There will be a lot of legacies on the line this World Series, as there is a long list of future Hall of Famers ready to take center stage.
When Lou Gehrig led the New York Yankees to a four-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs in October 1932, few could have predicted it would be the largest collection of Hall of Famers in one World Series.
No one could have foreseen that 13 future inductees into the National Baseball Hall of Fame would decorate these two rosters, mostly because the first class in Cooperstown would not be until 1936 and the doors at 25 Main Street wouldn’t open until 1939.
Since then, many players helped their case for enshrinement during the Fall Classic. The 2024 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees will be no exception.
Living Legends
This year’s clash of the National League’s best against the American League’s features five former winners of the MVP award, most in World Series history.
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By my count, there are eight players from these teams that are destined for the Hall of Fame. Several should reach on the first ballot while others may be forced to wait a few years before hearing their name called by Josh Rawitch, President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
Few people are respected and revered in the game than Freddie Freeman. The 35-year-old is tops among active players in base hits (2,267), doubles (508), extra-base hits (882), runs scored (1,298) and RBI (1,232).
The 2020 NL MVP and 2021 World Series champion was an All-Star only twice during his first eight seasons but has only gotten better with age as he’s been selected to represent the NL in each of the last six Midsummer Classics, starting in four of those.
Mookie Betts is another of the Dodgers’ three MVPs. According to JAWs, a system created by Hall of Fame voter Jay Jaffe to evaluate players across different generations, Betts is already the 8th-best right fielder in baseball history.
Though Betts is still shy of 300 home runs and 1,000 RBI, the 32-year-old doesn’t appear to have lost a step yet. Were it not for a fractured hand suffered on a hit-by-pitch in June, Betts could have been the frontrunner for NL MVP, becoming only the second player in baseball history to win the award in both leagues.
Speaking of that short list that includes only Frank Robinson (1961 NL MVP, 1966 AL MVP), Shohei Ohtani is a lock to win his third Most Valuable Player next month. In doing so, he’ll join Robinson as only the second to be voted by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America as the MVP in the AL and NL.
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Ohtani still needs to play in parts of the next three seasons in order to reach the Hall’s minimum requirement of 10 seasons. By that point, Ichiro Suzuki will have already have been and Ohtani will be back on the mound as a two-way player. With two unanimous MVP awards already and one more surely on its way for 2024, Ohtani may have secured his place in Cooperstown quicker than any player in the history of baseball.
The Yankees have their share of legends bound for induction as well. Aaron Judge leads their squad after what could also be a unanimous selection as AL MVP.
No active player has ever hit 50 or more home runs twice except Judge, who is one of five players all-time with at least three such campaigns. He’s already the 19th-greatest outfielder (per JAWS) after only nine seasons and is within reach of Ichiro at no. 18.
You wouldn’t be wrong to think twice about Giancarlo Stanton’s candidacy following seven seasons as New York’s designated hitter. Only once has the active leader in strikeouts gone to the All-Star Game during that time. But the Hall of Fame includes its fair share of compilers and players who did much of their heavy lifting during the first half of their careers.
Stanton is tops in the game at 429 home runs, 51 more than the next closest active player. He has three more years on the books in pinstripes before a club option in his age-38 season.
At his most recent homer rate, the 2017 NL MVP may need all three years before joining the 500 Club. Were it not for ties to performance-enhancing drugs of several members of this group, we can say this club all but guarantees a place in the Hall.
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Juan Soto has already won a World Series (2019, Washington Nationals), a batting title (2020) and a Home Run Derby (2022), and he’s yet to play a game at 26 years old. Soto may seem like the furthest from being a lock for Cooperstown amongst this seasoned group of stars from this year’s World Series as he has just seven years under his belt, but his torrid pace to start his career means he doesn’t need quite as much to cross the finish line.
Along with Ted Williams, Soto is one of two players to ever record 30 home runs, 100 RBI and 100 walks in three separate campaigns at age-25 or younger. The impending free agent is one of three players in Major League history with at least 40 homers and at least 125 walks in a single season prior to their 26th birthday (also: Judge and Babe Ruth). In other words, there’s a clear path for Soto.
The first pitcher on this list is Gerrit Cole. In a relatively short amount of time, winning 200 games seemingly became the new milestone for the Hall of Fame after decades of 300 wins being the standard. At 153-80, Cole still has a ways to go.
During his 12 seasons, Cole’s teams have missed out on the postseason only three times. As such, he’s amassed a 11-6 record with a 2.98 ERA when the games have mattered the most in October.
The six-time All-Star, two-time ERA title winner, and one-time recipient of the AL Cy Young Award (2023) has already amassed 2,251 strikeouts. After a certain Dodgers’ legend reaches the mark soon, Cole may become the last player for a while to reach 3,000 for some time.
Speaking of Clayton Kershaw, out with a bone spur in his left big toe, he deserves an honorable mention despite not being able to improve upon a 4.46 ERA in seven games across three different World Series.
