Tuesday marks a big day in the baseball world: At 6 p.m. on MLB Network, the BBWAA will announce who got voted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown as part of the Class of 2024.
Last year, it was just one player — third baseman Scott Rolen — who was voted in, which frustrated fans. But thanks to public voting numbers collected by the great Ryan Thibodaux who uses his Ballot Tracker to project who could be voted in, we have some idea of the trends ahead of the announcement on Tuesday night.
With that in mind, we decided to use that info to fill you in on who could be in, who could be on the cusp of getting in, and who could be just out:
Probably in for sure
- Adrian Beltre
We knew the third baseman was a lock for the first ballot after he retired, and with 99 percent of the known ballots (over 50 percent as of Tuesday morning), it’s clear he’s practically a lock for getting the call.
Looking good
- Joe Mauer
- Todd Helton
Remember: You need over 75 percent of the writers to check your name off on the ballot. Mauer and Helton are over 80 percent, which is no guarantee. But the catcher and first baseman (he’s been on for six years) are doing pretty well so far!
Going to be close
- Gary Sheffield
- Billy Wagner
They’re both hovering around that 75 percent mark. For Sheffield, it’s his 10th and final year on the ballot, so this could be it for him. And Wagner has some momentum behind him.
Could be out (for now)
- Andruw Jones
- Carlos Beltran
- Chase Utley
Jones also has momentum, and I could see Beltran getting in at a later date, but they’re not look great, per Thibodaux’s tracker.
Utley is a first-year guy who some think could end up in the Hall down the road.
Still not happening (unless something weird happens)
- Alex Rodriguez
- Manny Ramirez
They’re still getting shut out.
