2017 Hall of Fame inductees

Jeff Bagwell - regardless of the era Bagwell played in and the innuendo and actual drugs [Andro] he might have taken to be a dominant player or just to be able to play through a MLB season, Bagwell's election to the Hall of Fame validates his accomplishments as a major leaguer.

I still have the key cards from the 1991 Fleer Ultra Update boxed set I bought when it was first released - featuring a rookie card of Bagwell, a rookie card of pitching phenom Juan Guzman, a key second-year card of Juan Gonzalez, a Mike Mussina rookie card and a rookie card of 19-year old catcher who came up with the Texas Rangers and possessed a rocket arm.

Ivan Rodriguez - of course the rocket armed kid from the 1991 Fleer Ultra Update set was Pudge and while there was always novelty in his ability to throw out runners, it was when he started to mature with the bat, did he really emerge as an impact player.

Maybe Mike Piazza was the better catcher from the 1990s through the 2000s because of his gaudy hitting totals - but Rodriguez was a force behind the plate as a catcher and also when he stepped up to the plate.

Tim Raines - I picked this 1981 Topps multi-player rookie card up for about $0.23 at a card show last year and with news he is going to Cooperstown, I'm glad to have it now.

It seems like a lot has changed with the number crunchers since the last time I mentioned Raines - the re-evaluation of his numbers pushed him into the Hall in his last year of eligibility.