on those minuscule things have existed for years, but while many other stars were caught and penalized for cheating, his record remains squeaky-clean. It upsets me that because of a bunch of cheats and liars one noble and morally-straight baseball great cannot be recognized for his achievements.
What's even worse is that Piazza isn't alone. Not a single player was admitted into the Hall last year. Players like Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell were also denied and some were probably deserving. While Piazza's being denied last year may give me a chance to attend his induction, I disagree with and think it's unfair. Should Piazza be elected in this coming round of voting, while I don't believe "justice will be served," it will definitely be the right decision.
