2024 MLB Hall of Fame Ballot: Adrian Beltre stars in a class filled with quality players

Last night, the MLB Hall of Fame welcomed both Scott Rolen and Fred McGriff to its hallowed grounds. Rolen was the only player from the 28-man ballot to receive the required 75% votes to become enshrined in Cooperstown. Todd Helton was the next closest to reaching the threshold, receiving 72.2% of potential votes.

"Your Hall of Fame Class of 2023: Fred McGriff and Scott Rolen." - MLB

While the 2023 ballot was not the most exciting in MLB history, eligible players who may find themselves on the 2024 ballot may draw more interest among fans. Superstars such as Adrian Beltre, Joe Mauer, Chase Utley, Matt Holliday, David Wright, Bartolo Colon and Adrian Gonzalez could find themselves on the MLB Hall of Fame ballot for the first time.

While many first-time candidates may be fan favorites in the modern era, the only guarantee for the Hall of Fame in 2024 will be Adrian Beltre. Other first-year eligible players who will be able to make an intriguing case for induction will be Matt Holliday, Chase Utley and Joe Mauer.

"Adrián Beltré was a joy to watch. Will he punch his ticket into Cooperstown in 2024?" - MLB

The Bill James MLB Hall of Fame Monitor uses analytics and statistics to determine a player's likeliness to reach Cooperstown. As stated in the Bill James metric, if a player has a rating of 100 or over, they have a higher chance of reaching the MLB Hall of Fame. If a player has a rating under 100, they will have a more difficult road, however, if they are under 100, it is not impossible for them to be voted in.

According to the scoring system, Beltre has a rating of 163, while Utley (94) and Mauer (92) sit below the 100-level watermark. Matt Holliday will be an interesting case as his Bill James number sits at 110, however, he may need to wait a few years before his potential induction.

"Here is a list of players who are eligible for Hall of Fame voting in 2024. Who's getting in?" - FOX Sports: MLB

A deeper look at the career of potential MLB Hall of Fame inductee Adrian Beltre

After making his MLB debut on June 24, 1998, Beltre went on to play 21 seasons in the Majors with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers.

In 2,933 games in the MLB, Adrian Beltre slugged 477 home runs, 1,707 RBIs and 3,166 hits, while maintaining a career .286 batting average. Throughout his career, he won five Gold Glove Awards and four Silver Sluggers, while being elected to the All-Star Team four times.

While he never won the MVP Award, he did finish second in 2004 to Barry Bonds, who has since been linked to PED use. In 2004 with the Dodgers, Beltre hit 48 home runs and 121 RBIs, while also hitting .334 with a 1.017 OPS.