The clock begins!

The National Baseball Hall of Fame has unveiled the official Modern Hall of Fame ballot for the 2024 Class, and it features 26 men, 14 of whom are returning names.

Alphabetically, they are:

Bobby Abreu:  5^th Year, 15.4 percent last year.  Abreu was one of the game’s most patient hitters, having drawn 1,476 career Walks, while batting over .300 six times.  A two-time All-Star, Abreu won one Silver Slugger, one Gold Glove and scored 100 Runs over eight times.

Jose Batista:  1^st Year on the ballot.  Batista is best known for his bat flip and time as a Toronto Blue Jay where he won back-to-back Home Run Titles and Hank Aaron Awards.  He went to six All-Star Games and won three Silver Sluggers.

Carlos Beltran:  2^nd Year, 46.5% percent last year.  Beltran is one of four players (along with Barry Bonds, Willie Mays & Alex Rodriguez) who has at least 1,500 Runs, 2,700 Hits, 400 Home Runs and 300 Stolen Bases.  He went to nine All-Star Games, won three Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers.  He is a former Rookie of the Year and won the World Series in his final season.

Adrian Beltre:  1^st Year on the ballot.  Beltre played most of his career at Third Base and is one of the few players in MLB history to have at least 3,000 Hits and 450 Home Runs.  He is a four-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger and won five Gold Gloves.  He also batted over .300 seven times.

Mark Buehrle:  4^th Year, 10.7 percent last year.  Buehrle went to five All-Star Games and recorded a record 14 200-inning years in the American League.  He won four Gold Gloves and threw a no-hitter.  Buehrle also won at least 13 Games twelve times.

Bartolo Colon:  1^st Year on the ballot.  Colon won the 2005 AL Cy Young and was an All-Star four times.  He led the league in Wins once, and topped 15 in that statistic nine times with 247 in total.  Colon also is 36^th all-time in Strikeouts with 2,535.

Adrian Gonzalez:  1^st Year on the ballot.  Gonzalez went to five All-Star Games, won five Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers.  He had 317 Home Runs over his career.

Todd Helton:  6^th Year, 72.2 percent last year.  Helton was a five-time All-Star who played all 17 of seasons with the Colorado Rockies.  The First Baseman had three Gold Gloves, four Silver Sluggers and smacked 30 Home Runs in six different seasons.  He also batted .300 12 times, and won one Batting Title.

Matt Holliday:  1^st Year on the ballot.  Holliday went to seven All-Star Games and won four Silver Sluggers playing at Leftfield.  He won the World Series with St. Louis in 2011.

Torii Hunter:  4^th Year, 6.9 percent last year.   Hunter won nine Gold Gloves, two Silver Slugger and was chosen for five All-Star Games.  He was one of the most exciting players of his day.

Andruw Jones:  7^th Year, 58.1 percent last year.  Jones was a five-time All-Star, a ten-time Gold Glove recipient and won the 2005 NL Home Run Title.  He is in the top fifty all-time in Home Runs with 434.

Victor Martinez:  1^st Year on the Ballot.  Martinez won two Silver Sluggers, was a five-time All-Star, and he had eight .300 seasons.  He is one of four Catchers (along with Carlton Fisk, Ivan Rodriguez and Ted Simmons) with at least 2,000 Hits, 400 Doubles and 200 Home Runs.

Joe Mauer:  1^st Year on the Ballot:  Mauer played all fifteen of his seasons with the Twins where he won the 2009 MVP.  He is the only Catcher to win three Batting Titles, and he went to Six All-Star Games, and won five Silver Sluggers and three Gold Gloves.

Andy Pettitte:  6^th Year, 17.0 percent last year.  Pettitte won five World Series Rings with the New York Yankees, and had eight 15-Win years.  He went to three All-Star Games and exceeded 200 Innings ten times.

Brandon Phillips:  1^st Year on the Ballot.  Phillips was a three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner at Second Base.

