FILE PHOTO: Apr 19, 2022; Seattle, Washington, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jon Gray (22) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the fourth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
The 2024 Major League Baseball Hall of Fame class is an exciting one. A pair of two lifelong franchise players in Joe Mauer (Minnesota Twins) and Todd Helton (Colorado Rockies), a prodigal slugger in Adrián Beltré, and one of the best managers in baseball in Jim Leyland. These four will join the halls of Cooperstown this July. Also, it’s that time when we see which team they will represent at the Hall of Fame. What cap will be placed on their plaques for everyone to see at Cooperstown from here on out?
2024 MLB Hall Of Famers Decide On Their Caps
Two faces of two franchises
Two of them, Helton and Mauer, are easy with the Rockies and Twins, respectively. It’s only right that their whole careers are in one spot, each with how much they defined playing baseball in those cities. Helton is Mr. Rockie, and Mauer was born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Minnesota and the Twins are all Mauer’s ever known. It’s only fitting those caps, and teams will be well-represented at the Hall of Fame this summer. That leaves Beltre and Leyland, and it was a little more interesting with them.
Beltre bleeds Ranger blue
Beltre contributed for a bunch of teams throughout his career. Most notably, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, and Seattle Mariners. In the end, Beltre decided to go into Cooperstown as a Texas Ranger.
In a statement, Beltre said, “I am grateful for the time I spent with all of my teams during my career. Looking back, I played more years in Texas than anywhere else, and I believe my time with the Rangers represents the peak of my career, individually and from a team standpoint. But I could not have made this journey to Cooperstown without the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, and their fans, and I am proud that each of the teams I played with will be listed on my Hall of Fame plaque.”
During Beltre’s career as a Ranger from 2011-2018, he hit .305 with 199 home runs, 699 RBI, and 1,277 hits. In 2011, he helped Texas to their second consecutive American League pennant. He becomes the third Ranger inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining Nolan Ryan and Ivan Rodriguez.
Leyland doesn’t want a cap logo.
As for the old baseball lifer, Leyland wants to go a different route. Leyland would prefer no cap as a nod of respect to all the teams he was with and managed. He managed four teams, most notably with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Florida Marlins, and Detroit Tigers. The other was the Rockies in 1999. Leyland won 851 games in Pittsburgh as they were one of the best teams in MLB in the early 1990s. He won the National League East in three consecutive seasons from 1990 to 1992. In 1997, he managed the expansion Marlins to their first World Series championship. It was the first and only World Series title of his managerial career.
After six years away from baseball from 2000-2005, Leyland remerged in Detroit and led a great era of Tigers baseball from 2006-2013. That eight-year stretch saw the team capture two American League pennants and win 700 games.
Main Photo Credits: Syndication: Arizona Republic
