
The 2023 baseball season is now in the books, and the hot stove offseason is underway.
Along with the free agent signings, trades, and other off-season happenings is one of our favorite off-season events. That would be Hall of Fame season, one of our favorite times of the year here at Cardlines. We recently reviewed the returning candidates to the 2024 ballot.
Now it’s time for the Cardlines Guide to the New Candidates on the 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot. Who are the new players on the ballot? Who will be elected to the Hall of Fame in 2024, or beyond? And what are the rookie cards of these players?
The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY has been showcasing the very best in the history of baseball since the inaugural class was elected in 1936. The annual Hall of Fame election is voted upon by tenured members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA).
Voters typically have the month of December to vote, with ballots needing to be returned by December 31st. The Hall of Fame voting results will be announced on January 23, 2024. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held on July 21, 2024 in Cooperstown, NY.
A player becomes eligible for the ballot after they have been retired for 5 years. Players need to have appeared in at least 10 MLB seasons and be nominated by the Hall of Fame to appear on the ballot.
75% of the vote is required for election. Players who appear on less than 5% of the vote drop off the ballot. A player with between 5% and 75% of the vote can stay on the ballot for up to 10 years.
There are 12 new candidates on the Hall of Fame ballot. Which ones will make the Hall of Fame in 2024? Who will eventually be enshrined?
Who had a great career but falls short of the lofty Hall of Fame standard? And who’s likely to be “one and done” on the ballot? We present to you the 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame first-time candidates, in order from highest to lowest career WAR.
If there is one new candidate on the 2024 ballot who will be elected on the first ballot, it is Adrian Beltre. Honestly, if Beltre isn’t a first-year inductee, I’m not sure who is short of truly inner-circle players like Derek Jeter or Ichiro Suzuki.
Adrian Beltre, a five-time gold glove-winning third baseman finished his career with 3,166 hits and 477 home runs. He hit .286/.339/.480 for his career, good for an OPS of .819 and OPS+ of 116.
The combination of over 3,000 hits, close to 500 home runs, and premium defense at the hot corner make Beltre a fairly sure bet to be elected to the Hall of Fame this year. Beltre’s 93.5 career WAR ranks 3rd all-time among third baseman.
The first Beltre card appearances in a big league uniform came in 1997 Bowman products. This includes the base product, plus its rarer Bowman International version. It also includes the premium Bowman Chrome and Bowman’s Best offerings, along with another glossy option in 1997 Bowman’s Best.
The Beltre rookie cards are strong sellers. In PSA 10 slabs some of these start to get pricy for base cards, but PSA 9s are much more reasonable. Either way, if you can grab one before the Hall of Fame induction, there should be some upside here.
Shop for Adrian Beltre rookie cards on eBay.
Card | Total PSA Pop | Recent Sale Pop | Recent Sale Price |
---|---|---|---|
1997 Bowman Adrian Beltre #194 | 1,402 | PSA 10 = 136 | PSA 10 = $300 |
1997 Bowman International Adrian Beltre #194 | 74 | PSA 9 = 31 | PSA 9 = $50-55 |
1997 Bowman Chrome Adrian Beltre #182 | 3,303 | PSA 10 = 956 | PSA 10 = $300-325 |
1997 Bowman Chrome International #182 | 260 | PSA 9 = 140 | PSA 9 = $100-110 |
1997 Bowman’s Best Adrian Beltre #117 | 2,064 | PSA 10 = 966 | PSA 10 = $75-100 |
Chase Utley is another player who will be interesting to track through their Hall of Fame journey. The knock against him is mostly related to longevity.
He played in parts of 16 seasons, with only 12 over 100 games. He finished his career with fewer than 2,000 games played (1,937) and hits (1,885).
For some, those numbers alone disqualify him. But when he was on the field, few second basemen in the post-integration era have been better. During his 6-year prime, during his age 26-31 seasons, he put up an impressive 45.5 WAR and made 5 of his 6 All Star teams.
