Todd Helton, Joe Mauer, Adrian Beltre and Jim Leyland have been immortalized in bronze statues.
The four were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, on Sunday.
Helton, who spent his entire 17-year career with the Colorado Rockies, gave the opening remarks.
His batting line of .316/.414/.539 and 61.8 WAR are the best in Rockies history, but his time in Denver is the least notable aspect of his sports career, at least in some parts of the country.
Instead of focusing on his own accomplishments, Helton called for attention to the many people who helped him build a Hall of Fame baseball career, and fans thought the speech reflected the 50-year-old Helton’s character.
Beltre took to the stage next, and David Ortiz quickly answered the one question on everyone’s mind.
The five-time Golden Glove winner famously disliked having his head touched, so naturally, Big Papi had to have a little fun before Beltre’s speech began, a privilege he enjoys as a fellow Hall of Famer.
Beltre was an elite hot corner defender, but his best offensive performance didn’t come until he turned 30. Since his age-31 season, he’s hit .514 with 227 home runs.
Like Helton, Beltre was full of gratitude, citing the many people who supported him during his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers.
His comments about former Mariners teammate Felix Hernandez drew laughter from those in the stadium and those watching at home.
Leyland embodies the old-school style of baseball management and his results speak for themselves: He won a World Series with the Florida Marlins in 1997, won Manager of the Year awards with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers, and at the international level managed the United States when they won the World Baseball Classic in 2017.
On Sunday, fans saw a side of Leyland they’d never seen before, and what’s more, his speech exuded a love for the sport.
The event was closed by Mauer, who has spent his entire MLB career near his hometown of St. Paul, Minn. He ranks sixth in on-base percentage (.388) and fourth in hits (2,123) in Minnesota Twins history.
The most impactful part of Mauer’s speech was when he reflected on his grandfather’s continued success on the field even into his advanced years.
Looking ahead to the next round of Hall of Fame voting, seven-time All-Star relief pitcher Billy Wagner narrowly missed out on induction in his second and final year on the ballot (73.8% of the vote). Andruw Jones (61.6%) and Carlos Beltran (57.1%) are the only two other players who appeared on more than half of the ballots and will remain eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2025.
Ichiro Suzuki, a 10-time All-Star and 2001 American League MVP, tops the first-time voting list and is a near certainty, with Hernandez, CC Sabathia, Ian Kinsler and Dustin Pedroia also on the list of first-time candidates.