On Sunday, the Baseball Hall of Fame unveiled plaques for Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, Joe Mauer and Jim Leyland, officially inducting the Class of 2024 into the hallowed halls of baseball history. Each player spoke before a lively crowd filled with family, friends and fans, reflecting on their journey to this moment and the people who supported them along the way.
Up first was Helton, just the second player to wear a Colorado Rockies cap on the Hall of Fame plate. He spent his entire 17-year career as a first baseman with the Rockies, winning four Silver Slugger Awards, three Gold Glove Awards and hitting 369 home runs. Before Helton spoke, former teammate Larry Walker appeared on screen for a video highlighting some of his greatest highlights.
After thanking Walker for his kind words, the five-time All-Star thanked his wife, Christy, who has been with him throughout his career, from his draft pick in 1995 to his Hall of Fame induction in 2023 to now sitting in the stands at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Helton thanked his two daughters and his mother, who has “watched more baseball games than most scouts,” with her sister in tow. Helton also thanked his brother, who never goes to a friend’s house without first checking to see if Todd can come with him.
Helton then spoke about his baseball inspirations. He thanked his coaches from his teenage and college years. He thanked longtime Rockies manager Clint Hurdle for making him not only a better player, but a better husband and father. He thanked Rockies owner Dick Monfort for his friendship. He thanked his 411 total teammates over his 17 years. And he shared some highlights from his years as a baseball player.
Beltre, a 21-year veteran who retired in 2018, is the second inductee into the Hall of Fame. He will enter the league wearing a Texas Rangers cap on his plate, but he also played one season with the Los Angeles Dodgers (the team that originally signed him), the Seattle Mariners and the Boston Red Sox. He is one of the best third basemen of all time and the first player to reach 450 home runs and 3,000 hits.
Beltre, a native of the Dominican Republic, recalled playing in the league as a child and becoming fascinated with third base. He remembers being discovered by an MLB scout and signing with the Dodgers at just 15 years old. He cited June 23, 1998 as a pivotal date, as that was the day he was promoted from a Double-A player to the majors. Beltre thanked many of his former coaches and teammates in the Dodgers organization by name, as well as the Mariners, Red Sox and Rangers.
He moved on to talk about his time with the Mariners, specifically “a guy named King Felix,” retired Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez. Beltre enjoyed playing with King Felix, but also playing against him when he joined the Rangers. Beltre said he felt victorious from the podium because he hit a home run in his final at-bat against King Felix.
While talking about his time with the Rangers, he cited Elvis Andrus as his favorite teammate of all time (Andrus said this in Beltre’s introductory video).
Beltre closed by giving heartfelt thanks to his three children and his wife, a “true Hall of Fame player.”
The third speaker was Leyland, who began his career 61 years ago as a minor league player for the Detroit Tigers and was the first manager selected through a non-player committee in the modern baseball era.
One of the greatest managers of all time, Leyland won 1,769 games with four different teams (Pittsburgh Pirates, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies and Tigers). He was known for his fiery, inspiring personality in the clubhouse, dugout and on the field. In Leyland’s introductory video, former Pirates player Andy Van Slyke recalled an incident in which a naked, screaming Leyland smashed a plate of spaghetti on the clubhouse floor.
Leyland began by thanking baseball for bringing so much joy to him, “from the heart of a boy to the soul of an old man,” before segueing seamlessly into thanking his children and his wife, Katie, for constantly inspiring him.
“Katie, none of this would have happened without you,” Leyland said, reflecting on her baseball career with warmth and humor.
Leyland reveled in the opportunity to thank his former bosses, colleagues and players, often by name. He remembered Hall of Famers and one-year minor leaguers and thanked them for being a part of his long career. He was moved to tears three times: when he spoke about his friendship with Pirates fans, when he led Team USA to a gold medal in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, and finally, when he closed by thanking all the fans around the world who are the reason baseball exists.
Joe Mauer, a local catcher for the Minnesota Twins, closed the ceremony. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Mauer, who played for the Twins his entire career, began by thanking his family: his parents, siblings, and his grandfather Jake, with whom he spent his childhood. He especially thanked his maternal grandparents, who attended every Twins home game, whether they were playing or not, throughout his 15-year career as a player.
Mauer gave special thanks to his high school coach, who taught him the approach that led to three batting titles and the 2009 American League MVP award. (The secret? Don’t swing at the first pitch.) He thanked longtime Twins manager Ron Gardenhire and the legions of fans who supported him over the years. Mauer ended his speech by thanking his wife, twin daughters and young son, Chip. Mauer now watches Chip play Little League baseball and called it “the moment it all ended.”
With the speeches over, we are entering the quietest part of the Hall of Fame year. No ballots have been cast and no inductions are planned. There will be no more Hall of Fame announcements until the names to be added to the ballot are announced later this year. But for those of you looking to mark your calendars for next year’s celebration, the date announced at the end of the ceremony is Sunday, July 27, 2025.
