The MLB Hall of Fame is one of the most prestigious classes in all of sports and earlier this week the 2016 ballot was announced.
Among the newcomers, one name stands above the rest as a guaranteed first ballot Hall of Fame player. That would be Ken Griffey Jr., who had 630 home runs and more than 1,800 RBIs in his 22-season career. Griffey is an absolute lock for the hall.
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The most interesting name being added to the ballot this year is former Padres closer Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman had 601 saves during his MLB career, which is good for the second most all time. However his ERA of 2.87 is less than impressive and his save total is more of a testament to his long career.
A further knock on Hoffman comes when looking at his career in the clutch. Hoffman blew two of the six save opportunities he had during his postseason career. Add a crucial blown save in the 2007 tiebreaker loss to the Rockies, and you'll be less than impressed with Hoffman's body of work.
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Despite those numbers however Hoffman does seem to have a good chance of making it into the hall. Sitting only behind Mariano Rivera on the all time saves list is impressive, and being able to play all the games he did to compile his stats is something a lot of other players cant do.
If Hoffman does get in this year, he will join Griffey and one other man. This year is more than likely the year Mike Piazza gets himself in. He has seen an increase in votes each year and last year he fell just shy of getting elected. As one of the greatest offensive catchers of all time, it appears this will be the year Piazza gets his due.
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