10 Current MLB Players Destined for Cooperstown

The ballot containing somewhere in it the next class of Major League Baseball Hall of Famers was announced last week. On it are what seem to be the names of players who are sure to get in and the names of the poor guys who seem to show up on the ballot year after year, only to get turned down, yet again.

With all this excitement about the Class of 2009, slated to be announced this January, a great question to ponder would be, "Who of the current major leaguers could be considered a first ballot Hall of Famer?"

I have assembled a list of the top 10 major leaguers whom I believe will no doubt be elected to the Hall of Fame. Players' stats, consistency, and reputation were all taken into account in making the selections. The time periods consist of each player’s first full rookie season until now.

It should also be noted that while some superstar players, such as David Wright, Jose Reyes, Albert Pujols, and Ryan Howard, among others, seem to have unjustly been left off of the list, it is merely because their careers are currently too young to work with at the moment.

It has nothing to do with the performance they have displayed up until this point in time (also, Greg Maddux was retired by the time I got around to writing this article).

So without further delay, here are my 10 current players destined for Cooperstown.

Ken Griffey Jr.

Position: Outfield

Teams: Seattle Mariners (1989-1999), Cincinnati Reds (2000-2008), Chicago White Sox (2008) *Currently a Free Agent

Career Statistics: .288 AVG, 611 HR, 1772 RBI, 1612 R

Average Season: .288 AVG, 31 HR, 89 RBI, 81 R

Achievements: Fifth All-Time Career Home Runs, AL MVP (1997), 7x Silver Slugger Award Winner (1991, 1993-1994, 1996-1999), 10x Gold Glove Award Winner (1990-1999), 13x All-Star (1990-2000, 2004, 2007)

There are so many questions spread throughout history. It is my opinion that one of history’s biggest questions should be, “What would Ken Griffey Junior’s career have looked like had he not been plagued by injury for the majority of his time with the Cincinnati Reds?”

For one thing, it would look even more ridiculous than it already does.

If Griffey managed to stay healthy for his whole career, in all likelihood, Alex Rodriguez would be chasing his career home run record, rather than that of Barry Bonds.

For starters, Griffey stands fifth place among all major leaguers in career home runs and is one of only six members of the 600 Home Run Club.

And as if numbers were not enough, consider the fact that the pop cultural frenzy created by the superstar outfielder has been absolutely unbelievable over the years.

There was a time when Griffey’s name was virtually everywhere—from video games, to magazines, to commercials. He was arguably the biggest name in the sport since Babe Ruth.

That sweet lefty swing of his seemed to put baseball back on the map during the early '90s; always leaving fans wanting to see more.

While it is unfortunate that Griffey’s career took such a tumultuous turn after the year 2000, it is quite easy to see why this man will get into the Hall of Fame with no problem.

Trevor Hoffman

Position: Relief Pitcher

Teams: Florida Marlins (1993), San Diego Padres (1993-2008) *Currently a Free Agent

Career Statistics: 554 SV, 1055 SO, 2.78 ERA

Average Season: 35 SV, 66 SO, 2.78 ERA

Achievements: All-Time Career Saves Leader, 2x NL Saves Leader (1998, 2006), 3x TSN Reliever of the Year Award Winner (1996, 1998, 2006), 6x All-Star (1998-2000, 2002, 2006, 2007), Only Pitcher in MLB History to earn 500 Saves, 89.53% Career Save Percentage (Highest in MLB History)

You just cannot deny him the Hall of Fame. While Trevor Hoffman certainly did not dominate on his way to his historic 554 career saves, the number alone should earn him a spot in Cooperstown (it should also be considered that Hoffman is the only major league pitcher to ever reach the 500 save plateau).

His craftiness is what made Hoffman so successful during his career. While he never blew batters away, as a young player, he developed an excellent changeup (now his trademark pitch) to go along with a fastball and curveball.

One of the only criticisms of Hoffman has been his tendency to fold under pressure. This fact has been well documented, especially in Padre playoff appearances over the past decade.

Regardless, there should certainly be a spot reserved on the wall for Hoffman when it is his turn to take a shot at the Hall.

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