The Baseball Writers’ Association of America elected Todd Helton, Adrian Beltre, and Joe Mauer into the Baseball Hall of Fame. All three players reached the 75 percent voting threshold required to be immortalized in Cooperstown, New York.
The trio will join long-time manager Jim Leyland, whom the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee elected into the Class of 2024. The induction weekend will be on July 21 at Clarks Sports Center.
The Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2024! pic.twitter.com/DGsssn7MR4
— MLB (@MLB) January 24, 2024
Beltre was the highest vote-getter among the finalists, with 366 votes or 95.1 percent. In his 21-season Major League Baseball career, he became a four-time All-Star, a five-time Gold Glove Award winner, and a four-time Silver Slugger. He suited up for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, and Texas Rangers.
The third baseman from the Dominican Republic had a .286 batting average over 2,933 games. He also collected 3,166 hits, 477 home runs, 1,707 runs batted in, 1,524 runs, and 121 stolen bases. He had a .960 fielding percentage and hit .261 in 28 postseason games.
Meanwhile, Helton became a Hall of Famer after his sixth appearance on the ballot. He played his entire 17-season career with the Colorado Rockies and became a five-time MLB All-Star. Helton won three Gold Gloves and four Silver Slugger trophies.
Helton earned the 2000 Hank Aaron Award as the National League’s best hitter, finishing with 216 hits, 42 home runs, and a league-leading 147 RBIs. He also won that year’s batting title with a .372 average. The Rockies retired his number 17 jersey due to his astounding 2,519 hits, 369 home runs, 1,406 RBIs, and a .316 lifetime batting average.
Finally, Mauer is a Minnesota life because he was born and raised in St. Paul. The Minnesota Twins selected him with the first overall pick in the 2001 MLB Draft, and he spent his entire 15-season career with the organization.
The catcher/first baseman was the 2009 American League Most Valuable Player after leading the league in batting average (.365) and on-base percentage (.444). He was also the AL batting champion in 2006 (.347) and 2008 (.328).
The Twins Hall of Fame member is a six-time MLB All-Star, a three-time Gold Glove winner, and a five-time Silver Slugger awardee. He received 76.1 percent of the votes, barely enough to be enshrined into Cooperstown.
As Leyland, Beltre, Helton, and Mauer make it to the Hall of Fame, relief pitcher Billy Wagner missed the cut by 1.2 percent or five votes short of the required 289.
-Lance Fernandez