Editorials

Former Dodger Mike Piazza Won’t Campaign For Hall Of Fame

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It’s been a rocky relationship between Mike Piazza and the Los Angeles Dodgers since his trade in 1997.

Piazza expressed his displeasure before, during and after the trade, and has yet to return to Los Angeles since his retirement in 2008. Despite that, Piazza is eligible for the Hall of Fame now and although he won’t go in as a Dodgers most likely, some of his best seasons came in Dodger blue. Piazza has fallen short his first two times on the ballot, but that hasn’t caused him to panic.



According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, Piazza isn’t going to toot his own horn in order to get votes:

I can only say that there’s been a lot of great players throughout history that have had to wait their turn,” Piazza said during a phone interview to promote a shaving system, for which he recently filmed a television commercial in upstate New York. “Joe DiMaggio had three ballots. Yogi Berra had three ballots. And that’s part of the process. For me, it’s not really my place, I feel, to start campaigning. I can only say that I’m proud of my work and I’m proud of my career. I’ll put my numbers against a lot of players in history, and I feel that’s all I can do.”

Piazza received 62.2% of the vote last year, an improvement from the first year, and could once again get a boost this year. With that many votes early on, it’s almost a certainty that he will get in eventually.

The slugging catcher was drafted by the Dodgers in the 62nd round in 1988 and became one of the top players in the 1990s. He won the Rookie of the Year award in 1993 and twice finished second in MVP voting with the Dodgers. A contract dispute brought his time in Los Angeles to an end, but he is still one of the best Dodger catchers in history.

Vincent Samperio

Vince is currently the Associate Editor and Social Media Manager for Dodgers Nation. Hailing from San Pedro, CA and a student at Cal State Long Beach, Vince has previously written for the Daily 49er and LASF Magazine.

2 Comments

  1. Mike Piazza has been my 2nd favorite player in my entire life(Garvey being the first) but after reading his auto-biography, I must say that he does not deserve to have a place in the Hall any more than McGwire, Clemens, Sosa or Palmeiro. He admits in his book that he took steroids. So, after that being done, does he deserve to be in a place that is reserved for the all time greats? I say absolutely not. The question boils down to…. Is A-Rod worthy of Hall credentials? If no, then neither is Piazza.

  2. Mike Piazza has it wrong. He thinks if he comes back to LA the fans will boo him. That is crazy thinking. True fans know this was all Fox’s doing. Piazza should have been a Dodger for life. The fans should and would embrace him. He belongs in HOF as a Dodger.

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