Adrian Beltre, Joe Mauer & Todd Helton Elected to 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame Class
The results of the first big 2024 election are in… Three of baseball’s biggest stars were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame last night. The trio of inductees includes superstar 3B Adrian Beltre, longtime Twins catcher Joe Mauer, and the home-run bashing Rockies 1B Todd Helton. Beltre and Mauer were elected in their first time on the ballot, but it was Helton’s sixth attempt. All three will join the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee electee, Jim Leyland.
Players on the ballot must receive 75 percent of votes by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). Beltre was a surefire nod with 95.1 percent, but Helton and Mauer were a little tighter. Here’s a deeper look at the three players heading to Cooperstown in July, as well as some of the near-misses.
3B Adrian Beltre (1st Ballot, Votes: 95.1%)
The star of Hall of Fame ballot day was Beltre, a member of the 400-homer club and one of baseball’s best defensive third basemen. Beltre split his 20-year career with four teams — the Dodgers, Mariners, Red Sox and Rangers — from 1998-2018.
C Joe Mauer (1st Ballot, Votes: 76.1%)
Mauer still secured his 1st-ballot HOF status, but much more narrowly than Beltre. One of the greatest catchers to ever play the game, Mauer spent his entire 14-year career in Minnesota. He wasn’t smashing home runs or making dazzling plays over the diamond, but his reliability for a generation of Twins fans carried him to 1st-ballot status.
1B Todd Helton (6th Ballot, Votes: 79.7%)
Helton’s vote total on his sixth attempt was a little bit of a shock to me (maybe baseball purists can tell me why the sixth time was the charm). Helton’s power-hitting and longevity certainly played a role. He hit 369 homers and amassed 1406 RBIs over 17 years in Colorado.
Near-Misses (2024 Hall of Fame Ballot)
P Billy Wagner (73.8%) — 9th Ballot
RF Gary Sheffield (63.9%) — 10th & Final Ballot
CF Andruw Jones (61.6%) — 7th Ballot
CF Carlos Belran (57.1%) — 2nd Ballot
Other Names on the Ballot
SS Alex Rodriguez (34.8%) — 3rd Ballot
OF Manny Ramirez (32.5%) — 9th Ballot
IF Chase Utley (28.8%) — 1st Ballot
Read More
ESPN: Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, Joe Mauer Into Baseball Hall of Fame
MLB: Here’s to the Players Who Fell Off the 2024 Hall of Fame Ballot
CBS Sports: Looking Ahead to 2025 HOF Ballot, Including Ichiro Suzuki & CC Sabathia
