The Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2024 will be announced in a few weeks, which begs the question: who should get in? Below are my choices for who should get in and why.
Todd Helton
Helton was eerily close to making it last year during his fifth year on the ballot. The man is Mr. Rockie and hit .300 or better in 12 of his 17 seasons. He won multiple Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers at first base as well, and he has quickly become an underrated player of this generation solely because he played in a hitter’s ballpark.
Billy Wagner
Wagner is second all-time in saves as a lefty and sixth overall. He is a seven time all star and has the lowest ERA among all lefties who have thrown 500 or more innings in the live ball era. He played well for all five teams he pitched for, although his Postseason numbers might be more than forgettable.
Andruw Jones
Jones is arguably the best fielding center fielder of this generation, racking up 10 consecutive Gold Gloves during his illustrious 17-year career. He balled out during the 1996 World Series, and while his batting numbers do not jump out by any means, he was as reliable as they come.
Gary Sheffield
The guy played 22 seasons and is in the final year of eligibility. Sheffield was a very underrated hitter, racking up a lot of 20 home run seasons along with 100 RBI seasons. He finished top-10 in MVP voting six times as well, and he was one of the most serviceable outfielders of his time.
Carlos Beltrán
If you put aside the fact he played for the Houston Astericks, Beltran is Mr. October Jr. His postseason stats are crazy, and he is also the most efficient base stealer in history (with a minimum of 300 attempts). He made nine All Star teams, won a few Gold Gloves and was a two-time Silver Slugger.
Álex Rodríguez
If Beltran is in Hall of Fame consideration, I don’t see how Rodriguez is not. Steroids or not, he was a tremendous hitter with a lot of power, and he could field too. He is one of the best infielders of the 90s, 2000s and 2010s, and his stats back that up.
Francisco Rodríguez
Rodriguez has the record for saves in a season (62) and is fourth all time in saves. He only played 15 seasons, but he was a great closer, racking up six All Star appearances, two Relief Man Awards and a three-time saves leader. Oh yeah, and he won a World Series.
Adrian Beltre
Mr. 3,000 is one of the most beloved players of this generation. He hated having his head touched, but he is one of the best players to put on a Rangers uniform. Beltre was a reliable hitter, and he is everything you think of when you think of a Hall of Fame.
Joe Mauer
This is Maker’s first year on the ballot, and it should be his last. The man is probably the second greatest Twin of all time, is a three time batting champion and has an MVP to his name. He is a lifetime .306 hitter as a catcher-turned-first baseman, and he was a great ballplayer.
Chase Utley
The 10th name is always hard to narrow down, but I think after missing out on putting Jeff Kent in the Hall of Fame, we have to go back to giving second basemen some love. Utley played in four World Series and has multiple All Star appearances and Silver Slugger awards to his name.
Just missed the cut
Barolo Colon
David Wright
Manny Ramirez
What did I get right and where did I get it wrong? Who do you think will be named in a couple weeks? Who do you think should get named but will likely miss the HOF cut?
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