The Call From the Hall

Adrian Beltre (above), Todd Helton (below) and Joe Mauer (bottom) got the call Tuesday night -- letting them know they'd been voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Careers of excellence and achievement... Helton was a two-sport star, preceding Peyton Manning as the U of Tennessee's quarterback and winning college baseball's Dick Howser (Player of the Year Award) before playing his entire 17 season MLB career in Colorado.  Runner up for 1998's NL Rookie of the Year, he was the league's 2000 MVP, winning the batting and RBI titles and making the first of his five All Star Game appearances.  

Beltre enjoyed stellar seasons with the Dodgers and Red Sox but really hit his stride during his eight years in Texas, where he combined stellar glove work with consistent hitting -- being named to four All Star teams and finishing in the Top 10 of MVP voting five times.  He's also the only third baseman with 3000 hits and 400 home runs.

Mauer lived out every kid's dream -- being drafted first overall by his hometown Twins, and playing his entire career just miles from his birthplace in St. Paul.  The only catcher to win three batting titles, he made six All Star teams in his nine years as Minnesota's backstop -- and earned 2009 AL MVP honors -- before a series of concussions forced his move to 1st base.

Beltre, Helton and Mauer will join longtime big league manager Jim Leyland as the Hall of Fame's Class of 2024.


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