Overall, Utley was worth 64.5 WAR in his career, which ranks 15th all-time among second basemen. 10 of the 14 above him are already in the Hall of Fame.
Chase Utley has only a couple of rookie cards, both in 2001 and both in Bowman products. The 2001 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects and 2001 Bowman Heritage give us two cards with fairly low PSA populations. PSA 9s sell well, while PSA 10s seem to very seldom come available.
Again, the combination of low PSA populations and uncertainty about his HOF case offers some upside. The fact that Utley has so few rookie cards helps make the choice of which cards to grab much easier.
Read more on Utley, his Hall of Fame case, and his rookie cards: The Best Rookie And Early Career Cards Of Hall Of Fame Candidate Chase Utley
Shop for Chase Utley rookie cards on eBay
Card | Total PSA Pop | Recent Sale Pop | Recent Sale Price |
---|---|---|---|
2001 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Chase Utley #BDP69 | 997 | PSA 9 = 431 | PSA 9 = $60-65 |
2001 Bowman Heritage Chase Utley #304 | 330 | PSA 9 = 167 | PSA 9 = $20 |
2001 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Futures Game Relics Chase Utley #FGR-CU | 34 | PSA 10 = 4 | RAW = $30-50 |
I must admit, it will be interesting to see how Joe Mauer does on his first go-around on the ballot. Personally, I think he’s a sure thing, no doubt Hall of Famer, and should get elected in year 1 on the ballot.
That doesn’t seem to be the consensus, however, and some seem to think that he will have an uphill climb. Time will tell.
On the field, Mauer had one of the best 10-year runs of a catcher in history. He was a six-time All-Star and won 5 Silver Slugger awards. He also won three Gold Glove awards and three batting titles during that time.
After the age of 30, concussions sapped Mauer of some of his magic with the bat and pushed him to first base. But those first 10 seasons were epic.
For his career, Mauer was worth 55.2 WAR, which ranks 8th all-time among catchers. All 8 players above him, plus the next three after him, are all in the Hall of Fame. Recent catchers who you often hear as future Hall of Famers (and rightly so) such as Buster Posey and Yadier Molina have lower WAR totals than Mauer.
Joe Mauer made his first big league card appearances in 2002 products. The big two are 2002 Bowman and 2002 Topps Chrome. Those two will set you back over $300 in PSA 10 slabs.
That being said, there is a Joe Mauer rookie or early career card for just about any budget. Based on the low PSA population numbers here, along with the doubt about Mauer’s Hall of Fame chances among some, there appears to be some upside here.
Shop for Joe Mauer rookie cards on eBay
Card | Total PSA Pop | Recent Sale Pop | Recent Sale Price |
---|---|---|---|
2002 Bowman Joe Mauer #379 | 454 | PSA 10 = 104 | PSA 10 = $400 |
2002 Bowman Heritage Joe Mauer #238 | 107 | PSA 10 = 27 | PSA 10 = $85-150 |
2002 Topps Joe Mauer #622 | 822 | PSA 10 = 185 | PSA 10 = $150-250 |
2002 Topps 206 Joe Mauer #271 | 121 | PSA 10 = 33 | PSA 10 = $180-200 |
2002 Topps 206 Joe Mauer #400 | 14 | PSA 10 = 4 | PSA 10 = NA |
2002 Topps Chrome Joe Mauer #622 | 215 | PSA 10 = 55 | PSA 10 = $350-360 |
2002 Topps Gallery Joe Mauer #186 | 155 | PSA 10 = 83 | PSA 10 = $100 |
2002 Topps Gold Label Joe Mauer #164 | 133 | PSA 10 = 44 | PSA 10 = $200-250 |
2002 Topps Pristine Joe Mauer #151 | 210 | PSA 10 = 146 | PSA 10 = $75-150 |
2002 Topps Total Joe Mauer #1 | 34 | PSA 10 = 12 | PSA 10 = NA |
David Wright, who spent his entire career with the New York Mets, was on a Hall of Fame path until injuries derailed his career. For his career, Wright hit .296/.376/.491 for his career, good for an OPS of .867 and OPS+ of 133.
