Originally posted Jan. 24 We have a new group of Baseball Hall of Famers : Adrian Beltre , Joe Mauer and Todd Helton all exceeded the 75% threshold required from the Baseball Writers' Association of America to gain entry to Cooperstown. While Beltre was the only slam-dunk selection of the class, it's still a fun group, with Mauer and Helton both spending their entire career with one team and becoming franchise icons for the Minnesota Twins and Colorado Rockies .
Beltre, meanwhile, aged so wonderfully that he became one of the most popular players in the game during his time with the Texas Rangers , his fourth MLB team. How and why did they get elected? Let's take a look at each player. Why Adrian Beltre is a Hall of Famer When Beltre became a free agent after the 2009 season, following five seasons with the Seattle Mariners after starting his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers , he hardly looked like a future Hall of Famer.
He had just finished his age-30 season, hitting .265/.304/.
379 and missing six weeks after surgery to remove bone spurs in a shoulder and another two weeks after a bad hop left him with a swollen testicle. He had been a good player in Seattle, and he had enjoyed a monster 2004 season when he finished second in MVP voting in L.A.
, but he wasn't exactly in high demand coming off that rough walk year and settled for a one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox . Editor's Picks What makes Adrian Beltre a Hall of Famer -- through the eyes of those who know him .