National Baseball Hall of Fame induction weekend is upon us, and on Sunday the six new Hall of Famers will be enshrined in Cooperstown. Here's how you can watch the induction ceremony.
Here are seven things to know about this year's Hall of Fame class.
This is the first six-man Hall of Fame class since 2014
The Hall of Fame is adding six new members this weekend. Vladimir Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman, Chipper Jones, and Jim Thome were voted in by the Baseball Writers Association of America, and Alan Trammel and Jack Morris were voted in by the Modern Era committee.
This is only the fourth time in history the BBWAA voted four players into the Hall of Fame in one year. The list:
- 2018: Guerrero, Hoffman, Jones, Thome
- 2015: Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz
- 1955: Joe DiMaggio, Gabby Hartnett, Ted Lyons, Dazzy Vance
- 1947: Mickey Cochrane, Frankie Frisch, Lefty Grove, Carl Hubbell
Furthermore, this year's class is the first six-man class since 2014, when Bobby Cox, Tom Glavine, Tony La Russa, Greg Maddux, Frank Thomas and Joe Torre were inducted together.
Thome will not have Chief Wahoo on his plaque
When he is inducted into the Hall of Fame this weekend, Thome will become the 15th player in history to be enshrined in Cooperstown as a Cleveland Indian. And, when he goes in, Thome will not have the Chief Wahoo logo on his Hall of Fame plaque.
Earlier this year the Hall of Fame announced Thome's plaque will feature the team's block "C" logo rather than Chief Wahoo. The Indians are removing the Chief Wahoo logo from their uniforms next season and the Hall of Fame said they concur "with the commissioner's sentiment and acknowledges the shifting societal view of Native American logos in baseball."
Of the 14 Indians player currently in the Hall of Fame, only one, Early Wynn, has the Chief Wahoo logo on his plaque. Thome has said he does not want Chief Wahoo on his Hall of Fame plaque.
Only two sets of Hall of Famers were teammates longer than Trammell and Morris
It's fitting Trammel and Morris are going into the Hall of Fame together. They were teammates with the Tigers from 1977 to '90, they both exhausted their 15 years of eligibility on the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot, and both were voted in by the relatively new Modern Era committee.
Only two sets of Hall of Famers were teammates longer than Morris and Trammell: Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford, and Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio. Mantle and Ford were teammates for 15 seasons from 1953 to '67 with the Yankees. Like Morris and Trammell, they were enshrined in Cooperstown in the same year as well. Mantle and Ford both went into the Hall of Fame in 1974. Bagwell and Biggio were teammates with the Astros from 1991 to 2005.
Jones is the fourth late 1990s/early 2000s era Brave to go into the Hall of Fame
Chipper Jones will join former Braves teammates Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz in Cooperstown when he is inducted this weekend. The foursome were teammates for eight seasons from 1995 to 2002.
Those late 1990s/early 2000s Braves are the first team with four Hall of Famers on their roster for at least five consecutive seasons since the Cubs had Ernie Banks, Ferguson Jenkins, Ron Santo and Billy Williams from 1966 to '71. Somehow the Cubs failed to make the postseason even once during those years.
Believe it or not, eight seasons with four Hall of Famers is not the all-time record. The Giants rostered four Hall of Famers for 10 straight seasons from 1962 to '71: Juan Marichal, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Gaylord Perry. They even had a fifth Hall of Famer for a while (Orlando Cepeda from 1962 to '66).
Chipper is only the 17th third baseman in the Hall of Fame
Aside from DH, no position in the Hall of Fame has fewer representatives than third base. Chipper will become only the 17th third baseman in the Hall of Fame once he's inducted this weekend. Here is the Hall of Fame position breakdown:
- Catcher: 18
- First Base: 24
- Second Base: 21
- Shortstop: 25
- Third Base: 17
- Left Field: 22
- Center Field: 24
- Right Field: 25
- Pitcher: 79
Prior to Jones, the last third baseman voted into the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA was Wade Boggs in 2005.
Three members of the 400-home run club are going into the Hall of Fame this year
For the first time in history, four members of the 400-home run club are being inducted into the Hall of Fame in the same year. Thome of course leads the 2018 Hall of Fame class with 612 career home runs. He is currently eighth on the all-time home run list:
- Barry Bonds: 762
- Hank Aaron: 755
- Babe Ruth: 714
- Alex Rodriguez: 696
- Willie Mays: 660
- Albert Pujols: 631
- Ken Griffey Jr.: 630
- Jim Thome: 612
- Sammy Sosa: 609
- Frank Robinson: 586
Both Chipper (468) and Guerrero (449) cleared 400 homers by a good margin.
Only twice before in history have two members of the 400-homer club been inducted into the Hall of Fame in the same year: Jimmie Foxx (534) and Mel Ott (511) in 1951, and Hank Aaron (755) and Frank Robinson (586) in 1982.
Vlad is the fifth original Expo in the Hall of Fame
Guerrero is the fifth player to make his major-league debut with the Montreal Expos to be voted into the Hall of Fame, joining Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Randy Johnson and Tim Raines.
Believe it or not, no other franchise has had as many as five Hall of Famers debut with them since the Expos joined the league in 1969. Several franchises have had four Hall of Famers make their big-league debut in their uniform since then, but only the Expos have had five. Pretty incredible, isn't it?
