By IAN WILSON
The National Baseball Hall of Fame electorate have had their say.
Adrian Beltre, Joe Mauer and Todd Helton have been deemed worthy for glory in Cooperstown, New York by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA).
A pair of alumni of the Calgary Cannons, meanwhile, will have to wait at least another year before their fate is determined.
Those on the ballot need to secure a minimum of 75% of the vote to be inducted or show up on at least 5% of the ballots to stick around for another round of voting next year. After 10 years, if a player does not hit the 75% threshold, he will be removed from the ballot.
The results leave Alex Rodriguez and Omar Vizquel – who both patrolled the infield dirt between second and third base at Calgary’s Foothills Stadium in Triple-A decades ago – in limbo.
In his third year on the ballot, A-Rod received 34.8% of the vote, holding steady from the 35.7% he received in 2023.
Rodriguez has the numbers to make the cut, but his admitted steroid use negatively impacts his chances.
Through 22 years with the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and New York Yankees, Rodriguez had a .295 batting average, hit 696 homers, stole 329 bases and produced 2,086 runs batted in (RBI). The infielder also nabbed three Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, a World Series title in 2009, 14 All-Star nods, 10 Silver Slugger Awards and two Gold Glove Awards.
As for his time with the Calgary Cannons, Rodriguez played 32 games for the Pacific Coast League (PCL) team in 1994, a year that saw the 18-year-old prospect suit up in Single-A, Double-A, Triple-A and in the big leagues with the Mariners. In 119 at bats with the Cannons, he posted a .311 batting average, six homers, 21 RBI, 70 total bases, two stolen bases and a .359 on-base percentage.
Steve Smith, the manager of the Cannons, was thoroughly impressed by the rising star.
“This kid has all the tools,” Smith told the Calgary Herald.
VETTING VIZQUEL
In his seventh year of voting, Vizquel went from appearing on 19.5% of the ballots last year to 17.7% in 2024. It’s enough for him to survive for further consideration, but his chances of induction are up against the clock.
With his 5-foot-9, 175-pound frame, Vizquel was not the subject of steroid allegations throughout his 24-year MLB playing career, but there have been disturbing domestic abuse and sexual harassment allegations.
Highly regarded for his defensive abilities at shortstop, Vizquel claimed 11 Gold Gloves. At the plate, he recorded 2,877 hits and swiped 404 bases in 2,968 games. Vizquel only hit 80 career homers while producing a .352 slugging percentage. His batting was competent, not dominant.
Vizquel played parts of four seasons with the Cannons between 1988 and 1992, appearing in 94 games for Calgary during that period.
“He never had a real strong arm, like some shortstops did,” recalled Russ Parker, the owner of the Cannons.
“He could make plays so effortless, a lot of it because he could read the ball coming off the bat so well. Everything was just so fluid … he’ll be remembered as one of the best defensive shortstops in the game.”
Those candidates who were fortunate enough to pass the high bar for Hall-of-Fame induction also have ties to Alberta, many through Pacific Coast League (PCL) and Pioneer League alumni that suited up in the province.
BELTRE BUDS
Beltre received 95.1% of the vote for a career that included 477 homers, 3,166 hits and 1,707 RBI in 2,933 games played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers.
Greg Morrison – the owner and general manager of the Medicine Hat Mavericks – played in the minors with Beltre in 1996 when they were both members of the Savannah Sand Gnats.
“Beltre was our third basemen in the (South Atlantic) League and he was unbelievable,” Morrison told Alberta Dugout Stories.
“He had 16 home runs at the half and they moved him up. He was like 17 years old and I was 20. He was that big and strong back then. He had massive arms, even then.”
Beltre also suited up alongside a number of players who put in Triple-A time in Calgary when he handled third base duties for the Seattle Mariners between 2005 and 2009. His teammates in Seattle included such graduates of the Cannons as second baseman Bret Boone and reliever Jeff Nelson. Former Edmonton Trapper Jarrod Washburn, a workhorse starting pitcher for the Mariners during those years, also shared the field with Beltre.
MAUER MATES
Mauer joins Beltre as a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame after undergoing the minimum of just one year of voting by the BBWAA.
The Minnesotan garnered 76.1% of the vote. He was a career .306 hitter and the 2009 American League MVP.
The 15-year member of the Minnesota Twins played Double-A baseball with the New Britain Rock Cats in 2003. That team was managed by Stan Cliburn and the pitching coach was Stew Cliburn. The Cliburn twins both played several seasons with the Trappers in the 1980s.
Mauer shared a clubhouse with several Trappers over the years, including Michael Cuddyer, Matthew LeCroy, Johan Santana, Kyle Lohse, Lew Ford and J.C. Romero.
One of Mauer’s closest friends on the Twins was Canadian slugger Justin Morneau, who narrated a video essay about the catcher/first baseman for the Hall of Fame inductee announcement on the MLB Network. Morneau helped the Trappers win their fourth PCL championship in 2002.
Meanwhile, Alberta Dugout Stories follower and Red Deer baseball coach Riley Barrett reminded us that Mauer stood out at the International Baseball Federation’s World Junior Championship tournament in Edmonton in August of 2000.
That event featured the top 17- and 18-year-old talent from around the globe and the 12 nations that participated brought future big leaguers like Adam Loewen, Kendrys Morales, Dae-Ho Lee, Shin-Soo Choo, Yunel Escobar, Jeremy Bonderman, Brandon League and J.J. Hardy.
Choo, who was a lefty pitcher and outfielder in the tourney, helped South Korea capture a gold medal with a 9-7 win over the U.S. during a 13-inning marathon championship final game in front of 4,100 fans at Telus Field.
Mauer played first base and was named to the event’s All-Star Team.
The teams also played a number of pre-tournament contests in Lethbridge – including exhibition games against the Bulls of the Western Major Baseball League (WMBL) – and Mauer was a hit machine at every Alberta stop he made.
HELTON HYPE
The “Toddfather” appeared on 79.7% of ballots for career highlighted by a National League batting title and a .316 batting average and a .414 on-base percentage over 2,247 games.
Helton played 120 games for the PCL’s Colorado Spring Sky Sox in 1996 and 1997, making regular stops in Edmonton and Calgary during those seasons.
When he came to Edmonton’s Telus Field in April of 1997, Sky Sox skipper Paul Zuvella heaped praise on the first baseman.
“He’s simply a manager’s dream,” Zuvella told Edmonton Journal reporter Robin Brownlee.
“Is he the whole package? I would say he is. He’s an athlete through and through.”
On the cusp of a 17-year MLB career with the Colorado Rockies, Helton was trying to remain patient about his path ahead.
“Sometimes it can be difficult being down here when I see people I played with or against at school in the big leagues now,” he said.
“I just have to prove myself and wait for my turn … it’s a matter of waiting and, hopefully, getting a chance.”
Helton certainly got his chance and proved himself. He now has a Hall-of-Fame career to show for it.
Time will tell if a pair of former Cannons join him in Cooperstown.
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