How I Would Vote: 2024 Baseball Hall Of Fame

By: Mike Rifkin 

On Sunday, Fred McGriff and Scott Rolen were enshrined as the 2023 Baseball Hall of Fame class. Both were well-deserving additions, but let’s fast forward to next year and how I would vote for the Hall Of Fame. 

The Holdovers with their 2023 percentages. : Todd Helton (72.2%), Billy Wagner (68.1%), Andruw Jones (58.1%), Gary Sheffield (55%), Carlos Beltran (46.5), Alex Rodriguez (35.7%), Manny Ramirez (33.2%). If a player got under 30 percent of the vote, I don’t think they will jump to 75 percent to get entry. 

The First-Timers: Jose Bautista, Adrian Beltre, Bartolo Colon, Matt Holliday, Adrian Gonzalez, Victor Martinez, Joe Mauer, Brandon Phillips, Chase Utley, and David Wright. 

HOW I WOULD VOTE

Todd Helton: The former Rockies first baseman played his whole career in Colorado, but that is no longer a significant factor, especially after getting 72 percent of the vote this year. Helton is one of 23 players ever with a .300/.400/.500 slash line. Helton won three Gold Gloves, four Silver Sluggers, and a Batting Title. 

Andruw Jones: Jones was a member of the Atlanta Braves that ran the National League East in the late 90s and early 2000s. 1998-2007, Jones had the third-best WAR in Baseball, only trailing Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez. Jones is one of three Center Fielders to win 10 Gold Gloves along with Willie Mays and Ken Griffey Jr. Jones is also one of four players with ten gold gloves and 400 plus home runs joining Mays, Griffey, and Mike Schmidt. From 1998 to 2007, he had at least 25 home runs and drove in at least 84 runs.

Billy Wagner: 422 career saves, 2.31 career ERA, and 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings haven’t been enough to get Wagner into Cooperstown yet. Yes, there are only six closers in the Hall Of Fame, but Wagner was dominant in his era and deserves to be enshrined. 

Adrian Beltre: Five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, 477 Home Runs, and 3,166 hits. If that doesn’t get Beltre into the Hall of Fame, many questions will arise. But he makes my Hall Of Fame. 

Joe Mauer: A former MVP, three Gold Gloves, three Batting Titles, and five-time Silver Slugger. Mauer was arguably the best pure hitter in his era, finishing with a .306 Batting Average and, at the same time, playing the most physically demanding position on the field. Also, the ball he hit in 2009 was fair. 

Carlos Beltran: I still hold a grudge over game seven of the 2006 NLCS. But three Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers, and 435 Home Runs should be enough to get this World Series Champion into the Hall Of Fame. 

There are three polarizing figures remaining on the ballot. Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, and Manny Ramirez have all been linked to PEDs. Rodriguez and Ramirez are polling in the 30s, and Sheffield polled at 55 and is entering his final year on the ballot. Baseball should acknowledge that the steroid era happened, but there is a dark cloud for me, especially over A-Rod regarding Biogenesis and lying to Katie Couric. But if the voters or Veteran’s Committee put any of these guys in, it opens the door for guys like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. So watch their numbers when the 2024 class gets announced in January.