Beltré, Helton, and Mauer Make 2024 MLB Hall of Fame Class
Last night, an elite group of former baseball players had their opportunity to hear their name be announced for the 2024 MLB Hall of Fame class. This list featured many of the game’s best from the early and late 2000s, plus 2010s. Players need 289 votes to be officially named a Hall of Famer. Three players, Adrián Beltré, Todd Helton, and Joe Mauer have all been selected, and their distinguished careers will be honored at Cooperstown. Let’s look into the magnificent careers of these three Hall of Fame players!
Adrián Beltré
Third baseman Adrián Beltré was one of the best to play his position. The four-time all-star received 95 percent of the votes, the most out of any player listed on the 2024 Hall of Fame ballot. Adrián played 21 seasons in the majors, spending time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers. Beltré is a four-time Silver Slugger Award winner, a five-time Gold Glove winner, and has his number 29 retired by the Rangers. Through 2,933 career games, the Hall of Fame third baseman compiled over 3,000 hits, 477 home runs, and 1,707 RBIs. During the 2004 season when he played for Texas, Beltré led the National League with 48 home runs, while driving in 121 runs. In 2010 and 2011, he was a key part in helping the Rangers make their first two World Series appearances. His power plus fielding ability at third base, makes him an all-time great, and he’ll certainly be remembered by generations to come.
Todd Helton
Former Rockies first baseman Todd Helton spent all 17 of his seasons playing for Colorado. Helton received nearly 80 percent of the Hall of Fame votes. The five-time all-star is a big reason why the Colorado Rockies made their first World Series appearance during the 2007 season. He’s recorded about 2,500 hits, 369 home runs, and 1,406 RBIs through 2,247 career games during his illustrious 17-year career. Todd is a four-time Silver Slugger Award winner, three-time Gold Glove Award winner, and won the Hank Aaron Award in 2000. He also led the majors with a .376 batting average and 147 RBIs during the 2000 season. The 2024 Hall of Famer had five seasons between 1999-2003 where he collected 100 or more RBIs. Helton has nis number 17 retired by the Rockies. He is certainly one of the best if not the best player to ever wear a Colorado Rockies uniform.
Joe Mauer
During his 15 seasons in the majors, Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer was an absolute force. Mauer received 76 percent of the votes, having exactly 293 votes, four more than what’s required to make the Hall of Fame. Minnesota retired Mauer’s number seven, as he’s been one of the team’s best players since making his big-league debut in 2004. Joe is a six-time all-star, five-time Silver Slugger Award winner, three-time Gold Glove Award winner, he was named the American League batting champion three times from 2007-2009. Finally, he was the 2009 American League MVP after posting a .365 batting average, 191 hits, 28 home runs, and 96 RBIs. His lifetime batting average sits at .306, one of the best batters at the plate of our generation. He certainly deserves his respects as a Hall of Famer and being one of the best catches we’ve seen during our time!
