The Baseball Hall of Fame will gain three new members in the summer of 2024. So, who is heading to Cooperstown and who is not?
The Baseball Writers’ Association of America revealed their votes on Tuesday, sending Adrián Beltré, Todd Helton, and Joe Mauer to the Hall of Fame. The trio of legends will join Contemporary Baseball Era Committee electee Jim Leyland in an induction ceremony this July.
The Class of 2024 featured 26 candidates, with 12 first-time nominees. Players on the ballot need 75% of the BBWAA votes to win induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Those who receive less than 5% of the votes or stay on the ballot for 10 years without crossing 75% are removed.
Adrián Beltré had 95.1% of the votes, Todd Helton reached with 79.7%, and Joe Mauer made it by just four votes with 76.1%.
The Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2024
The 2024 Inductees
Adrián Beltré
It came as no surprise that Adrián Beltré (95.1%) was elected to the Hall of Fame by an overwhelming majority in his first year of eligibility. Regarded as one of the greatest third basemen of all time, the four-time All-Star racked up 3,166 hits and 477 home runs over his 21-year career.
Beltré signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1994 at just 15 years old and made his MLB debut four years later. He played for four different teams over his two decades of service time and retired as a Texas Ranger in 2018. Upon his retirement in 2018, Beltré was the only third baseman with 3,000 career hits and 400 home runs. He was a four-time Silver Slugger and a five-time Rawlings Gold Glove Winner.
Todd Helton
Todd Helton (79.7%) made it to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his fifth year of eligibility. The first baseman played his entire 17-year career with the Colorado Rockies. Helton retired in 2013 with a .316 batting average, 2,519 hits, 369 home runs, and 1,406 RBIs. He was a five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, and a three-time Gold Glove winner. Helton also holds multiple Rockies’ club records including hits (2,519), home runs (369), and games played (2,247).
Having spent his entire career in Denver, his eligibility was tainted by Coors Field being a notorious hitter-friendly environment. Helton received just 16.9% of votes in his first year of eligibility in 2019, and saw his votes steadily increase before finally crossing the 75% threshold on Tuesday. He will join Larry Walker, inducted in 2021, as the only Rockies in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Joe Mauer
Narrowly making the Class of 2024 was Twins catcher and first baseman Joe Mauer (76.1%). Mauer, also a first-time nominee, spent his entire career with the Minnesota Twins. With just 143 home runs over his 15-year career, Mauer was not viewed as a top candidate for the Class of 2024. His case for Cooperstown came by being a six-time All-Star and a three-time batting champion. He won the AL MVP in 2009 joining Pudge Rodríguez as the only catchers to win an MVP since 1976. He also holds three Gold Glove and five Silver Slugger awards.
Mauer made MLB history as the only catcher to win three batting titles. Notably, he is the only catcher to win a batting title in the American League. He spent his last five seasons at first base after a concussion ended his catching career in 2013. The former first-round pick retired in 2018 with a .306 batting average, 2,123 hits, 143 home runs, and 923 RBIs.
The 2024 Hall of Fame Induction
The BBWAA elected trio and former manager Jim Leyland will be formally inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on July 21st.
Closer Billy Wagner (73.8%) was just five votes shy of being the first left-handed reliever in Cooperstown. Wagner, in his ninth year of eligibility, will have one more chance for enshrinement in 2025. Meanwhile, Gary Sheffield appeared on the BWAA ballot for the final time. However, he is eligible for consideration by the Contemporary Baseball Player Committee which meets again in December 2025.
Photo Credit: “Adrian Beltre” by IDSportsPhoto is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
