On July 21, 2024, the members of the 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame class will take their place in Cooperstown, New York. But, which individuals will be a part of that class? The first individual selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame was confirmed on December 3 thanks to the Veterans Committee. That person turned out to be one of MLB’s all-time winningest managers.
Related: Which players are a part of the 2023 Baseball Hall of Fame class?
Jim Leyland
The first member of the 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame class is former MLB manager Jim Leyland. Leyland’s name was on 15 of 16 Veterans Committee ballots.
Leyland ranks 18th all-time in wins (1,769), over a lengthy managerial career that saw him spend time with the Pirates, Marlins, Rockies, and Tigers.
The 78-year-old experienced great success in the early 1990s with the Pirates, as he led Pittsburgh to 90+ win seasons from 1990-92.
Leyland would take over the Marlins in 1997 and helped Florida win the franchise’s first World Series title. He would return to the World Series again in 2006 with Detroit but failed to win it all that year.
Leyland managed his last game in the Majors in 2013. He managed Team USA in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, which the United States won.
Other candidates for the Veterans Committee included former Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston, Lou Pinella, ex-Orioles infielder and longtime manager Davey Johnson, former league executive and announcer Bill White, and umpires Ed Montague and Joe West.
Adrian Beltre
On his first time on the ballot, Adrian Beltre was nominated to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
It seemed as a given for much of December and January, as about 99% of the public ballots before the announcement had the four-time All-Star’s name on them. Beltre had the resume, as the ex-Ranger retired with a career bWAR of 93.5, good for 40th all-time.
Much of that was thanks to his prowess both at the plate and in the field. Beltre was a four-time Silver Slugger and a five-time Gold Glove winner. He retired with 3,166 career hits.
Joe Mauer
The case of Joe Mauer was an interesting one. Mauer was not only one of the game’s best pure hitters but also arguably one of the best catchers when he played there. A three-time Gold Glove winner at catcher and a three-time batting champion, Mauer ended his career with a career average of .306 and an OBP of .388.
Mauer’s 2,123 hits were seventh-most from 2004-18 and that on-base percentage was also in the top ten. However, Mauer didn’t play much over the second half of his career behind the plate and didn’t have an outstanding power profile at the position.
Nonetheless, Mauer gets in.
Todd Helton
Todd Helton made his mark as a Tennesse Volunteer in his college days and turned into one of the best pure hitters at the first base position.
Helton was a career .316/.414/.539 hitter with 369 career home runs. His bat helped him net five All-Star appearances, four Silver Sluggers, and a batting title back in 2000.
Carlos Beltran, Gary Sheffield, Billy Wagner, Chase Utley, and Andruw Jones were among other notable players on the 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.