Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2024: Speech Highlights and Social Media Reaction
Joseph Zucker@@JosephZucker
Featured Columnist IV
Todd Helton, Joe Mauer, Adrián Beltré and Jim Leyland are now immortalized in bronze forever.
The quartet were enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, on Sunday.
Helton, who spent his entire 17-year career with the Colorado Rockies, opened the proceedings.
He had a .316/.414/.539 slash line, and his 61.8 WAR are the most in Rockies history. In at least one part of the country, his exploits in Denver aren't the most notable aspect of his athletic résumé.
Jayson Stark @jaysonstWhat a great speech by Todd Helton on his HOF induction day. <br><br>Told us how he still gets asked in Knoxville if he's the guy who used to QB the Vols. <br><br>His reply: "Yes. But I've played a little baseball since." <a href="https://t.co/cgigDdegmv">pic.twitter.com/cgigDdegmv</a>
Rather than focusing on his own achievements, Helton called attention to the many people along the way who helped him forge a Hall of Fame career on the baseball diamond. Fans thought the speech reflected the 50-year-old's personality:
Beltré took to the podium next, and it didn't take long for David Ortiz to answer the one question on everybody's mind.
The five-time Gold Glove winner famously did not like to have his head touched. Naturally, Big Papi had to have some fun before Beltré's speech got underway. That's the kind of privileges you enjoy as a fellow Hall of Famer.
Beltré was an elite defender at the hot corner whose best offensive years didn't come until after he turned 30. He slugged .514 and had 227 home runs from his age-31 season and on.
Like Helton, Beltré was full of gratitude and highlighted numerous figures who offered support when he was a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and then the Texas Rangers.
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ @baseballhallAdrian Beltré thanks <a href="https://twitter.com/Rangers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Rangers</a> fans: "Like they say, everything is bigger in Texas, and you showed me big love."<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HOFWKND?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HOFWKND</a> <a href="https://t.co/pnRDksIzzN">pic.twitter.com/pnRDksIzzN</a>
Dodger Insider @DodgerInsiderAdrian Beltré thanked Dodger teammates, coaches and staff during his Hall of Fame induction speech. He mentioned Tommy Lasorda, Dave Roberts, Shawn Green, Manny Mota. And then the fans.<br>"I will never forget the MVP chants in 2004. Love you LA fans. Thank you for the support."
Evan Grant @Evan_P_GrantI know he had struggled with how to limit the thank you portion, but, in the end, Beltré was true to himself. He always treated those around him with respect and wanted to respect their contributions to his career. A real insight into him: Thanking clubhouse guys by name over his… <a href="https://t.co/WibkWsOZRr">https://t.co/WibkWsOZRr</a>
His riff about former Mariners teammate Félix Hernández elicited laughs from those in attendance and others watching from home:
Leyland epitomized the old school-style of baseball manager, and the results speak for themselves. He was a World Series winner with the Florida Marlins in 1997 and won Manager of the Year during spells with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers. At the international level, he was the coach of the United States when it won the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
On Sunday, fans saw a version of Leyland they may not have witnessed before. In addition, his love for the sport radiated from his speech.
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ @baseballhall"My contributions to our beautiful pastime pale in comparison to the joy it has brought to my life, from the heart of a little boy and the soul of an old man."<br><br>A lifetime in baseball for Jim Leyland — and an eternity in Cooperstown.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HOFWKND?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HOFWKND</a> <a href="https://t.co/hQEGvb7zbu">pic.twitter.com/hQEGvb7zbu</a>
Mauer, who stayed near his hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota, for his entire MLB career, brought the event to a close. In the history of the Minnesota Twins, he's sixth in on-base percentage (.388) and fourth in hits (2,123).
The most memorable portion of Mauer's speech was when he recalled how his grandfather continued following his on-field exploits at an advanced age:
Looking ahead to the next round of Hall of Fame voting, seven-time All-Star reliever Billy Wagner narrowly missed out (73.8 percent) in his penultimate year on the ballot. Andruw Jones (61.6 percent) and Carlos Beltrán (57.1 percent) were the only others listed on more than half of the ballots and still eligible in 2025.
Ichiro Suzuki, a 10-time All-Star and the 2001 American League MVP, leads the list of first-timers on the ballot, and he'll almost certainly get voted in. Hernández, CC Sabathia, Ian Kinsler and Dustin Pedroia are among the others up for enshrinement for the first time.
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