The plaques of Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, Joe Mauer, and Jim Leyland were unveiled at the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday as the Class of 2024 was officially inducted into the hallowed halls of baseball history. Each gave speeches in front of a loud and energized crowd filled with family, friends, and many, many fans, recalling their journey to that moment and the people who helped them along the way.
Helton, just the second player to don a Colorado Rockies cap on his Hall of Fame plaque, was up first. He spent 17 years, his entire career, as a first baseman with the Rockies, winning four Silver Sluggers and three Gold Gloves while hitting 369 home runs. Before Helton spoke, his former teammate Larry Walker appeared in a video featuring some of his best highlights.
After thanking Walker for his kind words, the five-time All-Star thanked his wife Christy, who has been with him for his entire career: from his draft call in 1995 to his Hall of Fame call in 2023, and now in the audience of his induction. He thanked his two daughters, then his mother, who “watched more baseball than most scouts” while towing his little sister alongside. Helton also thanked his big brother, who never went to a friend’s house without first making sure Todd could come along.
Then Helton moved on to some of his baseball inspirations. He thanked his teenage and college coaches. He thanked longtime Rockies manager Clint Hurdle for not just making him a better player, but a better husband and father. He thanked Rockies owner Dick Monfort for his friendship. He thanked the 411 total teammates he had over 17 years. And he told several colorful stories about his years in the game.
Beltre, the 21-year veteran who retired in 2018, was inducted second. He’s entering the Hall with a Texas Rangers cap on his plaque, though he spent time with the Los Angeles Dodgers (who originally signed him), Seattle Mariners, and one season with the Boston Red Sox. One of the greatest third basemen of all time, he’s the first to hit 450 home runs and 3,000 hits.
Beltre recalled his origins in the Dominican Republic, when he played in a league as a kid and fell in love with third base. He remembered being noticed by MLB scouts and being signed by the Dodgers at just 15. He called out June 23, 1998 as an important day: it’s when he, a Double-A player, was called up to the majors. Beltre thanked many of his former coaches and teammates in the Dodgers organization by name, and did the same for the Mariners, Red Sox, and Rangers.
He moved on to his time with the Mariners, specifically calling out “some guy who called himself King Felix,” aka retired Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez. Beltre enjoyed playing with King Felix, but also enjoyed playing against him when he joined the Rangers. Since Beltre homered in his last at-bat against King Felix, Beltre said from the podium that he feels he won.
When he talked about his time with the Rangers, he mentioned Elvis Andrus as his favorite teammate of all time. (Andrus spoke in Beltre’s intro video.)
Beltre ended by giving a heartfelt thanks to his three kids and “the real Hall of Famer,” his wife.
Leyland, who began his career 61 years ago as a Detroit Tigers minor leaguer, spoke third. He was elected as a manager through the Contemporary Baseball Era Non-Players Committee.
One of the greatest managers as all time, Leyland has 1,769 wins over four different teams (Pittsburgh Pirates, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies, Tigers). He was famous for his fiery and motivating nature in the clubhouse, the dugout, and on the field. In Leyland’s intro video, former Pirates player Andy Van Slyke remembered a incident which featured a naked, yelling Leyland smashing a plate of spaghetti on the floor of the clubhouse.
Leyland began by thanking baseball for bringing him so much joy, “from the heart of a little boy to the soul of an old man.” He seamlessly transitioned into thanking his kids and his wife Katie, who keeps him on his toes.
“This doesn’t happen without you, Katie.” Leyland said before launching into a heartfelt and humorous tour through his baseball career.
Leyland relished the opportunity to thank his former bosses, colleagues, and players, often by name. Hall of Famers or one-year minor leaguers, he remembered them and thanked them for being part of his long career. He teared up three times: when speaking about his friendship with Pirates fans, when speaking about leading Team USA to the gold medal at the 2017 World Baseball Classic, and at the end when he wrapped up by thanking all fans everywhere for being the reason baseball exists.
Joe Mauer, the Minnesota Twins hometown catcher, wrapped up the proceedings. The native of St. Paul, Minn., who spent his entire career with the Twins, began by thanking his family: his mother and father, brothers, and grandfather Jake, who lived with them growing up. He especially thanked his maternal grandparents, who went to every single Twins home game throughout his 15-year career — whether he was playing or not.
Mauer gave a special thank you to one of his high school coaches, who taught him the approach that helped him win three batting titles and the 2009 AL MVP award. (The secret? Don’t swing at the first pitch.) He thanked Ron Gardenhire, his longtime Twins manager, and the many fans who cheered him over the years. Mauer ended his speech by thanking his wife, twin daughters, and young son, Chip. Mauer is now watching Chip play little league baseball, and called it a “full-circle moment.”
With the speeches finished, we now enter the quietest period of the year for the Hall of Fame. There’s no voting to be done and inductions to plan. We won’t hear from them again until they release the names that will be added to the ballot for voting later this year. But if you’re already looking to mark your calendar for next year’s festivities, the date was announced as the ceremony ended: Sunday, July 27, 2025.
