The Mets have announced that Mike Piazza will be inducted in the Mets Hall of Fame on September 29. Piazza will become the 27th member of the Mets Hall of Fame during the pre-game ceremony.
The current 26 Hall of Fame members are: Joan Payson (1981); Casey Stengel (1981); Gil Hodges (1982); George M. Weiss (1982); Johnny Murphy (1983); William A. Shea (1983); Ralph Kiner (1984); Bob Murphy (1984); Lindsey Nelson (1984); Bud Harrelson (1986); Rusty Staub (1986); Tom Seaver (1988); Jerry Koosman (1989); Ed Kranepool (1990); Cleon Jones (1991); Jerry Grote (1992); Tug McGraw (1993); Mookie Wilson (1996); Keith Hernandez (1997); Gary Carter (2001); Tommie Agee (2002); Frank Cashen (2010); Dwight Gooden (2010); Davey Johnson (2010); Darryl Strawberry (2010); and John Franco (2012).
In 872 career games with the Mets (1998-2005), Piazza hit .296 with 220 home runs and 655 RBI. His 396 career home runs as a catcher are the most by a backstop in baseball history.
I've never really had the opportunity to get good look at Mike Piazza in his prime, but based off of his numbers, he was a heck of a player. He was a fan favorite in New York, and quickly made the Mets a contending team once again, leading them to the 2000 World Series against the Yankees.
Of-course, his most memorable moment with New York will be his incredible home run in 2001 against the Braves. The game was played a week or so after the 9/11 attacks, and Piazza's home run gave the fans something to truly cheer about after an extremely horrifying week.
Sooner or later, Mike Piazza will have a Hall of Fame plaque in Cooperstown, and will be remembered as one of the greatest catchers, if not the greatest catcher in baseball history. The fact that he was drafted in the 62th round of the draft by the Dodgers back in 1988 completely baffles me. Piazza proved the doubters wrong, and had an unbelievable career.
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