Ivan Rodriguez elected to baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2017

(Reuters) - Ivan Rodriguez, a strong hitter and rifle-armed catcher who nabbed would-be base stealers at a 46 percent career rate, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday in his first year of eligibility. Rodriguez, who spent most of his Major League Baseball career with the Texas Rangers, will be joined in the Class of 2017 by Houston Astros great Jeff Bagwell and former Montreal Expos All-Star Tim Raines with their induction on July 30. Puerto Rico's Rodriguez became only the second catcher after Johnny Bench to be elected at his first opportunity, five years after retirement.

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