Manny Ramirez:  8^th Year, 33.2 percent last year.  Twice suspended for PEDs, Ramirez has the stats for the Hall with twelve All-Stars, nine Silver Sluggers and two Hank Aaron Awards.  Ramirez batted over .300 eleven times, won three OBP Titles, three Slugging Titles and one Home Run Title.  He is 12^th all-time in Slugging (.585), 15^th in Home Runs (555) and 20^th in RBIs (1,831).  Ramirez also won two World Series Rings with the Red Sox, winning the MVP in the first one.

Jose Reyes:  1^st Year on the ballot.  Reyes went to four All-Stars and won one Silver Slugger and Batting Title.

Alex Rodriguez:  3^rd Year, 35.7 percent last year.  Like Ramirez, A-Rod has the stats for the Hall, but was popped twice for PEDs.  He won three MVPs, ten Silver Sluggers, two Gold Gloves and went to 14 All-Star Games.  Rodriguez belted 30 Home Runs in fifteen different seasons, and won five Home Run Titles.  He is fourth all-time in RBIs (2,086), fifth in Home Runs (696) and 23^rd in Hits (3,115).

Francisco Rodriguez:  2^nd Year, 10.8 percent last year.  Rodriguez went to six All-Star Games, won two Rolaids Relief Awards, and led the league in Saves three times.  He won the World Series in 2002 with the Angels and is fourth all-time in Saves (434).

Jimmy Rollins:  3^rd Year, 12.9 percent last year.  Rollins’ best years were in Philadelphia where he won the 2007 MVP and the 2008 World Series.  He also won four Gold Gloves, was a three-time All-Star, and led the NL in Triples four times.

Gary Sheffield:  10^th Year, 55.0 percent last year.  A 22-year veteran, Sheffield went to nine All-Star Games, won a World Series with the Marlins and also owns five Silver Sluggers.  The Outfielder also has a Batting Title, and is 27^th all-time in Home Runs (509).

James Shields:  1^st Year on the ballot.  Shields played 13 years and was an All-Star once.  He posted at least 10 Wins nine years in a row, and was part of two American League Championship Teams.

Chase Utley:  1^st Year on the ballot.  Utley played most of his career with Philadelphia where he won the 2008 World Series, appeared in six All-Star Games, and captured four Silver Sluggers as a Second Baseman.

Omar Vizquel:  7^th Year,19.5 percent last year.  Vizquel’s Hall of Fame momentum was derailed by domestic violence allegations which could prevent the 11-time Gold Glove and three-time All-Star from enshrinement.  He is also 44^th all-time in Hits (2,877).

Billy Wagner:  9^th Year, 68.1 percent last year.  Wagner is sixth all-time in Saves (422), and second among southpaws.  He won one Rolaids Relief Award and went to seven All-Star Games.

David Wright:  1^st Year on the Ballot.  The Third Baseman went to seven All-Star Games and won two Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves.

We will be paying attention in the upcoming weeks as the votes trickle in.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate those who have made it this far.

In a tumultuous year that was not normal for anything and everything including baseball, one thing that might be back to normal is voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Granted, the 2021 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot has 14 returning candidates, with just about every one of them owning cases for induction that range from borderline to compelling.

We are excited to unveil another new section here at Notinhalloffame.com.  We always look to the future, and as such, it is with great excitement that we unveil our write-ups on the Baseball Futures of 2024.  Specifically, this is in reference to the former baseball players who will be eligible for Cooperstown in 2024.

They are set up so that you can cast your votes and offer your opinions before they become officially eligible.

The formers players who are eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2024 are:

Adrian Beltre:  From the Dominican Republic, Beltre has a great shot for early induction as the Third Baseman is a member of the 3,000 Hit Club, won five Gold Gloves, four Silver Sluggers and was a four-time All-Star. Beltre has 377 career Home Runs, 1,707 RBIs, and his plaque will look good with that Texas Rangers cap.

Adrian Gonzalez:  Gonzalez was a five-time All-Star who also won two Silver Sluggers and four Gold Gloves. “A-Gon” had 2,050 Hits, with 317 of them being Home Runs.  He was also the American League leader in Hits (213) in 2011. 

