Adrián Beltré, Joe Mauer and Todd Helton got the call of their lives Tuesday.
Beltré, Mauer and Helton were all named on more than 75% of ballots by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame this summer.
Three players join Jim Leyland in the Class of 2024 as Adrián Beltré, Todd Helton and Joe Mauer earn baseball immortality.
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) January 23, 2024
Full vote totals: https://t.co/KpLxFLJ3ER pic.twitter.com/ae46gbvYK0
Beltré tallied 3,166 hits, 477 home runs and 1,707 runs batted in during a 21-year Major League Baseball career with the Dodgers, Mariners, Red Sox and Rangers. He won five Gold Glove Awards, played in four All-Star Games and collected the Silver Slugger Award four times.
Earning 95.1% of possible votes, Beltré received the fourth-highest vote percentage ever for a third baseman, falling short of George Brett, Chipper Jones and Mike Schmidt.
Beltré will be joined in Cooperstown by Helton, who enters the Hall of Fame in his sixth year on the ballot with 79.7% of the vote. He fell just 11 check marks short of election last year.
Helton, a first baseman who played all 17 seasons of his big league career for the Rockies, retired in 2013 with a .316 batting average and 369 home runs.
The five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, three-time Gold Glove winner and 2000 batting champion will join outfielder Larry Walker as the only Rockies in Cooperstown.
Mauer, a catcher who also played first base and designated hitter, rounds out the trio. The 2009 American League Most Valuable Player spent his entire 15-year MLB career in his home state of Minnesota, earning six All-Star appearances, three batting titles and three consecutive Gold Gloves (2008, 2009 and 2010).
Mauer is one of three first-ballot Hall of Famers who primarily played catcher, joining Johnny Bench (1989) and Iván Rodríguez (2017).
Mauer made the Hall of Fame by just four votes (76.1%). Relief pitcher Billy Wagner missed out by just five (73.8%).
The seven-time All-Star has 422 career saves, the sixth-most in MLB history, alongside a 47-40 record and a 2.31 earned run average. His 16-year big league career included stops with the Astros, Phillies, Mets, Red Sox and Braves.
Wagner was in his ninth year on the writers’ association ballot, and only has one more year of eligibility.
Gary Sheffield (63.9%) also struck out, falling short of Hall of Fame induction in his 10th and final year on the ballot.
The power hitter known for his unique batting stance notched 509 home runs, 2,689 hits and 1,676 RBIs during an eight-team, 22-season big league career.
He is now eligible for induction via the contemporary baseball player committee, which meets next in December 2025.
Other notable players who fell short this year included Andruw Jones (61.6%), Carlos Beltrán (57.1%), Álex Rodríguez (34.8%) and Manny Ramírez (32.5%).
Rodriguez and Ramírez were presumably impacted by suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs. Beltrán’s character took a hit after he was the only player named in the report documenting the Astros’ cheating scandal, though he was never formally disciplined.
Among first-time candidates, Chase Utley (28.8%) and David Wright (6.2%) will remain on next year’s ballot after securing over 5% of the vote. José Bautista, Bartolo Colon, Matt Holliday, Adrián González, Victor Martinez, Brandon Phillips, José Reyes and James Shields did not hit 5% and will be dropped.
Beltré, Mauer and Helton will join manager Jim Leyland, who won the 1997 World Series with the Marlins, in Cooperstown this summer. Leyland earned his spot last month through the contemporary committee with a 93.8% vote.
The induction ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, July 21 at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown.
Last year, third baseman Scott Rolen was the only player inducted by the writers. Rolen was named on 76.3% of ballots in his sixth year of eligibility.