52 HoF Legends Coming to Town This Weekend
Fred McGriff, Scott Rolen To Be Honored as Class of 2023
COOPERSTOWN
The eyes of the baseball world will be focused on Cooperstown this weekend, with the legends of the game in town to see history unfold during Hall of Fame Weekend.
Fifty previously-inducted Hall of Fame members are expected to return, July 21-24, to celebrate the induction of the Hall of Fame Class of 2023. As of July 10, 52 total Hall of Famers, including 2023 inductees Fred McGriff and Scott Rolen, are scheduled to be a part of Hall of Fame Weekend festivities in Cooperstown.
Fred McGriff
Five-time All-Star and 1995 World Champion McGriff earned election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, December 4 via the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee process. He was the only candidate elected from the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee Players Ballot, which was considered by a 16-member committee that held meetings in San Diego. The eight-person ballot was comprised of candidates whose primary contribution to the game came from 1980 to the present.
McGriff played 19 seasons with the Blue Jays, Padres, Braves, Devil Rays, Cubs and Dodgers from 1986-2004, earning five All-Star Game selections at first base. He reached the 30-homer mark in 10 seasons, becoming the first player in history to hit 30-or-more home runs with five different franchises. The 1994 All-Star Game MVP and one of the leaders of the 1995 Braves team that won the World Series, McGriff totaled 493 home runs and eight 100-RBI campaigns, finishing in the Top 10 of his league’s Most Valuable Player Award voting six times. McGriff led his league in homers twice while compiling a .377 career on-base percentage.
Scott Rolen
Rolen, a seven-time All-Star who won eight Gold Glove Awards for fielding at third base during a 17-season career in the major leagues, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday, January 24 in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and verified by Ernst & Young.
Rolen, 47, batted .281 with 1,287 runs batted in, 1,211 runs and an on-base plus slugging percentage of .854 combined with the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds. Numbered among his 2,077 hits were 517 doubles, 43 triples and 316 home runs. He was the National League winner of the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award in 1997 – a unanimous selection – with the Phillies and a member of the Cardinals’ championship club in 2006 when he hit .421 with a home run and two RBI in the World Series. He was elected in his sixth year on the ballot.
The Class of 2023 will be inducted on Sunday, July 23, with the Induction Ceremony beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET. The 2023 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will air live on MLB Network, which has televised every Induction Ceremony since its launch in 2009.
On Saturday, July 22, the Hall of Fame Awards Presentation will be held at 3 p.m. as a private event, with a simulcast at Doubleday Field. Carl Erskine will be honored with the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award, Cubs voice Pat Hughes will receive the Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award for major contributions to baseball broadcasting and John Lowe will receive the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s Career Excellence Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing.
Admission to both the July 22 Awards Presentation simulcast and the July 23 Induction Ceremony is free.
The Induction Ceremony will be held on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown starting at 1:30 p.m. ET on July 23, unless severe weather forces event cancellation. Lawn seating is free and the ceremony is expected to last two hours. The ceremony will be televised live on MLB Network and broadcast nationally on Sirius XM Radio.
The Awards Presentation on Saturday, July 22 will last one hour, and the simulcast is free of charge and open to the public at Doubleday Field. Later in the day, the Hall of Famers and Award winners will stage the Parade of Legends, in a ride down Main Street.
The complete schedule for Hall of Fame Weekend includes:
Friday, July 21
Ozzie Smith’s “Turn Two” museum fundraiser will be held at 8 a.m. The annual fundraiser for the museum’s educational programs gives fans a unique opportunity to experience on-field moments and share stories with Ozzie, Hall of Fame teammates Eddie Murray, Larry Walker, and Dave Winfield. The event begins with an exclusive morning reception in the Hall of Fame Plaque Gallery, then moves to historic Doubleday Field for interactive stories, instruction and fun. To register, call (607) 547-0385.
Saturday, July 22
The Hall of Fame Awards Presentation will take place at 3 p.m. as a private event, with a simulcast at Doubleday Field. Carl Erskine will be honored with the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award, Cubs voice Pat Hughes will receive the Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award for major contributions to baseball broadcasting and John Lowe will receive the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s Career Excellence Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing.
The Hall of Fame Parade of Legends will begin at 6 p.m. along Main Street. Hall of Fame members will participate in the parade, which will originate on Lake Street and conclude at the front steps of the museum on Main Street.
Sunday, July 23
The annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will begin at 1:30 p.m. on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center, located one mile south of the Hall of Fame. Baseball Writers’ Association of America electee Scott Rolen will be honored alongside Contemporary Baseball Player Era Committee electee Fred McGriff on stage in front of about four dozen returning Hall of Famers. Admission to the ceremony on the grounds of the sports center is free.
Monday, July 24
Fred McGriff and Scott Rolen will be featured in a Legends of the Game Roundtable program, hosted by MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, at 10:30 a.m. at historic Doubleday Field as they reminisce about their careers and induction into the Hall of Fame. Tickets are currently available to participants in the Hall of Fame’s Membership Program at (607) 547-0397 and are $10.00 for adults, $5.00 for children.
Join MLB Youth Ambassador Coach Ballgame for special “PLAY BALL” events on Friday, July 21 and Saturday, July 22 at Doubleday Field. Advance registration requested. For more information, visit baseballhall.org/events.
Returning Players
As of Tuesday, July 18, 52 Hall of Fame legends are expected to be on hand for the weekend festivities, including the members of the Class of 2023. They are:
- Jeff Bagwell
- Harold Baines
- Johnny Bench
- Craig Biggio
- Bert Blyleven
- Wade Boggs
- George Brett
- Rod Carew
- Orlando Cepeda
- Andre Dawson
- Rollie Fingers
- Pat Gillick
- Goose Gossage
- Ken Griffey Jr.
- Rickey Henderson
- Whitey Herzog
- Trevor Hoffman
- Fergie Jenkins
- Derek Jeter
- Randy Johnson
- Chipper Jones
- Jim Kaat
- Tony La Russa
- Barry Larkin
- Greg Maddux
- Juan Marichal
- Fred McGriff
- Paul Molitor
- Jack Morris
- Eddie Murray
- Mike Mussina
- Tony Oliva
- David Ortiz
- Tony Pérez
- Tim Raines
- Jim Rice
- Cal Ripken
- Scott Rolen
- Ryne Sandberg
- John Schuerholz
- Bud Selig
- Ted Simmons
- Lee Smith
- Ozzie Smith
- Frank Thomas
- Jim Thome
- Joe Torre
- Alan Trammell
- Larry Walker
- Billy Williams
- Dave Winfield
- Robin Yount