The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will release the 2024 Hall of Fame Class voting results in less than a month. The Hall of Fame voting is unpredictable because nominees must be listed on 75% of the returned ballots, and this class might include five or six honorees.

Billy Wagner was just 27 votes away from winning the election the previous year, while Todd Helton missed it by just 11 votes. Adrian Beltré, the former Ranger who previously played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, and Boston Red Sox, has one of the strongest cases among the many outstanding first-time candidates this year. Beltré is thought to be an obvious choice for the Hall of Fame.

Although there have historically been fewer Hall of Fame players at third base, Beltré’s 21-year career is comparable to the select number who were inducted on the first ballot.

The ballots must be submitted by December 31. On January 23, the 2024 Hall of Fame class will be revealed. The planned date of the induction ceremony is July 21, 2024.

Adrian Beltré has a compelling case to enter the Hall of Fame. During their first year of eligibility, the six first-time candidates were named on 93.4% of the ballots on average. With Paul Molitor excluded (he played more games as a designated hitter than at third base), the average support of the other five candidates on the ballot was 95.1%.

Because of his exceptional play in all areas, Beltré is a serious candidate to be named the greatest third baseman of all time. Although there were athletes who were excellent sluggers, hitters, or defenders, Beltré was exceptional in all three areas. With the exception of Brooks Robinson, he also played the position for the most innings in history.

Throughout his career, Beltré’s run production has been noteworthy. Five of his seven seasons with at least 100 RBIs included at least 90 RBIs. He differs from players like Mike Schmidt and Chipper Jones, who had seasons with more than 100 RBI but had difficulty nearing the conclusion of their careers, with his consistency in production. Furthermore, Beltré is ranked third among the third basemen nominated for consideration in the Hall of Fame based on his total runs created, which is calculated by adding runs and RBIs and deducting home runs.

The quality of Beltré’s all-around play goes beyond his third-base play. He is one of just ten third basemen to have won five Gold Glove Awards in his career at the position. Beltré’s accomplishments continue to grow, as he is one of only 65 position players in baseball history to have earned at least five Gold Gloves, making him a premier fielder. Along with it, he becomes one of the few players to have 400 home runs, 3,000 hits, and five Gold Gloves.

Beltré is tied with Napoleon Lajoie and just behind Roberto Clemente among the top 25 performers among all players since 1900, according to the Wins Above Replacement (WAR) measure. This places him in the same class as Wade Boggs, George Brett, and Chipper Jones, among other outstanding third basemen in the Hall of Fame.

Beltré’s extra-base hits demonstrate his ability to bat for power. Among Hall of Fame third basemen, he leads the field with 1,151 extra base hits (doubles, home runs, and triples). As a result, he has been ranked among the top 15 players since 1900.

Finally, Beltré’s peak performance is compared to other Hall of Famers using his Jaffe Wins Above Replacement Score (JAWS). By summing the WAR from his seven most valuable seasons, his lifetime WAR is averaged to determine his JAWS score. Hall of Fame third basemen have an average JAWS score of 55.8.

Adrian Beltré is a compelling candidate for the 2024 Hall of Fame Class because of his outstanding career statistics, all-around skill, and compelling argument supported by a number of measures.V