He was a 7-time All-Star and added two Gold Glove Awards and 2 Silver Slugger awards. He hit 242 home runs and stole 196 bases. He was worth 49.2 WAR in his career.
Approaching 50 WAR is an impressive career in its own right. But Wright did almost all of that before the end of his age 30 season. After age 30, he was worth only 2.6 WAR.
Players tend to provide much more value in their 20s than their 30s, but even a normal aging path would have added another likely 15-20 WAR to Wright’s total.
As it stands now, I think Wright falls well short of election. He’ll likely garner a few votes from voters who dream about what could have been.
Wright’s rookie cards appear in 2002 Bowman products. These include 2002 Bowman, 2002 Bowman Chrome Auto, and 2002 Bowman Heritage. The Bowman paper, despite having a low PSA population, sells for a very reasonable amount, even in a PSA 10 slab.
The Bowman Chrome, with a PSA population under 150 (only 5 PSA 10s) and an autograph, goes for quite a bit more. The Bowman Heritage sells for significantly less than the Bowman paper.
Shop for David Wright rookie cards on eBay.
Card | PSA Pop | Recent Comp Pop | Recent Pop Price |
---|---|---|---|
2002 Bowman David Wright #381 | 370 | PSA 10 = | PSA 10 = $30-50 |
Bartolo Colon pitched a very long time. He appeared in parts of 21 seasons for 11 teams and pitched until he was 45. This longevity, combined with his gregarious personality and, let’s say “unathletic” physique made him a unique player and a fan favorite.
At times during that long career, Colon was very good. He won a Cy Young award in 2005 and finished in the top 10 three other times. He was a 4-time All-Star. For his career, he finished with a record of 247-188 with a 4.12 ERA (106 ERA+). For his career, Colon was worth 46.2 WAR.
Colon’s rookie cards appear in 1995 Bowman and 1995 Bowman’s Best. The 1995 Bowman has a pretty low PSA population, but still is very reasonable for a PSA 10 example.
The 1995 Bowman’s Best has a higher population, but not many PSA 10s. There are no recent PSA sales of a PSA 9 or 10.
Shop for Bartolo Colon rookie cards on eBay
Card | PSA Pop | Recent Comp Pop | Recent Pop Price |
---|---|---|---|
1995 Bowman Bartolo Colon #22 | 316 | PSA 10 = 71 | PSA 10 = $60 |
1995 Bowman’s Best Bartolo Colon #73 | 541 | PSA 10 = 45 | PSA 10 = NA |
Matt Holliday was probably better than you remember. He was a 7-time All-Star and 4-time Silver Slugger winner who also won a batting title.
For his 15-year career, he hit .299/.379/.510 for an OPS of .889 and 132 OPS+. He smacked 316 home runs in his career and was 2nd in the MVP voting in 2007, to Jimmy Rollins, who is also on the ballot. For his career, Holliday was worth 44.5 WAR.
Holliday had a very, very good career. It’s not quite Hall of Fame caliber, but that shouldn’t be taken as a slight to Holliday. Let’s take a moment to appreciate one heck of a player getting his moment on the ballot.
Holliday had his rookie cards in 1999 products, with 1999 Bowman Chrome being the top choice. It’s eminently affordable, even in a PSA 10 slab.
Shop for Matt Holliday rookie cards on eBay
Card | PSA Pop | Recent Comp Pop | Recent Pop Price |
---|---|---|---|
1999 Bowman Chrome Matt Holliday #400 | 744 | PSA 10 = 497 | PSA 10 = $35-40 |
Another player who may be better than you remember, Adrian Gonzalez is a former #1 overall pick who played in parts of 15 big league seasons.
He made five All-Star teams and won four Gold Glove awards along with two Silver Slugger awards during that time. He put up a line of .287/.358/.485, good for an OPS of .843 and 129 OPS+. Gonzalez was worth 43.5 WAR during his career.
