Hall Of Fame Announcement

Baseball’s Hall of Fame announces its class of 2016 on Wednesday evening. Who gets in and who does not make up equal parts of this annual tale.

Forget baseball’s heroes of the steroids era. You won’t see Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens get in. Not this time, though there does seem to be some sort of groundswell for Mike Piazza, who was always suspected of using some sort of chemicals but wasn’t ever found guilty of such. Bonds, the only seven-time MVP, and Clemens, the only seven-time Cy Young Award winner, are on the ballot for the fourth time. Animus runs deep.

A year ago, when Piazza fell short, New York Daily News writer Bill Madden explained why he did not support the Mets catcher: “I did not want to vote somebody into the Hall of Fame who I would then find out two or three years later had, in fact, been a steroids cheat.”

The measure this year will be in how much ground some of “villains” can make up with voters after years of punishment for their use of performance-enhancing substances. The guess is a bit, but not enough.

Your clear bet for entry into the Hall is Ken Griffey Jr. He hit 630 home runs, played in a game with his father (the only time that has ever happened in Major League Baseball) and was a 13-time All-Star. He could get the highest percentage of votes ever.

Others to keep an eye on: Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman, as a relief pitcher, has a high hurdle. Hall of Fame voters do not often cast ballots for relievers.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cooperstown, N.Y., is July 24.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman