Fine pair of aces at head of class; Add Smoltz, and possibly others.

• Author: Rumberg, Howie
• Position: Sports

Byline: Howie Rumberg

NEW YORK -- Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz appear to be shoo-ins for election to the Hall of Fame in what is shaping up as the baseball writers' biggest class of inductees in 60 years.

When the Hall of Fame reveals the results at 2 p.m. today on the MLB Network, holdover Craig Biggio and perhaps Mike Piazza could join those three first-ballot pitchers who were utterly dominant in a hitters' era of artificially bulging statistics.

Here are some things to know about the balloting, conducted again in a period when who's elected is as intriguing as whose names were not checked by Baseball Writers' Association of America voters:

THE THREE ACES

Johnson, Martinez and Smoltz stand out among the 17 newcomers to the ballot.

The reed-thin, scraggly-haired Johnson is a five-time Cy Young Award winner -- four in a row from 1999-2002 -- with 303 wins and 4,875 strikeouts. The Big Unit came up big in the postseason, too, sharing MVP honors in the 2001 World Series with Arizona Diamondbacks teammate Curt Schilling.

Martinez's antics off the field were nearly as enthralling as an ever-elusive changeup that helped him to three Cy Youngs -- two AL, one NL -- and a 2.93 ERA in 18 years. He helped bring the Boston Red Sox their first World Series championship in 86 years.

Smoltz was a steady presence on the Atlanta Braves' staff for 20 seasons -- including 14 straight division titles from 1991-2005 -- winning the 1996 NL Cy Young. A career starter, Smoltz smoothly moved into the closer role for three full seasons and earned 154 saves. He should join former teammates Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, last year's inductees along with Frank Thomas.

The induction ceremony in Cooperstown will take place July 26.

BALLOT LOGJAM

Not since 1955, when Joe DiMaggio, Gabby Hartnett, Ted Lyons and Dazzy Vance all gained entrance into the Hall, have four players received the necessary 75 percent of the vote from the BBWAA.

Five were elected at the same time on just one occasion, and that was the initial Hall class of 1936.

With the ballot jammed by big names from the Steroids Era, the BBWAA has recommended to the Hall's board of directors that it increase the number of players each voter can select from 10 to 12. That change could come as soon as 2016.

THE PED FACTOR

Suspected and admitted users of performance-enhancing drugs have been on the ballot since Mark McGwire was a first-timer in 2007. But the real...