Who was the first MLB player to be unanimously voted into the Hall of Fame?

On January 24, 2023, baseball fans worldwide will see if another player will join Mariano Rivera in the exclusive unanimous Hall of Fame club.

Rivera is the only player in baseball history to be unanimously elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. While Derek Jeter was the next closest player, receiving 99.74% of votes, Rivera is the only player to receive 100% of possible votes.

"Happy 53rd birthday, Mariano Rivera! He recorded at least 28 saves in 15 straight seasons and holds the all-time record with 652." - National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

The 53-year-old from Panama City, Panama was arguably the most feared pitcher of his generation. As soon as Enter Sandman by Metallica rang through Yankee Stadium, opposing hitters realized that they had to go toe-to-toe with the greatest closer in baseball history.

On September 19, 2011, Rivera pitched a perfect ninth inning for the New York Yankees. In doing so, he overtook Trevor Hoffman's all-time saves record by recording the 602nd of his career. He would record 50 more saves before retiring, finishing with 652 across his 19-year MLB career.

Mariano Rivera, who retired in 2013, remains the all-time saves leader. He also holds the all-time record for games finished (952), as well as ERA+ (205). Those numbers helped secure the five-time World Series winner a unanimous entry into Cooperstown.

"Mariano Rivera went from 19-year-old position player in Panama to collecting the most saves in MLB history. Today, he'll officially become the first unanimous National Baseball Hall of Fame selection by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. (via @E60)" - ESPN

The current active leader for saves is Craig Kimbrel, who has 394 saves, so it's safe to say that Rivera should hold the record for decades to come.

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Which players have a realistic shot at joining Rivera in the "unanimous" club?

The fact that Mariano Rivera is the only player in history to receive 100% of votes is even more unfathomable as Ken Griffey Jr., Greg Maddux, Derek Jeter, and Cal Ripken did not. This makes it hard to predict if another player will ever share the exclusive title with Rivera.

However, there are a few names that may at least flirt with 100% of the votes in the coming years.

Not voting for players such as Ichiro Suzuki, Albert Pujols, and Miguel Cabrera could be due to personal bias instead of their level of production and success. When eligible, these three hold the best opportunity to join Rivera in the unanimous club.