Standing in The Hall of Fame!

The annual Baseball Hall of Fame elections will take place this January. The class of 2013 will then convene in Cooperstown in July for the induction, and if all goes right, I will join them!

The ballot features first timers, last timers, and roidheads.

This article details why I believe that the first player inducted in 2013 will be...Mike Piazza!

Piazza played for 16 seasons, compiling a statline of .308 427 homers and 1,335 RBIs.

During his career he compiled these highlights:

-His 35 homers as a rookie in 1993 were the most since Matt Nokes' 32 in 1987.
-In 1997 and 1999 his 40 homers are the fourth-most by a catcher, behind Hall of Famer Johnny Bench, Todd Hundley, and Javy Lopez.

-In 1997, his 201 hits were the most by a catcher in MLB history over 130 or more games.

On July 18, 2000 he hit his third grand slam of the season, matched by Carlos Beltran, John Milner, and Robin Ventura.

He had 72 RBIs before the All-Star Break were the most in Mets history, breaking the 69 by Dave Kingman in 1976.

He had nine career 30-homer seasons, including eight consecutive from 1995-2002

In 1996, 1997, and 2000, he led the All-Star Voting

From 1993-2001 he hit over .300.

On June 29, 1996 he hit 3 homers against the Rockies.

Piazza's career numbers, combined with his twelve All-Star appearances, (1993-2002, 2004-2005) and ten consecutive Silver Slugger Awards (1993-2002), in addition to his 1993 Rookie of the Year Award and 1996 All Star Game MVP, prove his worth to the teams he played on during his career.

The hit that healed a nation, Piazza's three-run home run on September 21, 2001, the first game in New York since 9/11.

 

The infamous "broken bat incident" in the 2000 World Series.

 

Mike Piazza WILL get into the Hall of Fame in 2013, and when he does, you can be sure that I will be there watching his induction!

Yankees 2013: The Catching Conundrum

The Yankees catchers were once again stellar defensively. However, as I should have seen coming, they weren't so great on offense.

Russell Martin hit just .211 with 21 homers and 53 RBIs, a sharp decline from 2011. However, once again his defense was unmatched in the American League. That may not make up for a 2/14 postseason slump though.



Miguel Montero and Mike Napoli are availible, the Yankees should look to them before making a decision on Martin. Chris Stewart on the other hand, is almost certainly staying as CC's (non)-personal catcher.

New York parted ways with C/DH Jesus Montero, much to my delight. If Stewart goes, the Yankees can use Austin Romine or Francisco Cervelli as backup, so a major move should be made to go for either Montero or Napoli.

Why Jesus Should Be Cut Loose

The Yankees highly-touted rookie Jesus Montero MUST be traded!

The Yankees need decent pitchers, which thusfar only Nova and CC have proven to be. Phil Hughes, if healthy, can be a solid #3 starter, and 'Failing Fred' CAN'T BEAT GOOD TEAMS!

That leaves two spots for Hector Noesi and someone else to take. That is not the only reason that he needs to be cut, however.

The reasons are as follows...

*He has no position (can't catch)
*Can't play good enough defense
*He is a hot chip on the market now

The Yankees need 3 things:
*A future Shortstop (Nunez)
*A future third baseman (Ramiro Pena)
*PITCHING!!!!!!!!!!!!

In April of 2012, A-Rod, Jeter, and Montero should rotate as the designated hitter, but come August, will it be down to two?