Frank Gray - Piazza wants to be a Met in Cooperstown

The New York Mets have one Hall of Famer. His name is Tom Seaver. This time next year, that may change. Mike Piazza will be eligible next season for the tremendous honor. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball. He amassed 427 homer runs and 1,335 RBI in his career.

Of those years, he spent half of his career (eight seasons) with the New York Mets. In that time, he accumulated 220 home runs, 655 RBI and 1,028 hits. All of these rank first among Mets catchers in team history. His home runs rank second and RBI rank third all-time in Mets lore.

He spent more time with the Mets than with any other team. It's hardly a far gone conclusion that when he  enters the Hall of Fame, that he will do so as a Mets player, though. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers and won Rookie of the Year honors with them.

He made six of his twelve All-Star appearances as a Dodger. As a member of the Dodgers, he made the playoffs twice, the same number as with the Mets. He reached the World Series with the Mets, though. It seems apparent that he should wear a Mets logo going into the Hall, but the Hall of Fame members have a funny way of deciding who wears what hat.

For example, it was a no-brainer decision that Mets great Gary Carter should enter the Hall as a Mets player, but they put him in the defunct Montreal Expos logo (a massive mistake they have yet to admit). If he had his way, he would've been a Met. Now it appears the same scenario has arisen with Piazza.

He went on record saying he "will wear a Mets hat" to Cooperstown.  There's just one issue to that. He doesn't have the chance to choose. Unfortunately, the Hall of Fame gets that distinction. If the Mets have a bad reputation or the Dodgers need a good headline, they'll choose L.A. despite the stats. They have a tendency to favor the original teams the given player started with. If that were to happen, it would be a travesty.

With the All-Star game coming to Citi Field in 2013 and the resurgence of the Mets farm system giving way to a competitive, young ball club at the major league level very soon, it could be a time for renewal for the Mets as an organization.

The addition of another Mets player into the Hall of Fame could be an enormous boost for the franchise at just the right time. If only the Hall gets it right. If Piazza has his way, they will.