The MLB Class of 2022 will be enshrined on Sunday at the Clark Sports Center which is only a mile south of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. The Class of 2022 will be highlighted by Boston Red Sox legend and three-time World Series champion David Ortiz. He will be joined by Tony Oliva, Jim Kaat, Minnie Minoso, Gil Hodges, Bud Fowler and Buck O’Neil.
Ortiz was inducted in his first year on the ballot and was the only player that was elected by the BBWAA. 77.9% voted for Ortiz, which is higher than the required 75%. Everyone else went in by the Era Committee process. Hodges, Kaat, Minoso, and Oliva were chosen by the Golden Days Era Committee, while Fowler and O’Neil were picked by the Early Baseball Era Committee.
Personally, I’m not surprised by any of the choices here. Ortiz was a no-doubt first-ballot choice, Minoso was a nine-time All-Star, Hodges was an eight-time All-star and the manager of the New York Mets’ stunning World Series-winning team in 1969, O’Neil and Fowler are both pioneers in African-American baseball, and Kaat and Oliva are one of the most iconic duos in Minnesota Twins history. So I’m not upset or mad by any of the choices, just a little underwhelmed.
Everyone’s plaque will receive a cap except for O’Neil and Fowler. Fowler was the first Black player in the history of professional baseball in 1878, and O’Neil was in baseball for over 80 years and was the first Black coach in MLB history.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s Induction Ceremony will be on Sunday at 1:30 pm ET on MLB Network.
Source: MLB.com’s Brian Murphy’s “Everything to know about this weekend’s HOF festivities”