Like Holliday, Gonzalez had a great career, but isn’t likely to get a lot of Hall of Fame traction. Again, not a slight against a very good player. Gonzalez made his card debut in 2000 products, including 2000 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks & Prospects.
Even in a PSA 10, these are very affordable. The last couple PSA 10s on eBay sold for $10 each.
Shop for Adrian Gonzalez rookie cards on eBay.
Card | PSA Pop | Recent Comp Pop | Recent Pop Price |
---|---|---|---|
2000 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks & Prospects Adrian Gonzalez #86 | 1,547 | PSA 10 = 740 | PSA 10 = $10 |
Jose Reyes was worth 37.4 WAR in his career and had a domestic violence arrest. So, the Hall of Fame isn’t really in the cards. But it’s worth remembering that for a while, Reyes was a very, very good player.
Reyes was a 4-time All-Star who won a Silver Slugger and batting title. He also hit .283 for his career and stole over 500 bases. He led the league in stolen bases, in triples four times, and in hits once.
Jose Reyes made his cardboard debut in 2001 products, including 2001 Bowman. The cards are low-pop, making recent comps tough, but in most cases these aren’t in high demand.
Shop for Jose Reyes rookie cards on eBay
Card | PSA Pop | Recent Comp Pop | Recent Pop Price |
---|---|---|---|
2001 Bowman Jose Reyes #430 | 160 | PSA 10 = 25 | PSA 10 = NA |
One of the most interesting career arcs on this list belongs to Jose Bautista. He was a 20th round draft pick, and between waivers and trades, played on four teams during his rookie season.
Through his age-28 season, he had a career OPS+ of 91 and looked destined for obscurity.
Then everything clicked in 2010 when Bautista hit 54 home runs and finished 4th in the MVP voting. From that age 29 season on, Bautista made six All-Star teams and won three Silver Slugger awards. He hit 285 home runs and had an OPS+ of 137 from that point through the rest of his career.
Overall, despite the slow start, Bautista hit 344 home runs and was worth 36.7 WAR during his career. While not Hall of Fame worthy, Bautista is a great story and remains a fan favorite in Toronto.
Bautista makes his cardboard debut in 2002 products, including 2002 Bowman. The PSA population here is very low, but there was a recent sale of a PSA 10 example for $80.
Shop for Jose Bautista rookie cards on eBay
Card | PSA Pop | Recent Comp Pop | Recent Pop Price |
---|---|---|---|
2002 Bowman Jose Bautista #421 | 39 | PSA 10 = 17 | PSA 10 = $80 |
Victor Martinez is another player worth remembering. While he played over half of his career games as a DH, he actually started 42% of his career games behind the plate.
For his career, Martinez hit .295/.360/.455 with an OPS of .815 and OPS+ of 118. He had 2,153 career hits and 246 career home runs. He finished 2nd in the MVP voting in 2014 to Mike Trout. For his career, Martinez was worth 32.0 WAR. While he’s unlikely to last past this year on the ballot, he had a very strong career.
2002 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Chrome contains Victor Martinez’s first major league card. The PSA pop is under 30, with no recent comps. Raw copies sell for a couple of dollars each.
Card | PSA Pop | Recent Comp Pop | Recent Pop Price |
---|---|---|---|
2002 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Chrome Victor Martinez #BDP153 | 28 | PSA 10 = 10 | PSA 10 = NA |
James Shields had a very solid career, at one point having a string of nine straight double-digit win seasons. He was an All-Star and finished 3rd in the 2011 AL Cy Young voting.
For his career, Shields went 145-139 with a 4.01 ERA (102 ERA+). His career WAR was 30.7 WAR. A very solid contributor with a nice career, but Hall of Fame? Probably not.
Shields rookie cards appear in 2006 products, including 2006 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks. Only 13 copies have been graded of that card, with 11 of them in PSA 10 slabs. No recent comps exist. Raw, the card can be had for $3 or less.
