Mike Piazza Biography

Mike Piazza is the durable All-Star catcher and power hitter who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016. Mike Piazza was never a sure thing: he was drafted in the 62nd round of the 1988 amateur draft (the 1390th player overall), but beat the odds to make it to the major leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1992. His first full year was 1993, and he was named that year’s National League rookie of the year. In 1999 he signed a groundbreaking 7-year, $91 million contract with the New York Mets; the next year he helped the Mets into the World Series, where they were defeated by Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees. Piazza’s burly good looks made him one of the Internet’s favorite sports heartthrobs. For his career, Piazza hit .308 with 427 homers, and The Sporting News later called him “perhaps the greatest hitting catcher ever.” In all his career lasted from 1992-2007. He published a memoir, Long Shot, in 2013. He and Ken Griffey, Jr. were the only two players named to Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016.