Little League Graduates Elected to Hall of Fame

It’s a familiar headline, but it is no doubt an inspiration to today’s Little League players to learn of so many Hall of Famers who got their start in their hometown Little Leagues. Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, and Frank Thomas, who all started their baseball careers as Little Leaguers, are the latest electees to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Are you noticing a trend?

Greg Maddux was first exposed to baseball in Madrid, Spain, where his father was stationed in the Air Force. Greg played Little League in Madrid, and then later in Las Vegas after his family returned to the states. With practice and dedication, he refined his pitching game, and was drafted to the majors directly out of high school. An eight-time career All-Star player, with eighteen Gold Glove Awards among dozens of other records and recognitions, Greg Maddux’s next stop is Cooperstown!

Hailing from Billerica, MA, Tom Glavine fell in love with Little League Baseball long before his career in playing MLB. Inspired by his love for the game, Mr. Glavine practiced hard in order to master his pitch. By the time he reached High School, Tom made history as a star student athlete, setting records on the field as well as in the classroom. In the majors, Tom Glavine was a ten-time All-Star, earning four Silver Slugger Awards as well as a World Series MVP title in 1995. His baseball story that began with Billerica Little League will now go down in history in the Hall of Fame.

The third of these recent electees is slugger Frank Thomas. Having first swung a bat at Little League practice in Columbus, GA, Frank Thomas will be inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame this year with a career 2,468 hits and 521 homers. From Little League to College Ball to the Major League, Mr. Thomas dedicated lots of time and effort at the batting cages in order to make himself a worthy Cooperstown legend. A five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, and twice-elected MVP (to name jut a few awards), this Little League graduate has made a big impact on the game!

It can be easy to forget that our Major League heroes were all kids once - and that many of them were even Little Leaguers! Realizing your baseball potential comes with passion, practice, and patience. Get out to the batting cages and see where your baseball story takes you! And consider buying a Wheelhouse Batting Cage to get your story started.