WASHINGTON — The National Baseball Hall of Fame will welcome a 2017 class of three players this summer, as Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez were officially elected Wednesday evening.
Bagwell, who slugged 449 home runs in a 15-year career with the Houston Astros, led the way by earning a vote on 86.2 percent of the ballots in his seventh year of eligibility.
Raines was voted in on his final year of ballot eligibility. The longtime Montreal Expos outfielder was a seven-time All-Star and stole 808 bases in his 23-year career.
Rodriguez played 21 years as a catcher, making 14 All-Star teams and winning the 1999 AL MVP. He finished his career as a Washington National, becoming the first National ever admitted. He was the only player elected in his first year on the ballot.
With a crowded ballot, six players received at least 50 percent of the vote, but fell shy of the 75 percent threshold for induction.
The 2017 Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on July 30 in Cooperstown, New York.