Card | PSA Pop | Recent Comp Pop | Recent Pop Price |
---|---|---|---|
2006 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks James Shields #BDP54 | 13 | PSA 10 = 11 | PSA 10 = NA |
Brandon Phillips was a second baseman over parts of 17 seasons, mostly with the Cincinnati Reds. A three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner, Phillips also won a Silver Slugger award.
Phillips hit .275/.320/.420 for his career, good for an OPS of.740 and OPS+ of 95. He had over 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases for his career, plus over 2,000 hits.
Phillips was worth 28.4 WAR for his career. A solid player for a long time. I suspect his appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot will make some folks take a second look at his career and appreciate that he was better for longer than most remember.
Phillips makes his cardboard debut in 2000 products, including 2000 Bowman Chrome. The Bowman Chrome has been graded more than the rookie cards of several of the names further up this list. In a PSA 10 slab, it can be had for a very reasonable $15-30.
Card | PSA Pop | Recent Comp Pop | Recent Pop Price |
---|---|---|---|
2000 Bowman Chrome Brandon Phillips #347 | 479 | PSA 10 = 274 | PSA 10 = $15-30 |
Now that we’ve reviewed the candidates, who will get elected in 2024, and beyond?
If Adrian Beltre doesn’t get elected to the Hall of Fame in 2024, I may need to stop trying to predict who will get elected. With over 3,000 hits, close to 500 home runs, and stellar defense, Beltre should get 90% or more of the vote and sail into the hall.
Beyond Beltre, there are two candidates who stand out as worthy of induction to me – Joe Mauer and Chase Utley. I think Mauer deserves to be a first-year inductee, but others don’t seem to agree with me.
I could see him slipping into the hall with a vote total just north of 75% in 2024. Or he may end up somewhere below that, although it’d be surprising to see him start off below 50% of the vote.
Utley will likely debut lower, and his chances of election in 2024 are probably fairly low. I’d guess 35-45% for 2024, with a steady increase from there. Both players are likely to eventually find their way to Cooperstown.
Beyond those three, it’s likely a few of these guys hang around the ballot for a few years….Wright, plus maybe Holliday or Gonzalez. The rest are likely one and done…their appearance on the ballot gives us one more chance to appreciate their very, very good careers.
The fact that players like Beltre are great and likely Hall of Fame-bound isn’t exactly news to many fans and collectors. That being said, if you can buy before the announcement of the voting results on January 23rd, there’s a chance you can still see a bit of a bump.
For a player like Utley, who maybe is less on the radar screen of fans and collectors as a Hall of Fame candidate, the bump could be a bit larger.
Even if you don’t think they’re future Hall of Famers, hopefully, this article reminded you of the rookie cards of a few other very good players.
While they may not be great investments, they are inexpensive and are great reminders of some really interesting careers. It’s a hobby after all, so every purchase shouldn’t be about ROI.
The Hall of Fame election process is a fascinating part of the annual baseball calendar. For collectors, it offers a chance to reflect on the careers of some of the best recently retired players, argue about their relative merits, and potentially profit from the election of a player or players.
What’s your take on this year’s new candidates? Do you agree with my assessment of who belong and who doesn’t? What’s your favorite memory or card of the players we’ve highlighted? Let us know at card_lines on Twitter.
Cardlines Guide To The Returning Candidates On The 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot
The Best Rookie & Prospect Cards Of Hall Of Fame Candidate Adrian Beltre
The Best Rookie & Prospect Cards Of Hall Of Fame Candidate Joe Mauer
The Best Rookie And Early Career Cards Of Hall Of Fame Candidate Chase Utley
The Best Rookie Cards And Early Career Cards Of Todd Helton
The Best Rookie Cards and Early Career Cards Of Flamethrowing Reliever Billy Wagner
The Best Rookie Cards And Early Career Cards Of Hall Of Fame Candidate Andruw Jones
The Best Rookie Cards Of Hall Of Fame Candidate Carlos Beltran
Breaking Down The Best Rookie Cards Of Newly Elected Hall Of Famer Scott Rolen
The Best Rookie Cards And Early Career Cards Of New Hall Of Famer Fred McGriff
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