Mike Piazza, the best offensive catcher in baseball history, isn't in the Hall of Fame. And nobody can really explain why.
Yes, you will hear phrases like "stain of the steroid era" and "cloud of suspicion." But these are the facts: Piazza was never suspended for performance-enhancing drug use. His name did not appear in the Mitchell Report, and it hasn't surfaced in any subsequent PED revelation.
All we have is rumor, conjecture and innuendo. So far, that's been enough to keep him out of Cooperstown. Now, with the 2016 class set to be announced on Wednesday, it's high time this capricious waiting game comes to an end.