Todd Helton, Joe Mauer, Adrián Beltré and Jim Leyland are now immortalized in bronze forever. The quartet were enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, on Sunday. Helton, who spent his entire 17-year career with the Colorado Rockies, opened the proceedings.
He had a .316/.414/.
539 slash line, and his 61.8 WAR are the most in Rockies history. In at least one part of the country, his exploits in Denver aren't the most notable aspect of his athletic résumé.
What a great speech by Todd Helton on his HOF induction day. Told us how he still gets asked in Knoxville if he's the guy who used to QB the Vols. His reply: "Yes.
But I've played a little baseball since." pic.twitter.
com/cgigDdegmv Rather than focusing on his own achievements, Helton called attention to the many people along the way who helped him forge a Hall of Fame career on the baseball diamond. Fans thought the speech reflected the 50-year-old's personality: Todd Helton thanked a lot of people but let us be one of many saying thanks to you for 17 years of greatness Todd! Todd Helton's HOF speech has been excellent Todd Helton nailed his Hall of Fame speech. Showed his passion, dry wit and love for his family and #Rockies.
So thrilled for him. Todd Helton talks of #MNTwins Jim Kaat being the first baseball player he ever knew, and Rod Carew someone he emulated through a VHS tape. Beltré took to the podium next, and it didn't take long for David Ortiz to answer the one question on everybody's mind.
The five-time Gold Glove winner famously did not like to have his head touched. Naturally, Big Papi had to have some fun before Beltré's speech got underway. That's the kind of privileges you enjoy as a fellow Hall of Famer.
Heads up, Adrian! #HOFWKND pic.twitter.com/zZPBnKV733 Beltré was an elite defender at the hot corner whose best offensive years didn't come until after he turned 30.
He slugged .514 and had 227 home runs from his age-31 season and on. Like Helton, Beltré was full of gratitude and highlighted numerous figures who offered support when he was a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and then the Texas Rangers.
Beltré says his time with the Sox was "short but memorable." He also said he appreciated Red Sox fans. Adrian Beltré thanks @Rangers fans: "Like they say, everything is bigger in Texas, and you showed me big love.
"#HOFWKND pic.twitter.com/pnRDksIzzN Adrian Beltré thanked Dodger teammates, coaches and staff during his Hall of Fame induction speech.
He mentioned Tommy Lasorda, Dave Roberts, Shawn Green, Manny Mota. And then the fans."I will never forget the MVP chants in 2004.
Love you LA fans. Thank you for the support." I know he had struggled with how to limit the thank you portion, but, in the end, Beltré was true to himself.
He always treated those around him with respect and wanted to respect their contributions to his career. A real insight into him: Thanking clubhouse guys by name over his..
. https://t.co/WibkWsOZRr His riff about former Mariners teammate Félix Hernández elicited laughs from those in attendance and others watching from home: King Felix and Adrian Beltre.
They were HILARIOUS!!! 🤣🤣 #StraightUpTX #HOFWKND Adrian Beltre goin in on King Felix @baseballhall #MLB pic.twitter.com/6zoRmb7NwI the way beltré said he loved hitting against félix more than playing with him and félix said he loved pitching against him the most too i love their friendship Leyland epitomized the old school-style of baseball manager, and the results speak for themselves.
He was a World Series winner with the Florida Marlins in 1997 and won Manager of the Year during spells with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers. At the international level, he was the coach of the United States when it won the 2017 World Baseball Classic. On Sunday, fans saw a version of Leyland they may not have witnessed before.
In addition, his love for the sport radiated from his speech. "My contributions to our beautiful pastime pale in comparison to the joy it has brought to my life, from the heart of a little boy and the soul of an old man."A lifetime in baseball for Jim Leyland — and an eternity in Cooperstown.
#HOFWKND pic.twitter.com/hQEGvb7zbu Such a cool day seeing Jim Leyland go into the Hall of Fame.
I was lucky enough to be managed by him during the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Seeing him dance while drinking champagne when we won gold was a highlight I'll never forget, what a great guy! Jim Leyland just delivered one of the best Hall of Fame speeches, of all-time, in any sport. Jim Leyland making me cry, dammit.
(Love him so much.) https://t.co/TOD1xFwlf1 Jim Leyland hot damn ⚾️ pic.
twitter.com/J09aNvB6nF Mauer, who stayed near his hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota, for his entire MLB career, brought the event to a close.
In the history of the Minnesota Twins, he's sixth in on-base percentage (.388) and fourth in hits (2,123). Joe Mauer's Hall of Fame speech was so genuine, so personal, so him.
"I wanted to be a Twin from Day One. And that feeling never waned ..
. for 18 years." pic.
twitter.com/ihuOZHr864 Joe Mauer had a nice shoutout to fellow St. Paulites Paul Molitor, Dave Winfield and Jack Morris in his speech.
Mauer: "It will never be lost on me that the same guys I pretended to be in my yard are men I grew up to know personally." The most memorable portion of Mauer's speech was when he recalled how his grandfather continued following his on-field exploits at an advanced age: The tears start flowing when Joe Mauer mentions his grandfather, recalling when even though his eye sight was failing he would stand next to the TV in a batting stance whenever Joe was at-bat. ❤️ Looking ahead to the next round of Hall of Fame voting, seven-time All-Star reliever Billy Wagner narrowly missed out (73.
8 percent) in his penultimate year on the ballot. Andruw Jones (61.6 percent) and Carlos Beltrán (57.
1 percent) were the only others listed on more than half of the ballots and still eligible in 2025. Ichiro Suzuki, a 10-time All-Star and the 2001 American League MVP, leads the list of first-timers on the ballot, and he'll almost certainly get voted in. Hernández, CC Sabathia, Ian Kinsler and Dustin Pedroia are among the others up for enshrinement for the first time.
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