Adrian Beltré, Joe Mauer, and Chase Utley have been included on the 2024 Baseball Writers’ Association of America Hall of Fame ballot, which was announced on Monday. These players are among the most notable newcomers.
The rookie candidates are accompanied by experienced ballot contenders like Todd Helton, Billy Wagner, and Andruw Jones, who are on track to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
• Analyzing all the rookie candidates on the 2024 Hall of Fame ballot
After a 21-year career, Beltré is making his first appearance on the ballot with 3,166 hits and 477 home runs to his name. Mauer’s induction is largely attributed to his three batting titles as a catcher and his 2009 AL MVP award. Utley was a six-time All-Star and was part of the Phillies’ 2008 World Series-winning team. Among the newcomers on the ballot are David Wright, Bartolo Colon, Adrián González, Matt Holliday, José Reyes, José Bautista, Victor Martinez, James Shields, and Brandon Phillips.
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Helton, Wagner, and Jones are some of the top storylines for this year’s ballot due to their candidacies. All of them are close to reaching the 75% threshold required for induction after making significant advancements last year. In his fifth year on the ballot, Helton narrowly missed the mark, gathering 72.2% of the vote. Wagner and Jones saw their voting support increase by 17 points last year, bringing their current percentages to 68.1% and 58.1% as they mark their ninth and seventh years on the ballot, respectively.
Last year, Gary Sheffield’s support increased by 15 points to reach 55.0%. However, he will require a substantial growth in order to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in his 10th and last year on the BBWAA ballot. Sheffield, a member of the 500-home run club, is the only player on the ballot entering their 10th voting cycle.
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Another notable returning candidate is Carlos Beltrán, who is among the five players to have achieved both 400 home runs and 300 stolen bases. Last year was his first appearance on the ballot and he received 46.5% of the vote.
In their third and eighth year of eligibility, Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez were known as two of the most intimidating hitters in the game. Their voting percentages have probably been low due to their ties to performance-enhancing drugs. In the previous year, Rodriguez received 35.7% of votes, while Ramirez received 33.2% of votes.
Omar Vizquel, Andy Pettitte, Bobby Abreu, Jimmy Rollins, Mark Buehrle, Francisco Rodriguez, and Torii Hunter are the remaining returning candidates for the 2024 ballot.
Please ensure that all ballots are submitted by 31st. The announcement of the results will be made on Tuesday, January.
The game will be airing on the MLB Network on April 23, 2024. All players who receive at least 75% of the vote and anyone chosen from the Contemporary Baseball Era Managers/Executives/Umpires ballot will be honored at the 2024 Induction Ceremony on July 21.
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