Alcides Escobar:  Escobar played in the Majors for 11 years, and in 2015 he won the World Series with Kansas City.  That year, the Shortstop was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner.

Bartolo Colon:  Colon played 21 years in the Majors, with runs in Cleveland, Montreal, Chicago (AL), Anaheim, Boston, New York (AL), Oakland, New York (NL), Atlanta, Minnesota and Texas, but he never felt like a journeyman, as a Colon start was an event.  The big man was a four-time All Star, a Cy Young winner and had 247 Wins with 2,535 Strikeouts.

Brad Ziegler:  Ziegler was a reliever throughout his career, and in 2013 and 2018 he led the league in Games Pitched.

Brandon Morrow:  As a Blue Jay in 2011, Morrow led the AL in SO/BB. He had a career record of 51-43.

Brandon Phillips:  Phillips was a three-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove recipient and he had 2,029 career Hits and 211 Home Runs.

Chase Headley:  Headley had 1,337 Hits and was a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger.

Chase Utley:  Utley was a six-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, and he had three top-ten finishes for the MVP.  A World Series Champion with the Phillies in 2008, Utley accrued 1,885 Hits, 259 Home Runs and 1,025 RBI.

Chris Tillman:  Tillman was a ten-year vet (all with Baltimore) and an All-Star in 2013.

David Wright:  Wright played all fourteen of his MLB years as a New York Met, where he was a seven-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger and two-time Gold Glove winner.  The Third Baseman had four top-ten finishes in MVP voting and totaled 242 Home Runs with 1,777 Hits.

Denard Span:  Span was an 11-year vet who led the National League in Hits once and Triples twice.

Doug Fister:  Fister had an 83-92 record over a ten-year career.

James Shields:  Shields was an All-Star in 2011 when he was second in Cy Young voting.  He would fan 2,234 batters with a 145-139 record.

Jim Johnson:  Johnson was an All-Star in 2012 and he was also the Reliever of the Year.  That season and 2013 saw Johnson lead the American League in Saves and he would accrue 178 in total.

John Axford:  In 2011, Axford Reliever of the Year, was an All-Star and led the American League in Saves.  He had 144 career Saves.

Jose Bautista:  After years of mediocrity, Bautista exploded as a Toronto Blue Jay where he won two Home Run Titles, six All-Star, three Silver Sluggers and four top-eight MVP finished.  Bautista had 344 career Home Runs.

Jose Reyes:  Reyes won the National League Batting Title in 2011, and was a four-time All-Star and three-time leader in Stolen Bases.  Reyes had 2,138 career Hits and 517 Stolen Bases.

Matt Holliday:  A seven-time All-Star, Holliday blasted 316 Home Runs with 1,220 RBIs.  Also, a four-time Silver Slugger, Holliday helped the Cardinals win the 2011 World Series Championship, and he had a career Slash Line of .299/.379/.510.  

Phil Hughes:  Hughes was a World Series Champion in 2009 and All-Star in 2010 with the Yankees, but his best season was in Minnesota where in 2014 he finished seventh in Cy Young voting.  Hughes had a career record of 88-79.

Ryan Madson:  Madson pitched in 740 Games and won two World Series Rings; one with Philadelphia (2008) and another with Kansas City (2015).

Santiago Casilla:  Casilla played for Oakland and San Francisco, and with the latter the Relief Pitcher won three World Series Rings (2010, 2012 & 2014).  He had 144 Saves over his career.

Victor Martinez:  Martinez was a five-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger who had 246 Home Runs and 1,178 RBIs over his career.

Yovani Gallardo:  Gallardo played most of his career with the Milwaukee Brewers where he was an All-Star in 2010.  He had a career record of 121-101.

The entire 2024 eligibles can be found here.

When you can, cast your vote and give us your opinions, as this will shape where we will rank them once eligible.

As always, we thank you for your support.

Bartolo Colon was a rotund individual, but pound for pound he was one of the most charismatic players in baseball, and doesn’t that say something?