Baseball Hall Of Fame 2024

By Mike Rifkin

Next Tuesday, the Baseball Hall Of Fame will announce their class of 2024. Players need at least 75% of the vote to be enshrined into the Hall. Players also will have ten years on the ballot to get in; otherwise, they need the Veterans Committee to put them in. If a player receives less than 5% of the vote, that player will drop off the ballot entirely. Here’s how I would vote for the 2024 class for the Baseball Hall Of Fame

FIRST YEAR Eligibility

Joe Mauer – The 2009 AL MVP played 15 seasons for the Minnesota Twins. Mauer won three batting titles (2006, 2008,2009) and is the only catcher in history with three batting titles. Mauer also won five Silver Sluggers and three Gold Gloves. 

Adrian Beltre – Beltre played 21 seasons for the Dodgers, Mariners, Red Sox, and Rangers. Beltre won five Gold Gloves and four Silver Sluggers. Beltre hit 477 Home Runs and 3,166 hits. All of that should be able to put him in Cooperstown. 

HOLDOVERS 

Todd Helton – Like Mauer, Helton played his entire career with one organization, the Colorado Rockies. Helton won three Gold Gloves and four Silver Sluggers. Helton’s career average is .316. The writers should not hold Coors Field against Helton. 

Andruw Jones: Jones is a ten-time Gold Glove winner in Center Field. Jones has 434 career Home Runs; the only players with more than 10 Gold Gloves are Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr, and Mike Schmidt (all in the Hall). 

Billy Wagner – 422 saves, which is the sixth All time. A career 2.31 ERA. Billy Wagner was a dominant reliever throughout his career. His 0.098 WHIP is the lowest All Time for a reliever with at least 700 innings pitched. 

Torii Hunter – Hunter is a nine-time Gold Glove winner and a two-time Silver Slugger winner. Hunter had one of the most famous catches in All-Star Game history when he robbed Barry Bonds of a homer. (It’s not something you put on the plaque, but if you’ve never seen it, YouTube it). 11 seasons of 20 or more Homers as well for Hunter. 

Gary Sheffield – Sheffield is in the top 30 All-time in Home Runs, Walks, and RBI. Sheffield was a member of the 1997 World Series Champion Florida Marlins. He won five Silver Sluggers in his career.

Carlos Beltran- Beltran is a three-time Gold Glove winner and a two-time Silver Slugger. Beltran was a tremendous Center Fielder in his career. Beltran is one of four players with 1,500 runs scored, 2,700 hits, 400 Home Runs, and 300 steals ( Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, and Alex Rodriguez). Beltran also hit 16 Playoff Homers. He had one of the greatest Postseasons in 2004 and won a World Series 2017. 

Omar Vizquel – A member of two Cleveland Indian AL Championship teams. Vizquel won 11 Gold Gloves in his career and eight seasons of 20 or more stolen bases. Vizquel has 2,877 hits and is in the top 15 All-Time in Games Played (2,968). 

Yes, I have Gary Sheffield in the Hall, not Alex Rodriguez or Manny Ramirez. Yes, all three have a PED connection, but Sheffield never tested positive and has been more open about it than the other two. At some point, Baseball has to acknowledge the Steroid era took place, especially since the man who saw it (Bud Selig) is in. But for now, these are the names I’d vote for in the 2024 Baseball Hall Of Fame.