Adrián Beltré,ánBeltré the epitome of consistent greatness throughout a 21-year major league career, was elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame in overwhelming fashion Tuesday night, in his first year of eligibility.
Beltré, the four-time All-Star third baseman who slugged 477 home runs and racked up 3,166 hits, will be joined at July’s Cooperstown induction ceremony by Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer, who was narrowly elected in his first appearance on the ballot, and Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton, who earned enshrinement in his sixth year of eligibility.
But there was only one slam dunk in this year’s voting by veteran members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Beltré, 44, was a crucial foundational piece for almost every team he played on in a career that started at 19, with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and continued through stints with the Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers, with whom he spent the final eight years of his career.
Beltré was a transformational figure in Texas, leading them to Game 7 of the 2011 World Series and three more playoff appearances. He finished his career checking virtually every box, both from a statistical standpoint, defensively and, by all indications, as a universally respected clubhouse presence.
He was named on 366 of 385 ballots, a robust 95.1% and well above the 75% required for election.
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Mauer, 40, straddled the electoral fence as returns trickled in online, and his incomplete resume left doubt that he’d be a first-ballot electee. He hit just 143 home runs in a 15-year career, and spent his last five seasons at first base, where his dearth of power was glaring.
But Mauer won three American League batting titles, leading the majors in average in both 2006 (.347) and 2009 (.365) and earned three Gold Gloves for his work at catcher. He won the 2009 AL MVP award after leading the AL in average, on-base and slugging, joining Pudge Rodriguez as the only catchers to earn that honor since 1976.
A concussion ended Mauer’s catching career in 2013, and drove him from the game altogether in 2018. Yet he finished with a lifetime .306 batting average and a sublime .388 on-base percentage, accumulating 55.2 Wins Above Replacement.
It was all just enough on his first try: Mauer received 293 votes, four more than necessary, and finished at 76.1%.
Though he was one of the 2000s most dominant hitters, Helton’s case was always complex. The Colorado Rockie called Coors Field his home, which certainly aided his offensive production.
He slugged 369 home runs, far from the de facto 500 associated with Hall induction, especially for a first baseman. And after hitting 42 and 49 homers in consecutive seasons, Helton never hit more than 33 in one season after the Rockies began installing baseballs in a humidor in 2002. But Helton had an elite .316/.414/.539 slash line with a .953 OPS and 133 adjusted OPS.
And for that he was ultimately rewarded: Helton was named on 79.7% of ballots, his 307 votes putting him safely past the cutline.
Helton's 2024 performance in Hall of Fame voting marked a steady climb from a 16.5% debut in 2019 to a 20-point leap from 2022 to 2023’s 72.2% mark that put him on the doorstep of induction.
Sometimes, a candidate makes a steady climb and then runs out of time. So it was for Gary Sheffield, who debuted on the ballot in 2015, when worthy candidates created an induction traffic jam, and was punished for a loose connection to the game’s performance-enhancing drug era.
Sheffield received just 11.7% of the vote in his debut but in this, his 10th and final appearance, was supported on just 63.9% of ballots. His 246 votes left him 43 shy of election. In a simpler time, he would have had five more cracks at induction.
Alas, the Hall’s 2014 decision to reduce players’ eligibility from 15 to 10 years likely cost Sheffield a chance to vault the 75% mark. He’ll now be subject to the capricious whims of the Today’s Game committee, which likely won’t look at his PED connection – apparent use of a body cream one winter as he worked out with Barry Bonds – any less favorably. Sheffield hit 509 home runs, won five Silver Slugger awards and was a nine-time All-Star.
Relief pitcher Billy Wagner also fell short in his Hall quest. Wagner, in his ninth appearance on the ballot, finished with 284 votes, needing just five more to vault the 75% mark. Wagner, who saved 422 games and struck out 11.9 batters per nine innings, will have one more chance to earn induction via the writers ballot and will build off his 73.8% near miss.
Yet the most expected result Tuesday was delivered with authority. Beltré will be inducted in Cooperstown on July 21, along with Mauer, Helton, manager Jim Leyland (chosen by committee vote), Boston Red Sox announcer Joe Castiglione and baseball writer Gerry Fraley.
Fraley, the longtime Dallas Morning News reporter, once called Beltré’s signing by the Rangers the second-most important addition in club history, behind the 1989 acquisition of Nolan Ryan. Come July, Beltré will join Ryan in Cooperstown.
75% vote share needed for election, 5% needed to remain on ballot:
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