Beltr¨¦, Helton, Mauer: Trio of legends headed to Hall of Fame

January 24th, 2024

The Baseball Writers¡¯ Association of America Hall of Fame ballot boom was back in a big way with the announcement of a three-person Class of 2024 on Tuesday night.

Masterful third baseman Adri¨¢n Beltr¨¦ and decorated Twins catcher Joe Mauer both achieved entry into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on their first BBWAA ballot, while power-hitting Rockies first baseman Todd Helton was elected on his sixth try, in results revealed on MLB Network.

The BBWAA-elected trio will join Contemporary Baseball Era Committee electee Jim Leyland in an induction ceremony to be held on July 21 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y.

¡°It¡¯s something I never even dreamed of,¡± said Beltr¨¦, who joked about letting the Hall¡¯s call go to voicemail when he was given the news. ¡°I can¡¯t even believe I¡¯m going to be on the same podium with those guys.¡±

Players must have their names checked by at least 75% of ballots submitted. Beltr¨¦ had 95.1% support, Helton reached 79.7%, and Mauer, at 76.1%, made it by just four votes. Closer Billy Wagner (73.8%) fell just five votes shy of entry and will have his last chance in 2025.

Slugger Gary Sheffield (63.9%) was not able to get the requisite support in his 10th and final try. But two other players -- center fielders Andruw Jones (61.6% on his seventh ballot) and Carlos Beltr¨¢n (57.1% on his second ballot) -- finished above 50%, continuing to build support that could get them in on future ballots.

The election of Beltr¨¦, a member of the 400-homer club and one of the best defensive third basemen of all time, was seen as a foregone conclusion. But with several holdovers trending upward and Mauer also reaching eligibility and faring well in public ballot tracking, there was an influx of intrigue to a writers¡¯ voting process that had netted a grand total of two new Cooperstown entrants in the previous three years (David Ortiz in 2022 and Scott Rolen in 2023).

¡°Very emotional,¡± Mauer said of his election. ¡°Obviously leading up to today, you reflect on all the people who have an impact on your career and who you are as a man. A lot of emotions. It¡¯s been a whirlwind, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

Helton had to wait a while longer, having first appeared on the 2019 ballot. He pumped his fist when the awaited call finally came through.

¡°I was pretty nervous,¡± Helton said. ¡°I really didn¡¯t think the phone was going to ring. When it rang, I was still in shock.¡±

Here¡¯s a look at the players chosen by the BBWAA voters to enter the hallowed Hall.

Adri¨¢n Beltr¨¦
The 44-year-old Beltr¨¦, who becomes just the fifth player born in the Dominican Republic to reach the Hall of Fame, was widely considered the one mortal lock on this ballot, even accounting for the first-timer penalty that some voters apply in certain cases. He had earned this pat on the back ... though he would famously recoil if you tried to touch his head.

Beltr¨¦ mounted an unimpeachable Hall case that, unusually, revolved more around his 30s than his 20s. His powerful bat and magnificent glove were constants at a stage of his career in which many others decline, and that left him with the round numbers, the accolades and the reputation to enter the Hall easily. He is the only infielder other than Derek Jeter to notch 3,000 hits and win five Gold Gloves.

¡°I always wanted to be the best I could be,¡± Beltr¨¦ said. ¡°I enjoyed playing the game and wanted to play hard. With that came accumulating some stuff that put me in the position I¡¯m at today.¡±

All told, in 21 seasons with the Dodgers, Mariners, Red Sox and Rangers, Beltr¨¦ had 3,166 hits, 477 homers and the third-highest Baseball-Reference Wins Above Replacement (93.5) mark of any third baseman in history. He finished in the top 10 of the MVP voting six times, including a runner-up finish with the Dodgers in 2004.

It was not until Beltr¨¦¡¯s age-31 season in 2010 ¨C on a one-year pillow contract in Boston ¨C that his Hall case took off. He had slumped at the end of a five-year stay in Seattle but reignited his career with a Silver Slugger season in which he led the Majors with 49 doubles. It led to a six-year free agent contract with the Rangers, for whom he became a franchise icon and a key piece of the club that went to Game 7 of the 2011 World Series. Three of his four All-Star appearances and four of his five postseason appearances came with Texas.

