2005: Wade Boggs, 3B, BOS/NYY/TB (1982-1999)
Accomplishments: 12x All-Star, 1996 champion w/ NYY, 2x Gold Glove, 8x Silver Slugger, 5x batting champion
Other inductees: Ryne Sandberg
One of the best hitters at his position in history as well as the holder of one of the game’s most interesting stances, Boggs hacked away at Major League pitching with clinical precision, even hitting .301 in 90 games in his final season at the age of 41. Boggs got started early, however, hitting .349 in his first year while finishing 3rd in Rookie of the Year voting before hitting above .360 in four of the next six campaigns, with a .357 average in 1986 hidden in there as well. A man who stayed exclusively in one division throughout his long career, Boggs was certainly one of those players you loved to have on your team, but simply had to disdain facing on the other side.
2004: Paul Molitor, INF, MIL/TOR/MIN (1978-1998)
Accomplishments: 7x All-Star, 1993 champion, WS MVP w/ TOR, 4x Silver Slugger
Other inductees: Dennis Eckersley
A classic case of breaking out of a shadow to become a man of his own merit, Paul Molitor was one of two headliners in a solid 2004 class. Starting his career out in Milwaukee, he often found himself generally overlooked throughout the baseball world as a teammate of “The Kid” Robin Yount. However, The Ignitor was no slouch either, playing quite a good Robin to Robin’s Batman (wait). Hitting .303 in his 15 seasons in Milwaukee while stealing over 400 bases, Molitor’s biggest moment in the sun during this tenure came in 1987 when he reeled off a 39 game hitting streak, the closest that any American League player has come to challenging Joe DiMaggio’s iconic 56 game stretch in 1941. Upon leaving Milwaukee, however, Molitor continued to shine, hitting over .340 twice over his last six seasons, even winning World Series MVP with the Blue Jays in 1993. An ignitor for a trio of offenses during his Hall of Fame career, Paul Molitor more than earned his way into Cooperstown.