Looking back — all the way to the 1870s — on the high school careers of the MLB Hall of Fame Class of 2022

David Ortiz is the headliner in today's MLB Hall of Fame Class of 2022, but all seven of the inductees enjoyed storied careers — none more so than Buck O'Neil (1911-2006).

O'Neil is one of the game's true pioneers, and 16 years after his death in 2006, he's finally being enshrined into the MLB Hall of Fame.

He spent much of his baseball career being shunned because of the color of his skin, and that exclusion started early.

But O'Neil isn't the earliest pioneer in this year's class. Bud Fowler became the first African-American player in professional baseball in 1878 at age 19.

Here's a look back at the high school careers (where applicable) of all seven members of the MLB Hall of Fame Class of 2022, starting with Fowler and moving chronologically from there.

Bud Fowler (1858-1913)

Born John W. Jackson Jr. in Fort Plain, New York, Bud Fowler learned how to play baseball as a kid growing up in the future home of the Baseball Hall of Fame — Cooperstown, New York. According to village historian Hugh MacDougall, just 28 Black people lived in Cooperstown at that time, and Fowler attended school primarily alongside white children in the early 1870s. He's widely considered the first Black athlete to play professional baseball, and his playing career predates high school baseball itself.

Buck O'Neil (1911-2006)

O'Neil is being inducted in the Hall of Fame as an executive, but he has one of the most storied playing careers in MLB history — and his story is lined with persecution. And it started early, as O'Neil was initially denied the opportunity to attend high school in Sarasota, Florida, in the late 1920s because of racial segregation. His family later moved to Jacksonville, and attended Edward Waters College, where he completed high school and two years of college courses. He signed with the Memphis Red Sox in the newly formed Negro American League in 1937.

Gil Hodges (1924-1972)

Hodges was a four-sport athlete at Petersburg High School in Indiana, playing baseball, basketball football and running track. He chose college over a professional contract offer from the Detroit Tigers in 1941, eventually joining the pros with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943.

Minnie Minoso (1925-2015)

Minoso was born in Cuba and played professional baseball there before being signed to the Negro leagues in the U.S. in 1946. He was the first Afro-Latino in the majors and the first Black player in White Sox history.

Tony Oliva (1938-present)

Born in Cuba, Oliva had baseball in his blood, as his father played semi-pro ball there. A scout for the Minnesota Twins found Oliva in his youth and eventually brought him to the U.S. in 1961, and the rest is history.

Jim Kaat (1938-present)

Kaat went to high school in Zeeland, Michigan, where his pitching skills took him to Hope College and eventually a professional baseball contract with the Washington Senators in 1957. Zeeland’s premier Little League complex is named for Kaat.

David Ortiz (1975-present)

Ortiz was born in the Dominican Republic and graduated from Estudia Espaillat High School, where he was a two-sport star in baseball and basketball. He signed with the Seattle Mariners just 10 days after his 17th birthday. The Mariners' trade of Ortiz to Minnesota is one of the worst moves in Seattle's history, and the Twins' release of Ortiz is one of the worst moves in Minnesota's history. The Red Sox heartily approved of both of those moves.