2024 Baseball Hall of Fame predictions for Adrian Beltre, Joe Mauer, others

Many baseball writers who shared their votes publicly had Adrian Beltre on their ballots. And that is not surprising given the legendary career Beltre had.

Beltre surprisingly only made four All-Star teams. He added five Gold Glove awards and four silver sluggers. Additionally, Beltre led the National League in home runs during the 2004 season.

Beltre played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers during his 21-year career. Consistency was the key for Beltre, who typically always recorded a respectable batting average and OBP while hitting for power and playing stellar defense at third base.

Beltre finished his career with a .286/.339/.480/.819 slash line. He finished just a bit shy of the 500 home run mark, crushing 477 long balls. However, one statistic that will play a pivotal role in Beltre’s Hall of Fame case is his 3,166 hits. Recording over 3,000 hits almost guarantees players an induction into Cooperstown.

The question is whether or not Beltre will receive his induction during his first time on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.

I am predicting that he will.

Joe Mauer

Joe Mauer was one of the best catchers in baseball during his 15-year career. While Beltre enjoyed impressive seasons with three different teams, Mauer spent his entire career with the Minnesota Twins.

Mauer was a six-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner, five-time Silver Slugger, and three-time batting champion. Additionally, Mauer won the 2009 AL MVP award.

In all reality, Mauer is one of the best offensive catchers in MLB history. Of course, his steady defensive prowess will only help his MLB Hall of Fame chances.

If you don’t think Mauer is a Hall-of-Famer, you might change your mind after hearing his statistics. Mauer’s final MLB slash line is an extremely impressive .306/.388/.439/.827.

That slash line would be incredible for any player, but especially for a catcher. Mauer only had 143 career home runs and 2,123 hits, but he was a pure hitter without question.

His three batting titles will go a long way in terms of helping his Hall of Fame case. However, batting average isn’t as respected in today’s game by some writers and analysts. Nevertheless, I’m expecting the voters to take into account Mauer’s consistency as a catcher.

I’m more confident in Beltre’s chances of becoming a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, but Mauer still has an opportunity.

Todd Helton

Finally, I’m predicting Todd Helton to be the final player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2024.

For those who may not be aware, players need 75 percent of the vote to earn induction. Helton fell just short in 2023, earning 72.2 percent of the vote. The former Colorado Rockies first baseman should receive enough of the vote in 2024 to earn the nod.

Helton sometimes gets criticized because he spent his entire career in Colorado, which offers an advantage to hitters because of the elevation. But that isn’t Helton’s fault. He took advantage of his opportunity and recorded memorable numbers for the Rockies.

Helton was a five-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner, and four-time Silver Slugger. Helton was consistent during his 17-year career, but one season that stands out was his 2000 campaign.

In 2000, Helton led the league in batting average (.372), OBP (.463), slugging (.698), OPS (1.162), hits (216), doubles (59), RBI (147) and total bases (405). Yet, he somehow finished only fifth in NL MVP voting.

Helton had the disadvantage of playing during the steroid era, where players such as Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa stole headlines with their thunderous power. However, Bonds, McGwire, Sosa, and other players who were linked to PEDs haven’t been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Helton may have been overlooked during his career, but now he has a realistic chance of getting elected to Cooperstown.

Todd Helton finished his career with a .316/.414/.539/.953 slash line. He added 369 home runs. Look for Helton to join Beltre and Mauer in the 2024 Hall of Fame class.

What about Alex Rodriguez, Billy Wagner, Andruw Jones, and Gary Sheffield?

There are many other players on the ballot with legitimate arguments.

Until Barry Bonds gets inducted, I don’t envision anyone linked to PEDS reaching the Hall of Fame. So Alex Rodriguez will probably need to wait and hope that MLB allows Bonds to get in, as he is the all-time leader in home runs.

Billy Wagner earned 68.1 percent of the vote in 2023 and is in his ninth year. I expect him to finish where Helton ended last year, falling just short. But Wagner should be able to earn his induction next year.

Andruw Jones has a fascinating MLB Hall of Fame case. He is still only in his seventh year on the ballot, so Jones has time to climb in the votes. He earned 58 percent of the vote in 2023, so he should receive more than 60 percent this year.

Gary Sheffield is in his 10th year on the ballot. He had a stellar career but received just 55 percent of the vote in 2023. Making a 20 percent jump in the vote seems unlikely, but anything can happen.