by Jerry Crasnick

Not long after receiving a call from the Baseball Hall of Fame letting him know that he would be joining Ken Griffey Jr. in Cooperstown's class of 2016, Mike Piazza returned to his parents' home and rooted through a bunch of boxes on a combination scavenger hunt and nostalgia tour.

Two mementos stand out as springboards to Piazza's career: A day after the Los Angeles Dodgers chose him in the 62nd round of Major League Baseball's 1988 amateur draft, Piazza received a Mailgram making the news official. And shortly after signing his first professional contract, he made a photocopy of the $15,000 bonus check that paved the way for 12 All-Star Game appearances, 10 Silver Slugger Awards and roughly $120 million in career earnings.

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