¡°At the time, I was a contract year guy, I was always trying to find motivation for me to perform better,¡± Beltr¨¦ said. ¡°I appreciated the fact that the Rangers gave me that chance to come to their ballpark and their city and be a part of the great team they already had. The way the front office and my teammates received me, it was a great combination for both. Once I got there, I just felt comfortable with the fan base. Everything about Texas and Arlington clicked for me.¡±

Todd Helton
Helton, 50, played his entire 17-year career with the Rockies -- a fact held against him early in his ballot eligibility because of Coors Field¡¯s notoriously hitter-friendly offensive environment. In his first year on the ballot in 2019, his name was checked on just 16.5% of ballots.

But over time, the voters recognized that, while Helton did put up a phenomenal .345/.441/.607 slash with 227 home runs in 4,841 plate appearances at Coors, he was no slouch on the road, either. In 4,612 road plate appearances, he slashed .287/.386/.469 with 142 home runs. The .855 away OPS is higher than that of such Hall of Famers as Dave Winfield (.841), Eddie Murray (.838) and Tony Gwynn (.835).

¡°It¡¯s kind of weird in Colorado,¡± Helton said. ¡°Pitchers get hurt, and they say they can¡¯t throw in thin air. Hitters get dinked because they play in Colorado. You don¡¯t get to pick where you play, and you always want to hit better in your home park. I¡¯m not embarrassed or anything about my home or road numbers.

"Going on the road after playing in Colorado is hard. The ball breaks more, and it¡¯s a huge adjustment to make those changes midseason. It is a good place to hit, but there are some drawbacks and toughness about going there and playing there.¡±

A five-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger, Helton also earned accolades for his glovework at first base, winning three Gold Glove honors. He led the Majors with a .372 average in 2000. He had consecutive seasons with 100 extra-base hits in 2000 and 2001. And he finished his career with more walks (1,335) than strikeouts (1,175).

Helton will join Larry Walker, who was elected into the Hall in 2020 and inducted in 2021, as the only Rockies represented in Cooperstown¡¯s hallowed plaque gallery. Together, they have overcome the curse of Coors in this voting system.

¡°I think Larry Walker moved that needle more than me,¡± Helton said. ¡°He paved the way for me. ... He made it all right for the voters to vote for a Colorado position player.¡±

Joe Mauer
Though his case was more complicated than that of fellow first-timer Beltr¨¦, the 40-year-old Mauer nevertheless achieved entry into the Hall as arguably the best catcher of his generation. He is just the third catcher to get in on his first ballot, joining Iv¨¢n Rodr¨ªguez and Johnny Bench.

¡°I admired those guys and looked up to those guys,¡± Mauer said. ¡°I just have the utmost respect for the Hall of Fame, the players who went ahead of me and have done great things. I¡¯m just all over the place with emotions. I can¡¯t wait to get there and show my kids some of the history of this beautiful game.¡±

The St. Paul, Minn., kid made good on his 2001 selection as the No. 1 overall Draft pick by his hometown Twins to become a six-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger, three-time batting champ and the 2009 AL MVP. He was a member of four division-winning Twins teams.

Though his catching career was cut short by concussions and five seasons as essentially a league-average first baseman complicated his Cooperstown case, Mauer made enough of an impact at his primary position to stand among the greatest to ever don the tools of ignorance. His .306 career batting average is tied for the sixth highest among catchers with at least 3,000 plate appearances, and his .388 on-base percentage is tied for third. He¡¯s the only catcher with three batting titles, and his total of 44.6 bWAR during his 10 years as the Twins¡¯ primary catcher from 2004-13 was by far the best at that position in that timeframe.

In his MVP year, Mauer led the AL in average (.365), OBP (.444) and slugging percentage (.587) while hitting a career-best 28 homers. He finished his career with 2,123 hits, 143 homers, 428 doubles and 923 RBIs.

¡°Being a St. Paul guy and to join that group of St. Paul guys in the Hall of Fame with Paul [Molitor] and Dave Winfield and Jack Morris,¡± said Mauer, ¡°really means a lot to me.¡±

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
mfhoudan.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
jerusalemdispatch.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
worldhealthstory.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
techguroh.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com