2016 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released

The 2016 Hall of Fame ballot has been released, and among the fifteen players nominated to the ballot are three former Mets. Left-handed relief pitcher Billy Wagner, second baseman Luis Castillo, and left-handed starting pitcher Mike Hampton all were deemed worthy of Hall of Fame consideration this year and will be judged alongside players like Jason Kendall, Mike Sweeney, and David Eckstein.

The biggest addition to the ballot this year is Ken Griffey Jr., who seems as close to a first-ballot Hall of Famer as exists in the world today. Despite a number of injuries in his career, Griffey was an elite center fielder, racking up ten consecutive Gold Gloves. He hit 512 home runs and collected 2,781 hits in his career. Griffey's former Mariners teammate Randy Johnson was elected to the Hall of Fame last year, his first on the ballot.

Trevor Hoffman, second on the all-time saves leader board with 601, is the most likely of the other nominees to get elected. Pitching primarily for the San Diego Padres, Hoffman's changeup was among the most effective pitches in baseball during his 18-year career, and he was the first pitcher to reach both the 500 and 600 saves plateau.

Of the three former Mets to debt on the ballot this year, Billy Wagner probably has the highest—but probably still minor—chance of being elected to the Hall of Fame. At 422 saves, he ranks second among left-handed pitchers all time, two behind another former Met, John Franco. Wagner was a part of the National League East champion 2006 Mets and had 40 saves and with 94 strikeouts during the regular season.

Luis Castillo had a nice career before coming to the Mets in a trade from the Twins in 2007, and he contributed nicely to the 2007 Mets' second half. But Omar Minaya signed Castillo to a four-year deal worth nearly $25 million, and he was never the same player he had been during his glory days in Florida. Castillo is most likely remembered for dropping a pop up in the ninth inning of a Subway Series game in 2009, allowing the tying and winning runs to score.

Mike Hampton was only a Met for one season, but he was one of the reasons that the Mets made it to their fourth World Series appearance in 2000. He threw a three-hit shutout for the Mets in the NLCS, taking home the MVP award for that series in the process. The Mets made an attempt to re-sign Hampton after the World Series, but he chose to go to Colordao where he claimed the schools were better.

Also on the ballot for the first time are Garret Anderson, Brad Ausmus, Jim Edmonds, Troy Glaus, Mark Grudzielanek, Mike Lowell, and Randy Winn. They will be joined on the ballot by 17 returning players from last year, including former Mets Mike Piazza, Jeff Kent, and Gary Sheffield.

The full ballot can be found at the Baseball Hall of Fame website.