(Luke Kerr-Dineen//For the Win)
Ah, the Baseball Hall of Fame. The often criticized and much-divided Baseball Writers of America Association (BBWAA) has announced their annual Hall of Fame Class. The 75% mark to reach enshrinement is one of the tougher marks to reach in American professional sports. The 2024 class consists of the following – Adrian Beltré, Todd Helton, and Joe Mauer.
Adrian Beltré, 3rd Basemen, Texas Rangers
Beltré was on the ballot for the first time, he received the second highest percentage (95.1%) of all time for third basemen, only George Brett (98.2% in 1999) has received a higher vote. Beltré ended his career on a heater, and was highly productive up until the end. He tallied 5 Golden Gloves, 4 Silver Sluggers, 3,166 hits, 477 HRs, and 1,707 RBIs, and had a career .286 batting average. Beltré suited up for 4 different teams in his career, spening the bulk of his time with the Dodgers early on, then Seattle, a cup of coffee in Boston for a year, and then finishing his career in Texas with the Rangers. What I’ll remember most about Adrien Beltré was his sarcasm on and off the field, and his antics with long time Rangers teammate, Elvis Andrus. Here’s some of his greatest moments. There was never a dull moment when he was on the field. Thank you, Adrien.
Todd Helton, 1st Basemen, Colorado Rockies
Todd Helton leaped the 75% mark on his fifth attempt, receiving 79.7% of the vote and finally making his way into Cooperstown. Mr. Colorado Rocky, Helton was often hurt by the nature of his environment. Playing in the thin air of Colorado for all 17 years, many voters worried his numbers were somewhat inflated. Helton, who was a perennial problem at the plate, was a 4-time Silver Slugger winner. He boasted an impressive .316 batting average in his career, along with 2,519 hits, 369 HRs, and 1,406 RBIs. Helton’s impressive ability to combine low strikeout numbers along with power made him a tough out. Helton was most feared during the early 2000s, including a 2000 season where he had 216 hits, 59 doubles, 42 HRs, 147 RBIs, and batted .372. Helton was Mr. Reliable for the Rockies, and did one hell of a hidden ball trick. Congrats, Todd!
Joe Mauer, Catcher, Minnesota Twins
Joe Mauer, the hometown hero, will forever represent his home state in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Mauer received 76.1% of the vote his first year on the ballot. The St. Paul, Minnesota native was the #1 overall pick in the 2001 draft by his hometown club. He spent the entirety of his 15 season career with the Twins, and was the team's everyday catcher from 2004 to 2013. Following a nasty collision at the plate, Mauer moved to first base for the remainder of his career. Mauer won three batting titles at the catcher position, as well as a 2009 MVP Award. Mauer is arguably one of the greatest players at his position of the 21st century, and one of baseball's all-time good guys. Congrats, to the hometown kid.
Biggest Takeaway
The committee concurs: Steroids. Are. Bad. Confirmed. Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, I apologize, but it doesn’t look too hot. Both still received about a third of the vote, which tells you what part of the committee stands on what side. After the whole Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and Mark McGwire fiasco, I can’t sit here and say I didn’t see this coming. I still think that in that era of baseball, we should respect their best players. I mean c’mon, a lot of guys were juicing, but not all guys were the best at their position, let alone the best of all time. I hope that down the line the committee can look back and realize what a mark those guys left on the game.
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