SEATTLE – Former Seattle Mariner Ken Griffey Jr. will be a slam dunk, first-ballot Hall of Famer when the 2016 election results are announced January 6. Nobody is disputing that.
He'll be the first player whose HOF plaque will show him wearing a Seattle Mariners cap. While he also played several years for the Cincinnati Reds, his best days – and the vast majority of his home runs – came in Seattle.
But he will also be the first ever No. 1 overall draft pick to be voted into Cooperstown. Major League Baseball has conducted an amateur draft since 1965, but no top overall pick has received the votes to get in.
Griffey was the American League MVP in 1997. He was named to 13 All-Star teams, won 10 consecutive Gold Gloves, and seven Silver Slugger Awards. He's currently sixth in Major League history with 630 home runs.
Longtime Griffey teammate Edgar Martinez is also back on the ballot, but his time is running out. He has five more years left of eligibility. He was named on 27 percent of ballots this year. If he falls below five percent, he'll automatically be removed from future consideration.
It's somewhat stunning when you consider that the annual award given to the American's League's outstanding designated hitter is named the Edgar Martinez Award. But it's the fact Martinez spent most of his career as just a hitter that is holding him back from induction.
