MLB Hall of Fame 2024 class announced: Billy Wagner and 2 biggest snubs from ballot
The 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame class was unveiled on Tuesday. Here are three players who were snubbed.
By Scott Rogust
Every winter, the Baseball Hall of Fame announces their latest inductees into Cooperstown. The voting procedure is tough, as players will have to receive 75 percent of the votes from members of the Baseball Writers Association of America to earn induction. If they don't, they remain on the ballot, unless they receive five percent or less of the votes. If the latter happens, said player is kicked off the ballot.
On Tuesday, the members of the 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame class were revealed. Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre, Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer, and Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton are the latest members of the Hall of Fame.
Congratulations to Adrian Beltre, Joe Mauer and Todd Helton for being elected by the @officialBBWAA to the @baseballhof. Well deserved all around.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 23, 2024
Beltre received 95.1 percent of the vote in his first year on the ballot. Helton, meanwhile, earned 97.9 percent on his sixth year on the ballot. Finally, Mauer squeaked in with 76.1 percent of the votes in his first year of eligibility.
As is the case every year, there is debate who deserves to get in, and who was completely snubbed. Let's look at three players that were snubbed from the Hall of Fame this year.
Billy Wagner misses out on Hall of Fame in 9th year on the ballot
Let's start with perhaps the biggest snub of the 2024 Hall of Fame class, and that's former closer Billy Wagner.
Wagner entered Tuesday on his ninth year on the ballot and received 73.8 percent of the votes. To show how close it was, Wagner only needed five more votes to receive induction this year. That means he has one more year of eligibility remaining before he is no longer eligible. That is a surprise, considering he was one of the top relievers in the game throughout his playing career.
Spanning from 1995 until 2010, playing for the Houston Astros (1995-2003), Philadelphia Phillies (2004-05), New York Mets (2006-09), Boston Red Sox (2009), and Atlanta Braves (2010), Wagner was an All-Star seven times. Not to mention, in 1999, Wagner won the Relief Man of the Year award after recording a 1.57 ERA, a 0.777 WHIP, 39 saves, 124 strikeouts, and 23 walks in 74.2 innings (66 games).
Overall, Wagner recorded a 2.31 ERA, a 0.998 WHIP, 422 saves, 1,196 strikeouts, and 300 walks in 903.0 innings (853 games).
Wagner has one more year left of eligibility. But considering how slim of a margin he missed out on, it would not be shocking to see Wagner make it next year, even with Ichiro Suzuki and C.C. Sabathia joining the ballot.