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July 22 (UPI) -- Longtime Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz will headline the induction ceremony for the 2022 National Baseball Hall of Fame class, which will be held Sunday in Cooperstown, N.Y. The ceremony, which will feature a crowd of baseball legends and speeches from the latest inductees, will air at 1:30 p.m. EDT on MLB Network. Ortiz was the only player in the class elected in January by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
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Fellow 2022 inductees Tony Oliva, Jim Kaat, Minnie Minoso, Gil Hodges, Bud Fowler and Buck O'Neil were elected in December through the Era Committee process.
ESPN personality Tim Kurkjian will receive the writers' association Career Excellence Award. Late broadcaster Jack Graney, who worked for decades in Cleveland, will be honored with the Ford C. Frick Award.
Ortiz, 46, spent 14 of his 20 MLB seasons with the Red Sox. The 10-time All-Star, three-time World Series champion and former World Series and ALCS MVP hit a league-high 48 home runs and drove in 127 runs in his final season in 2016.
He totaled 541 home runs for his career, the 17th most in MLB history. Ortiz hit .286 over his 20 seasons and ranks No. 8 all time in extra base hits.
Olivia, 84, was the 1964 Rookie of the Year. The former outfielder was an eight-time ALL-Star and three-time batting champion. He spent his entire 15-year career with the Minnesota Twins.
Kaat, 83, played 25 seasons and played for five different teams. The left-handed pitcher was a 16-time Gold Glove winner and three-time All-Star. He also was on the 1982 St. Louis Cardinals World Series team.
Kaat also spent time with the Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees. He totaled 283 wins in 898 appearances from 1959 through 1983.
Minoso, who died at 91 in 2015, was a nine-time All-Star. In 1951, the former outfielder and third baseman became the first Black Cuban to play for the White Sox.
He started his baseball career in the Negro Leagues, where he first became an All-Star for the New York Cubans. Minoso also spent time with the Cleveland Indians and St. Louis Cardinals.
He totaled 13 All-Star selections, was a three-time Gold Glove winner and won a title in 1947 with the Cubans.
Hodges, who died at 47 in 1972, was an eight-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner and two-time World Series champion. The 18-year veteran was a first baseman and outfielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets.
He also managed the Mets to the 1969 World Series title.
Fowler, a former pitcher, catcher, infielder, outfielder and manager, died at 54 in 1913. He is recognized as the first Black player in professional baseball, which he achieved in 1878.
O'Neil served as a player, coach, manager, scout and executive over an eight-decade baseball career. He spent his entire career in the Negro Leagues, where he was a three-time All-Star and won the 1942 title with the Kansas City Monarchs.
O'Neil also made history in 1962 with the Chicago Cubs as MLB's first Black coach. He died at 94 in 2006.
Carlos Beltran, Matt Cain, Jacoby Ellsbury, Andre Ethier, Francisco Rodriguez and Jayson Werth are among the players who will be eligible for the 2023 Hall of Fame class.
Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, Andruw Jones, Manny Ramirez and Andy Pettitte are among the players who will return to the ballot.
