The latest Hall of Fame class is getting inducted into Cooperstown today, but where can you watch all of the action go down?
Another class of baseball legends are getting enshrined in Cooperstown, a class that should resonate with most modern fans. We’re getting to the point in time where the players many of us grew up watching are finally going to be getting their busts, and this year’s class is perhaps the most star-studded cast the 90s has produced.
Let’s run down everything you need to know:
Who is Getting Inducted?
Vladimir Guerrero – Montreal Expos
Perhaps one of the most, if not the most, exciting hitter of the late 90s throughout the 2000s, Vlad was a monster at the plate. His signature stance was instantly reconizable, as were the many towering home runs that usually followed.
He also had an absolute canon for an arm, rifling a ball from the outfield wall to home plate without either a bounce or an ounce of effort. His son is a top prospect for the Blue Jays, and represents the same hope for Canadian baseball his father did, but there will never truly be another Vlad.
Trevor Hoffman – San Diego Padres
Mariano Rivera is regarded as the greatest closer of all-time, but Trevor Hoffman is a 1B to his greatness. He was lights out as a closer, but never had the chance to play for a perrenial contender like Rivera did. Had Hoffman pitched anywhere other than San Diego, the idea of his legacy might be different.
His actual legacy is solidified in Cooperstown. He was as dominant as Rivera and is revered as being one of the best teammates a player could have. It’s hard to hate anything about Hoffman’s career, the only bust about him is the one that now sits in the Hall of Fame.
Chipper Jones – Atlanta Braves
As storied as the Braves franchise has been, it’s hard to truly stick out. From Eddie Mathews to Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn to Greg Maddux, Atlanta has been blessed with Hall of Famers over the years.
Chipper Jones deserves his places among those names and the others in Cooperstown. He was the Braves for the entiery of the 90s, despite the other Hall of Famers he played with. At a time when Atlanta had the likes of Maddux, John Smoltz, and others, Jones stood out as the leader of the team. He was a Superstar, and will be immortalized as such this weekend.
Jim Thome – Cleveland Indians
Gentle Giant was perhaps never more applicable in the modern era than with Jim Thome. Physically he was a monster of a human being, and his golf-like swing was as terrifying as it was unconventional. BUt by all accounts, Thome was the nicest person in all of the locker rooms he was a part of. Whether it was his beginnings in Cleveland, his time in Philadelphia, or embodying Minnesota Nice, Thome was as nice as he was talented on the diamond.
He played first base for the Indians but he was one of the many great sluggers who benefited from a DH role. Unlike others, he waited to settle into the role, playing first base for the Phillies for a number of years and remaining as defensively important to his team as was his bat.
Jack Morris – Minnesota Twins
He was always a dominant pitcher, but Jack Morris be remembered singularly for one of the most iconic performances in baseball history. His career statistics speak for themselves, and he’d have gotten into Cooperstown on his own merits, but his Game 7 performance in the 1991 World Series is still the stuff of legend.
Morris pitched a complete game, one the went to extra innings, to help the Twins beat the Braves in the World Series. It’s a herculean feat that seems unconscionable today. But that was the icing on the cake of what has turned out to be a Hall of Fame career for Morris.
Alan Trammell – Detroit Tigers
It sounds like a knock on Trammell, but he is one of a growing number of stars from the 80s and 90s who are getting into the Hall of Fame thanks to advanced metrics. While he was impressive in his own right over the course of his 20-year career, the new way we look at stats have retroactively made Trammell look even better.
He’s considered to be one of the best shortstops of all-time, but advanced metrics have proven that he was one of the most efficient hitters and defenders of his era. LIke science altering the way we look at court cases, advanced stats have made us revisit just how great Trammell was, and the reward is a bust in Cooperstown.
How and Where to Watch
Date: Sunday, July 29th
Start Time: 1:30pm ET
TV Channel: MLB Network
Live Stream: Try a free 7-day trial of FUBO.Tv