Adrian Beltré, Joe Mauer, Todd Helton, and Jim Leyland have been enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Adrian Beltré, Joe Mauer, and Todd Helton were recognized as exceptional talents from a young age, and all three fulfilled their promise with their induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday.

The Los Angeles Dodgers were so impressed with Beltré’s potential that they broke MLB regulations to sign him before he turned 16.

Beltré made it to the major leagues shortly after his 19th birthday and quickly became one of the top prospects in sports as a teenager.

In his induction speech, Beltré shared that he started playing baseball at age 13 as a second baseman, a position chosen by his father. However, when a teammate suggested he switch to third base, Beltré made the change, and it proved to be a pivotal decision in his career.

Beltré played for 21 years with the Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, and Texas Rangers. He earned five Gold Glove awards and is the first third baseman to achieve both 450 home runs and 3,000 hits.

During his career, Beltré was known for his aversion to anyone touching his head, a request his teammates often disregarded, making a habit of touching his head anyway. At Sunday’s ceremony, fellow Hall of Famer David Ortiz continued the tradition by touching Beltré’s head before his speech.

Beltré chuckled and said, “That never relaxes me. (But) it was a little cute to go back to my playing days. …It’s just part of being in this fraternity. Even though I don’t love it, I don’t like it, but it felt like I’m open to people to be able to play around with me. I always like that.”

Joe Mauer was a standout high school athlete in both football and baseball in St. Paul, Minnesota, earning USA Today’s High School Player of the Year titles in football in 2000 and baseball in 2001. He was drafted by his hometown Twins as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 MLB Draft.

“It was truly an honor to be a (Minnesota Twin) and represent my hometown team,” Mauer remarked.

Mauer noted the emotion he felt seeing all the Minnesota fans throughout the weekend.

“It’s not easy to get to Cooperstown and especially with the events that have happened this last week,” he said. “But to see that many Twins fans out there, I just felt the love and I was just hoping that I could deliver the speech that I wrote down.”

Helton was also a football and baseball star and played both sports at the University of Tennessee.