Seattle Mariners: Will Ken Griffey Jr. Be First Unanimous HOF Pick?
By Paul Taylor
With Ken Griffey Jr. set to enter the Hall of fame for the Seattle Mariners, will he become the first ever unanimous selection by voters?
Everyone knows Ken Griffey Jr. is going into the Hall of Fame. In that sense, there’s no nervous anticipation or buildup to when the results are announced on Wednesday at 3:00 pm PT.
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However, where Seattle Mariners fans get to be excited, is the prospect of Griffey becoming the first ever unanimous selection. The question is, how likely is it to happen?
In reality, it’s extremely unlikely. Look no further than last year, when Griffey’s former teammate Randy Johnson was elected into the hall in his first year of eligibilty.
The Big Unit fell 15 votes short of perfection. And this was despite an impressive resume which included, among other things, five Cy Young awards.
However, there’s a whole host of reasons why someone does not vote for a certain player. For example, some people may have considered Johnson a sure thing, so used their picks to include other candidates who they thought were deserving of the hall, but less certain of getting in.
There are other reasons to consider – some genuine, some not so much. In that respect, one factor which can help Griffey is the change in the rules of eligibility for voters, to prompt more integrity.
As reported by David Schoenfield of ESPN, “The Kid” is already in a strong position. Of the 166 publicly revealed ballots, every single person has included the 1997 American League MVP.
Regardless, the odds are that Griffey is still unlikely to be an unanimous selection. (For the record, I have no issue with being proven wrong.) However, he still has an excellent change of breaking the record for the highest ever vote percentage.
This record is currently held by pitcher Tom Seaver, who received 98.84 percent of the votes when he was selected. Fellow pitcher Nolan Ryan sits just behind Weaver, with 98.79 percent. (For the record, Johnson is in eighth place, at 97.3 percent.)
Ultimately, the main thing is Griffey will be the first player in franchise history to be depicted on his Hall of Fame plaque wearing a Mariners cap insignia. Anything else will be a bonus for long suffering fans, who’ve had little to cheer about in recent years.