In every sport, there will always be stars who stood out among the rest of the playing field. Generation after generation, professionals come and go, but a select few legends are remembered as Hall of Famers whose legacies live on in record books and the memories of millions. After much anticipation, the votes are finally in for the 2024 class of inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. This year, The Baseball Writers' Association of America has selected the following: Adrian Beltre, Joe Mauer and Todd Helton.

Beltre's inclusion was practically a given, considering how the former third baseman was revealed to be the frontrunner among publicized ballots. Regardless, it was well-deserved. With a career total of 3,166 hits (more than any other third baseman in MLB history), 477 home runs, and a 93.5 WAR, Beltre spearheads this year's batch of selectees. In addition, his resume also includes five Gold Glove Awards, four Silver Slugger Awards and four All-Star selections.

Mauer was also favored to be inducted, based on the returns leading up to the big announcement. The catcher and first baseman, who spent his entire career with the Minnesota Twins, won the league MVP in 2009. Furthermore, Mauer accumulated a career WAR of 55.2, a .306 batting average, 143 home runs, six All-Star selections, five Silver Slugger Awards and three Gold Glove Awards.

Lastly, after five years of falling short, Todd Helton has finally claimed his place among the greats. Despite career numbers of 2,519 hits, 369 home runs and 1,406 runs batted in, not to mention multiple Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards, the first baseman continuously came up short in the required voting percentage. Now, Colorado Rockies fans are surely rejoicing, as 2024 proved to be Helton's year.

All three selectees will be joining fellow inductee Jim Leyland, who was voted in December 2023 by a 16-member Era Committee.

This year, there were a total of 26 players on the ballot. And despite all the renowned names, the results once again give a reminder of how difficult it is to be enshrined among baseball's best. No matter what opinion one may have on a player, the standard 75% voting tally is still needed for that player to be admitted into Cooperstown's esteemed museum.

Here are the full voting results, with Beltre getting 95.1% of votes, followed by Helton at 79.7% and Mauer at 76.1%. Billy Wagner missed the cut by a narrow margin at 73.8%.

Regardless, one silver lining to the entire process could be in the form of utmost quality. With a total of 343 elected members so far, the Hall of Fame is reserved for only the cream of the crop. In other words, Adrian Beltre, Joe Mauer, Todd Helton, and Jim Leyland have now cemented themselves among baseball's greatest.