A tale of two hitters
(with apologies to Charles Dickens)
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of Androstenedione, it was the age of Methandrostenolone. it was the epoch of the absence of rules, it was the epoch where new rules were instituted, it was the season of incredible statistics, it was the season where PEDs inflated those statistics. In short, it was the Steroid Era of Major League Baseball.
In 1989, Ken Griffey, Jr., made his major league debut. He had been the number one pick in the draft and was considered as close to a sure thing to achieve superstar status as there was. That was the 1987 draft and he would make his MLB debut in 1989. In the draft the following year, as a personal favor from Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda to his childhood buddy, Vince Piazza, the Dodgers drafted Mike Piazza in the 62nd round of the draft. Griffey Jr. was the first player selected in his draft year. Piazza was the 1,309th player selected in his draft year.
Today, January 6th of 2016, both of these players were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Both were prolific home run hitters during their careers. Griffey Jr's 630 home runs is sixth on the all-time list. Piazza hit more home runs than any other catcher in MLB history, with 427. While Piazza was a pure hitter whose defensive skills behind the plate were not great, Griffey Jr was a stellar defender, winning 10 Gold Gloves for his defense.
But that's not the big difference. This was the first time that Ken Griffey, Jr., appeared on the HOF ballot and he got 437 votes from the 440 eligible voters. He set an all-time record for appearing on the highest percentage of ballots. While Mike Piazza was well above the 75% threshold for enshrinement in the HOF at 83%, this was his fourth time on the ballot and a lot of people did not think he would be elected. I was one of those people.
Both of these men played during the height of the steroid era. Mike Piazza admitted to taking PEDs, although at the time MLB had not yet banned the substance he purchased over the counter. However there are plenty of people who think Piazza would not have become the hitter he did without the help of PEDs. Contrast that with the career of Ken Griffey, Jr., who may have had some temper issues, but was never accused of using PEDs.
The #1 player chosen in the 1987 draft and the 1,309th player chosen in the 1988 draft will enter the Hall of Fame together. But if the writers are willing to send Mike Piazza to Cooperstown, what about all of the other baseball superstars who haven't come close to making the HOF? Barry Bonds didn't make it this year. His career numbers dwarf those of Mike Piazza, but he was accused of more heinous violations of the rules involving PEDs. Will there be a different result in a year?
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of Androstenedione, it was the age of Methandrostenolone. it was the epoch of the absence of rules, it was the epoch where new rules were instituted, it was the season of incredible statistics, it was the season where PEDs inflated those statistics. In short, it was the Steroid Era of Major League Baseball.
In 1989, Ken Griffey, Jr., made his major league debut. He had been the number one pick in the draft and was considered as close to a sure thing to achieve superstar status as there was. That was the 1987 draft and he would make his MLB debut in 1989. In the draft the following year, as a personal favor from Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda to his childhood buddy, Vince Piazza, the Dodgers drafted Mike Piazza in the 62nd round of the draft. Griffey Jr. was the first player selected in his draft year. Piazza was the 1,309th player selected in his draft year.
Today, January 6th of 2016, both of these players were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Both were prolific home run hitters during their careers. Griffey Jr's 630 home runs is sixth on the all-time list. Piazza hit more home runs than any other catcher in MLB history, with 427. While Piazza was a pure hitter whose defensive skills behind the plate were not great, Griffey Jr was a stellar defender, winning 10 Gold Gloves for his defense.
But that's not the big difference. This was the first time that Ken Griffey, Jr., appeared on the HOF ballot and he got 437 votes from the 440 eligible voters. He set an all-time record for appearing on the highest percentage of ballots. While Mike Piazza was well above the 75% threshold for enshrinement in the HOF at 83%, this was his fourth time on the ballot and a lot of people did not think he would be elected. I was one of those people.
Both of these men played during the height of the steroid era. Mike Piazza admitted to taking PEDs, although at the time MLB had not yet banned the substance he purchased over the counter. However there are plenty of people who think Piazza would not have become the hitter he did without the help of PEDs. Contrast that with the career of Ken Griffey, Jr., who may have had some temper issues, but was never accused of using PEDs.
The #1 player chosen in the 1987 draft and the 1,309th player chosen in the 1988 draft will enter the Hall of Fame together. But if the writers are willing to send Mike Piazza to Cooperstown, what about all of the other baseball superstars who haven't come close to making the HOF? Barry Bonds didn't make it this year. His career numbers dwarf those of Mike Piazza, but he was accused of more heinous violations of the rules involving PEDs. Will there be a different result in a year?
posted by me at 4:29 PM
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