Class of 2024 Ready for History

A quartet of the game’s greats are ready for their moment in Cooperstown.

Third baseman Adrian Beltré, first baseman Todd Helton, catcher Joe Mauer and manager Jim Leyland – elected to the game’s all-time roster in Cooperstown – recently participated in their only media availabilities prior to the July 19-22 Hall of Fame Weekend.

Class of 2024 Hall of Famers Helton, Mauer and Leyland spoke to the media via Zoom calls, while Beltré was available to in person at the recent MLB All-Star Game festivities in Arlington, Texas.

With their enshrinement taking place on Sunday, July 21, the four talked about the anticipation and excitement with their date with destiny around the corner.

Beltré, who is serving as an ambassador for the 2024 MLB All-Star Game while also having been manager for the American League team in the Futures Game on July 13, said: “It’s gonna be kind of crazy and I am looking forward to going back to Dallas to Texas and being part of this elite group of Rangers to help me or be part of this Futures Game and be part of the whole celebration of All-Star weekend. Then after that, we are flying to (Cooperstown).”

“It’s a great accomplishment that I never expected to have, I am gonna try to enjoy it, but at the same time, I’m a little nervous about the speech. I’m not comfortable doing the public speech ... hopefully everything goes fine and after that, I’ll be able to actually enjoy it.”

The first-ballot Hall of Famer added his induction speech is complete.

“I think once the speech is over ... then I’m going to realize where I’m at, the people who are next to me and what I have accomplished and the group that, somehow, I’m going to be associated with.”

The 10th third baseman elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America, Beltré is just the 19th third baseman elected to the Hall of Fame via any method. The first Hall of Fame third baseman to be born outside of the United States, he becomes the fifth Hall of Famer from the Dominican Republic, joining Juan Marichal (1983), Pedro Martínez (2015), Vladimir Guerrero (2018) and David Ortiz (2022).

Mauer, selected first overall in the 2001 MLB Draft by his hometown Minnesota Twins, is the fourth Hall of Famer who was born in St. Paul, Minn., joining Paul Molitor, Jack Morris and Dave Winfield on that list. Mauer spent his entire 15-season big league career with the Twins.

“It’s been a whirlwind, and I can’t believe we’re here in July and basically a week out from us getting out there. There’s a lot of excitement,” Mauer told the media via Zoom. “I’m nervous about the speech, obviously, and trying to articulate my feelings as best I can up there at the podium with the crowd and the guys behind you, your childhood heroes behind you, listening as well. So, trying to make sure everything comes out OK. It’s one of the things that I’m most concerned about right now.”

Regarding his induction speech, Mauer explained he hopes to convey to the audience a few things.

“I think number one, just gratitude. I’m just so thankful for the opportunities that I’ve had,” he said. “The process, it’s nerve-wracking, it’s challenging, because you try to sum up your 20-year career in 10 minutes. It’s hard to do.

“To get to this point, being inducted to the Hall of Fame, it’s not something that I did on my own. There’re so many people that have had a huge impact on me and that helped me reach this point. And you want to try to articulate that as best as possible. And thank these people. There’s a lot of people that I need to thank, and I can’t fit it in that speech. I’ll be thanking them personally, which I think is a big impact as well. So, trying to kind of fit it in as much as I can and just really just so grateful for the opportunity. So, just a lot of gratitude and a lot of excitement leading up to the big day.”

For Helton, he said he’s both “nervous” and “anxious” with the big day approaching.

“I know everything that’s going on, but it’s still a little of the unknown for me. I’ve never watched the full ceremony, so it’s going to be new for me,” Helton said. “Obviously, when I got in, I watched people’s speeches, just to prepare. But other than that, I really haven’t seen it. I’m excited to be there. I’m excited to be on the same stage with those guys. I can’t put it into words what it means.

“I don’t feel like a Hall of Famer. I’ll put it that way. And hopefully when I get up there and be around those guys, I hope I feel like I belong. Because there’s plenty of my heroes up there. And for me it’s a dream. I don’t want to be too cheesy, but it’s a dream come true. I’m not only excited for myself. I’m excited for my mom being there. I’m excited for my family. My girls. My youngest daughter, she doesn’t remember me playing that much. Hardly any. So, for her to come and witness me going into the Hall of Fame means the world to me.”

Talking about his induction speech, to be presented live on MLB Network with a crowd in front of him and more than four dozen fellow Hall of Famers behind him, Helton said: “I’ve written my speech. I’ve had a lot of people help me with it. It’s pretty simple. I’m a baseball player, not a speaker. But that’s not what I’m nervous about. I’ve given many speeches. I’ll either screw it up or I’ll do well. It is what it is.

“I hope to convey, one, how honored I am. Two, I did not do it by myself. There was plenty of people that played a huge part of not only me getting there but everything that makes me the person I am today. So, I hope to convey that of how thankful I am for those people in my life. And hopefully make somebody laugh. I’m not good at it, but I’ll give her a shot.”

Leyland, a minor league catcher who made it as high as Double-A before embarking on a 22-season career as a skipper in the majors with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies and Detroit Tigers, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame via the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee. He becomes the 23rd manager honored in Cooperstown.

“Well, I’m anxious, humbled, obviously, but anxious, a little nervous,” Leyland said. “A little nervous about the speech, to be honest with you because a lot of the Hall of Famers – I’ve watched almost every Hall of Famer speech – and a lot of them are emotional. I’m kind of an emotional guy. I hope I can keep that to a minimum, but a lot of those guys got emotional. So, I’m not going to be embarrassed about it. I’m sure I’m gonna be a little emotional, but I’m really anxious.

“And I can’t wait for it to happen. I’m so excited and so thrilled and honored to be going in. I just want to make sure that I talk to the fans, and I talk to the Hall of Famers and talk to everybody that’s watching it on MLB Network,” he added. “It’s kind of an awkward situation, to be honest with you, because you kind of have to talk about yourself. And that’s really kind of awkward, to be honest with you. I’m not used to that. But you do kind of have to explain your journey and that’s kind of what I’m going to try to do.”

The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held Sunday, July 21, at 1:30 p.m. ET on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center – located one mile south of the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Bill Francis is the senior research and writing specialist at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum