Good catch: Piazza lowest-drafted electee in history
NEW YORK - Next place to catch Mike Piazza: Cooperstown.
Baseball's greatest hitting catcher was elected to the Hall of Fame on Wednesday.
Piazza was picked by 365 out of 440 voters from the Baseball Writers' Association of America, comfortably eclipsing the 75 percent needed for induction. He'll join Ken Griffey Jr. when the class of 2016 is enshrined on July 24.
''Incredibly special. Wow,'' Piazza said on a call with MLB Network. ''I sat here with my mouth on the floor.''
A prodigious slugger on both coasts, Piazza belted most of his 427 home runs for the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets during a prolific, 16-year career that nearly never took flight.
Famously drafted in the 62nd round as a favor to his father's close friend, Hall of Fame Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, Piazza took a mighty rip at those drastically long odds and knocked them over the fence.
He converted from first base to catcher as a pro and blossomed into one of the game's most fearsome hitters, breaking the big league record for home runs by a catcher and compiling a .545 slugging percentage that ranks 28th all-time.
''Congratulations to Mike, an outstanding ballplayer and a great man,'' Lasorda said in a statement released by the Dodgers. ''I couldn't be prouder of him.''
And on a day when Griffey became the first No. 1 overall pick to make the Hall of Fame since the amateur draft began in 1965, Piazza established a polar-opposite mark that may never be approached.
Until now, the lowest draft pick in the Hall was pitcher John Smoltz, selected on the 22nd round in 1985 and enshrined just last year.
''We are really thrilled that Mike Piazza has taken his rightful place among the other greats in Cooperstown,'' Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon said in a statement. ''Mike's offensive prowess, ability to deliver in the clutch, and tireless work ethic helped him become one of the great catchers of all-time.''
A 12-time All-Star who also played for the Marlins, Padres and Athletics, Piazza became the first catcher elected by the BBWAA since Gary Carter, another ex-Met, in 2003.
''Congrats to Mike Piazza! I love to have another catcher on board!'' Hall of Fame backstop Johnny Bench tweeted.
- With files from theScore