Baseball’s most exclusive club welcomed its four newest members on Sunday as Adrian Beltré, Todd Helton, Jim Leyland and Joe Mauer were inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as the Class of 2024 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown.
They were joined by nearly 50 current Hall of Famers on a picture-perfect afternoon in front of thousands of fans, many of whom came from as far as Colorado, Minnesota and the Dominican Republic to support the inductees.
Helton was the first to be inducted as the longtime face of the Colorado Rockies cracked wise about his quiet demeanor.
“Those of you who know me know I’d be more comfortable doing anything other than standing up here talking about myself,” he said. “I’m just a ballplayer, and anyone in the media can attest to that fact.”
But that didn’t prevent him from expressing how much Sunday’s induction meant to him.
“To say I’m humbled by this honor does not begin to cover how I feel standing here today,” Helton said.
Helton shares a connection with fellow classmate Leyland as the two crossed paths as player and manager in Colorado in 1999. Even though it was only Helton’s second full season in the majors, his manager knew big things were in store for him.
“In 1999 you said to me, ‘Kid, if you keep playing like this, you’re going to make it to the Hall of Fame,’” Helton said.
Helton talked about his quest for knowledge as a young player and how he constantly watched an old video on hitting featuring Rod Carew, who was on the stage in Cooperstown on Sunday.
He also reminisced about his time as a quarterback for the University of Tennessee and how playing with some notable teammates made his choice of profession an easy one.
“I will say, being the quarterback sandwiched between Heath Shuler and Peyton [Manning] made my decision to pursue baseball easier,” Helton said.
Helton also talked about his love for the city of Denver and its fans that made him feel so welcome during his 17-year career there.
“I was happy to call it home,” he said.
“The rewards that have come to me because of baseball are beyond the wildest dreams of a young rookie coming out of the University of Tennessee. I know I’m a lucky man.”
Next up was Beltré, who traced his baseball journey back to his childhood in the Dominican Republic and joining a weekend team at the age of 13.
After starting his career at second base on that squad, he soon made the move over to third, a position he would never leave on his path to the Hall of Fame.
“I immediately fell in love with that position,” Beltré said. “I loved every challenge of playing third base. I was hooked. Those hot shots, slow ground balls, I couldn’t get enough of it.”
Beltré credited the late Tommy Lasorda for calling him up to the Los Angeles Dodgers as a 19-year-old and gave thanks for being able to pursue his baseball dreams in America.
“Thank you to this great nation for allowing me to live out my dream,” he said.
While Beltré’s career accomplishments are what got him to Cooperstown — 3,166 hits, 477 home runs, five Gold Gloves, four Silver Sluggers — it was his joy playing the game that endeared him to fans.
He singled out his relationships with Felix Hernandez and Elvis Andrus — both former teammates and opponents and both in attendance Sunday — as among the highlights of his playing career.
“They say you’re as good or as bad as your last pitch or your last at-bat,” he said about his many battles against Hernandez. “My last at-bat against you was a homer, right?”
As for Andrus, his longtime infield partner in Texas?
“You were a pain in my butt but I really enjoyed playing beside you for so many years,” Beltré said. “It was so much fun — even though you had to catch every freaking fly ball to help your fielding percentage. Unbelievable.”
Beltré made sure to shout out the many Texas Rangers fans in attendance and what they meant to him during his eight seasons spent with the organization.
“Like they say, everything is bigger in Texas and you guys showed me big love. I love you all,” he said.
“Baseball is my passion and it blessed me with countless opportunities. And the best part was, I loved it. I love baseball and I had so much fun playing the game.”
Jim Leyland spent parts of four decades coaching in the big leagues, not to mention his time in the minors as a coach and player. He opened his speech by emphasizing the happiness the game brought to his life.
“My contributions to our beautiful pastime pale in comparison to the joy that it has brought to my life,” he said.
Leyland got some laughs from the crowd in recounting a recent coffee date with his wife when he was trying to make sense of his accomplishment.
“I said, ‘Katie, in your wildest dreams could you believe I’d be elected to the Hall of Fame?’ And Katie replied, ‘Jim, you’re not in my wildest dreams.’”
Leyland spent more than a decade coaching at various stops in the minor leagues before he got his big break and spoke about how crucial that time was in his development as a manager.
“I learned so much in those 11 years: how to handle players, experiment with strategy and, believe it or not, I read and learned the baseball rulebook,” he said.
It was in Pittsburgh where Leyland finally became an MLB manager and was emotional in talking about his connection with Pirates fans during his decade-long stint in the Steel City.
“I know we made you happy and I know we broke your heart, but I always felt that we were in it together,” he said.
Leyland reached the baseball mountaintop in 1997 when he led the Florida Marlins to a World Series title. After one more year in Florida and a quick stop in Denver, he made his way to the Detroit Tigers in 2006 — 40 years after signing with them as a minor league player.
Mauer wrapped up Sunday’s ceremony to the delight of a large contingent of Minnesota Twins fans who were on hand to support their hometown hero.
“As tough as it is to get to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, it might be just as tough to sum up what this game, this honor and this moment truly means to me,” Mauer said. “Even if I had all the time in the world, I’m still not sure I could properly put it into words.”
Growing up in St. Paul, Mauer reflected on the connection he shared with his father and grandfather through baseball.
“From the very early days of home-made pitching machines in the garage to late-night voicemails left after my big league performances, their guidance never wavered,” he said. “Even at the end of my career as my grandpa’s eyesight was failing, he would stand right next to his TV in a batting stance and go through my every at-bat as if he was swinging alongside me.”
One of the preeminent hitters of his era, Mauer credited his high school coach Jim O’Neil with teaching him patience and control at the plate.
“He once told me, ‘Joe, when you step into the box, you’re most likely going to hit the ball, so why not wait for the pitch you want?’”
A multi-sport phenom in high school, Mauer was taken by his hometown team with the first overall pick in the 2001 draft and never left, playing every one of his 1,858 MLB games in a Twins uniform.
“I wanted to be a Twin from day one and that decision never wavered in 18 years,” he said. “Thank you for that opportunity and your belief and support in me through it all. It was truly an honor to be a part of your organization and play for my hometown team.”
Even standing on the stage in Cooperstown next to his brand new Hall of Fame plaque, Mauer struggled to come to terms with his accomplishment.
“To stand here today and say that I’m now a small part of baseball’s history is a statement that will never fully sink in for me,” he said. “This moment is truly a dream come true.”
On a day that was a celebration of the game itself as much as it was of the four men entering the ranks of the immortals, it was Leyland who put it best when talking about the fans to close out his speech.
“No matter which Hall of Famer you’re here to support today, or which team you cheer for, your presence is always felt,” he said. “On your feet in the ninth, with the home team clinging to a one-run lead. Turning on your television for the first game of the World Series and seeing 50,000 fans hoping and praying that this may be their year. Or a little boy or girl getting their first autograph, scurrying back to the stands to show mom and dad their latest treasure. Ladies and gentlemen, that’s you, that’s baseball and this is the Hall of Fame.”