Two of the biggest stars of the this generation were two great American League players. Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins, and Adrian Beltre (most known for his time in Texas).
Both of these generational players had one thing in common, first ballot Hall of Famers. Adrian Beltre and Joe Mauer were two of three players to be selected to Cooperstown, the other being Todd Helton.
The full 2024 voting results:
Adrian Beltre started his 21-year career in 1998. In those 21 years, Beltre spent time with Los Angeles (NL), Seattle, Boston, and Texas. Over his career, Beltre slashed .286/.339/.480 with 477 home runs, 3166 hits, all while amassing a 93.5 WAR. Beltre was a 5x Gold Glover, 4x Silver Slugger, and was selected to four All-Star teams.
Unlike Adrian Beltre, Joe Mauer spent his entire 15 year career with his hometown Minnesota Twins. Mauer slashed a career .306/.388/.439 with 143 home runs, 2123 hits, all while amassing a 55.2 WAR. Mauer was a 6x All-Star, 3x Gold Glover, 5x Silver Slugger, and brought home an MVP award.
Both these greats will now forever be enshrined in Baseball's Disneyland. Cooperstown. Both of these players had enormous impacts on the game of baseball, on and off the field. Both deserve this moment and the even better one come later this summer.
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