Mike Piazza Marquee Hall of Fame 2016

Los Angeles drafted him so late that it was understood as a favor to Tommy Lasorda, a friend of his father's. He was Rookie of the Year in 1993 with 35 home runs and 112 runs batted in, and his best season came in 1997: 201 hits, 40 home runs, 124 runs batted in and a .362 average.

In 1998 the Dodgers traded him to Florida, which sent him to the Mets after five games. He stayed in New York through 2005, took ten Silver Slugger awards altogether, and was on the 2000 club that won the pennant. In the first game played in New York after the September 11 attacks, he hit the home run that won it.

He caught 1,629 games and hit 427 home runs, thirty-eight more than Johnny Bench and the most by anyone at the position. Election took four ballots, a long wait for that record. The delay was widely put down to steroid suspicion that was never substantiated, and in 2016 he went in with 365 of 440 votes.