Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza headline the 2016 National Baseball Hall of Fame class, and Griffey received a record 99.3 percent of the vote. The goal of every major league player is to make the Hall of Fame, but there are a select few current players that are destined to head to Cooperstown at the end of their careers. Here are seven players that are destined to be enshrined within the next five years:
Vladimir Guerrero
Guerrero will be on the ballot for the first time in 2017, and while voters may decide against making him a first-ballot Hall of Famer, he will get in sooner rather than later. During his 16-year career, Guerrero blasted 449 home runs while posting a .318 average. He also is a nine-time All-Star and won one MVP award.
Trevor Hoffman
It takes a lot for a closer to make the Hall of Fame, and that's why Hoffman didn't get in on the first ballot in 2016. However, his 601 career saves - which is good for second all-time behind Mariano Rivera - make him a virtual lock to get in on the 2017 ballot.
Chipper Jones
Much like Griffey, Jones is practially guaranteed to be a first-ballot entry in 2018. He spent his entire 19-year career with the Atlanta Braves, batting .303 for his career with 468 home runs and 1,623 RBI's. Throw in his 1999 MVP, 2008 batting title, and the sheer fact that he's one of the best (if not the best) switch-hitter of all-time makes him a shoo-in.
Mariano Rivera
Going back to Rivera, he might become the first player to get 100 percent of the vote. He has the all-time record with 652 career saves to go along with 13 All-Star appearances, five top-five Cy Young finishes, and a 0.70 career postseason ERA. He's easily the best closer in history, and perhaps the best playoff pitcher ever.
Jim Thome
Thome blasted 612 home runs during his illustrious 22-year career. A true power hitter, Thome was never linked to PED's even though he played in the steriod era. Those suspicions will keep him out of the Hall longer than he should, but he'll inevitably be enshrined faily quickly.
Ivan Rodriguez
Rodriguez would be a first-ballot Hall of Fame lock if he wasn't suspected of using steroids, but that wasn't enough to keep Mike Piazza out of the Hall - and it won't keep Pudge out, either. He ranks among the top 10 catchers of all-time in home runs, RBI's, and batting average while being a 14-time All-Star.
Derek Jeter
If Rivera isn't the first player to get 100 percent of the Hall of Fame vote, Jeter will almost certainly be. During his 20-year career, Jeter won the World Series five times, won five Gold Gloves and five Silver Sluggers, made the All-Star team 14 times, and was "The Captain) from 2003-2014. A career .310 batter with 3,465 hits, Jeter is one of the most accomplished postseason players in history, batting .308 with 20 home runs and 61 RBI's in 158 postseason games.
Throw in the fact that he accomplished all this with endless class, and you have yourself an unanimous Hall of Famer.
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