Diamondbacks induct Luis Gonzalez, Randy Johnson in new team Hall of Fame

PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks hosted a pregame ceremony on Saturday to honor franchise icons Luis Gonzalez and Randy Johnson as the inaugural class of the club’s new Hall of Fame.

An enthusiastic Chase Field crowd watched tribute videos for the 2001 World Series heroes and heard from the two in Q&A format emceed by longtime broadcaster Greg Schulte. Gonzalez and Johnson received their Hall of Fame plaques and rings in front of family members.

The plaques list their respective accomplishments with notes identifying the two as the club’s first inductees.

Forever enshrined. 🥹 pic.twitter.com/mCIBBekeVX

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) July 28, 2024

“We felt like it was time,” president and CEO Derrick Hall told Arizona Sports Bickley & Marotta this week. “Last year we celebrated, hard to believe, our 25th year.

“We have enough greats that have played for us. It’s time to have the Hall of Fame, and it’s going to be tough to get into our Hall of Fame. And there’s no doubt these two deserve to be the inaugural class.”

Johnson (1999-2004, 2007-08) is the franchise’s most accomplished player by a wide margin with four straight Cy Young Awards (1999-2002), five All-Star Game selections, three ERA titles, five strikeout titles and a perfect game.

From 1999-2004, Johnson’s first stint with the club, he led all MLB pitchers in bWAR (48.1), strikeouts (1,832), wins (103) and innings (1,389.2). Plus, he threw 41.1 innings with a 1.52 ERA in the 2001 postseason en route to a World Series co-MVP award.

He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015, and he went in with Arizona’s logo on his cap.

“When I was coming out to pitch in relief in Game 7 of the World Series, at that time, I had about 270 innings, and so when I heard their applause, it energized me and I needed that,” Johnson told the fans.

Randy Johnson and Luis Gonzalez receive the first two Diamondbacks Hall of Fame plaques! pic.twitter.com/8fpIxMmQGi

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) July 28, 2024

Gonzalez (1999-2006), meanwhile, is the franchise’s leader in hits (1,337), home runs (224), RBIs (774) and games played (1,194). He is second behind Paul Goldschmidt for bWAR (30.0), a five-time All-Star and the deliverer of the game-winning hit in Arizona’s World Series triumph.

The two arrived in the Valley in different ways but quickly became franchise staples. Johnson was a free agent after the 1998 season and was courted by former D-backs owner Jerry Colangelo to build something special in the Valley. Gonzalez was traded from the Detroit Tigers, a deal that changed his career.

They remain involved with the club as special assistants to Hall.

“This organization has meant so much to myself and my family and just being able to come here and surround myself with a great group of guys on that first team in ’99 when I got traded over here, veteran group, we just created such a great bond, and it really helped turn my career around,” Gonzalez told Bickley & Marotta. “It made it so much fun to go out there and play every day and pull for each other. That’s what makes a good team, guys that are on the same page.”

“It’s a great honor,” Johnson told Bickley & Marotta. “I think when Jerry Colangelo came to my house and gave me a sales pitch to come and be a big part of the franchise, a piece that would turn this franchise around, that was his vision. Getting me and things fell in place with my performances, so much so that we played better, we turned things around. I think it was fifth place for the Diamondbacks in ’98 to winning the NL West in ’99 and that carried over into 2000 and then our team had transformed into a serious competing team.”

The plaques will be placed in the Diamondbacks’ Hall of Fame and History Museum at the ballpark.

Randy Johnson credits Diamondbacks fans for energizing him in Game 7 of the World Series. pic.twitter.com/8ND8wSr2SX

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) July 28, 2024

How exclusive will the Diamondbacks’ Hall of Fame be?

Hall said the Hall of Fame will be difficult to crack, and there will be seasons in which no new members are inducted.

“We’re going to have a very tough scoring system, as we did this go around,” Hall said. “We have a committee, so we’ll have nominees each year.

“We’ll go through it much like they do back east, and it’s going to be tough. We’ve had a lot of great players, but you have to distinguish were they great players for baseball? Were they great players just in Arizona? … Do we look at managers? Do we look at coaches? Do we look at scouts? Do we look at front office? I think we’re going to focus mostly on players, and they will have to have earned it.”

So who could be next?

Brandon Webb is Arizona’s only other Cy Young Award winner. Paul Goldschmidt is still an active player but has a clear case for it. How about standouts from the World Series squad like Curt Schilling, Steve Finley, Matt Williams or Mark Grace?

D-backs manager Torey Lovullo brought up Bob Brenly as a candidate as the lone World Series-winning skipper in club history.

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