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The three-time Cy Young Award winner and the last pitcher-only hurler to win the MVP (2014) will easily receive a vote on 75% of ballots from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America thanks to a .693 career winning percentage (212-94) and 2,968 strikeouts.
Every member that’s been eligible for induction from the 3,000 strikeout club — excluding those mired in controversy like Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling — is in Cooperstown.
Let The Debating Begin…
The biggest and best career excluded from the list above is Anthony Rizzo. The man who caught the final out in the first Chicago Cubs’ World Series Championship in over 100 years certainly has a case to one day reach the Hall.
A three-time All-Star, one-time Silver Slugger and four-time Gold Glove Award winner — not to mention a Platinum Glove in 2016, the only first baseman in either league to ever earn the award for top defensive excellence — Rizzo may fall short when compared to others at his offensive-minded position.
Rizzo has surpassed 300 home runs and 1,000 RBI will come at some point next season.
Since a total of 150 different players have already reached both those milestones during their careers, many of whom are not in the Hall of Fame, Rizzo’s case will have to deal with more than just his production at the plate.
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JAWS does not look favorably upon Rizzo, placing him as the 47th-best first baseman of all-time. That trails no. 43 Mark Grace, no. 39 Don Mattingly and no. 38 Carlos Delgado at the position. One might even argue the case that Carlos Santana — ranked 59th by JAWS at first base and 1.8-less career bWAR — has been nearly as good as Rizzo.
While he ultimately may fall short, that 2016 World Series for the Cubs may provide the largest boost of them all for the 35-year-old when BBWAA voters make out their ballots following his playing career. Since he’s had the best overall career of anyone from that squad, aside from Jon Lester, Rizzo might build momentum before his 10 years on the ballot are over.
More Work To Do
Soto has a strong resume at such a young age, not to mention a series of accomplishments assembled quicker than a large majority of players in the game. This doesn’t mean that all other lesser-caliber players should be discounted.
Max Scherzer didn’t break out until his age-28 season, winning the Cy Young Award after not receiving a single vote in his first five campaigns. Zack Wheeler, still a longshot with only 103 wins to his name, has just entered the chat at age 34 after another CYA-worthy season and dominant playoff performance. Freeman would also populate this group of late-bloomers.
Will Smith has been one of the best catchers since 2021 and his 10-year, $140 million extension signed in March emphasizes that. Only three active backstops — J.T. Realmuto, Salvador Perez and Willson Contreras — rank higher than the Dodgers’ 29-year-old in JAWS.
Jack Flaherty and Carlos Rodón are harder cases to imagine. Both have had varied levels of success, but if you believe both have turned a corner in their career, you might imagine how a Scherzer-esque run could alter their Cooperstown appeal dramatically. Walker Buehler, when healthy, has certainly proven himself to be an ace, especially during the postseason; now he just need to prove himself durable enough to build his resume.
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Now is a good time to bring executives and managers into the conversation, such as Yankees’ Aaron Boone. The seventh-year skipper is taking the Bronx Bombers to the Fall Classic for the first time and in his sixth postseason with the club. He’s never won the Manager of the Year Award, but it’s easy to see where the third-generation baseball lifer may end up.
Boone currently has 603 wins, good for 10th-most among active managers. The fewest amount of wins for a Hall of Fame manager is 1,044 for Billy Southworth, who won two World Series and four pennants during the 1940s. Amongst more modern skippers, Whitey Herzog won 1,281 from 1973-1990 and Jim Leyland, Class of 2024, won 1,769 with four clubs over 22 years. Boone has a ways to go.
The Future’s So Bright
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Anthony Volpe and Jasson Domínguez are all within their first two seasons as a big leaguer. It’s truly anyone’s guess as to whether or not any will be the subject of “active Hall of Famer” articles in a decade from now, let alone five years.
Yamamoto is certainly being paid like a bonafide superstar following a $325 million deal that was signed before he had even thrown a pitch in the Majors. His rookie campaign was injury-plagued; nevertheless, when the 26-year-old was healthy, he looked to be one of the better starting pitchers in the Senior Circuit.
Volpe won a Gold Glove Award as a rookie shortstop in 2023, becoming the youngest at the position to win the honors. His power numbers took a slight hit in his sophomore season, but he struck out at a noticeably lower rate and raised his batting average a lot in the process. Volpe’s offensive stats have been good, but pale in comparison to someone like Derek Jeter after two full-seasons in New York.
Domínguez hasn’t done much across 26 games in the Majors, but deserves inclusion on this list as one of the game’s top prospects. Still just 21 years old, The Martian has potential to be a player that ascends next year when left field opens up following Alex Verdugo’s free agency. If you’d rather your chances with someone like Gleyber Torres, who should reach 1,000 hits at age-28 in 2025, one couldn’t fault you for picking the more known quantity.
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Honorable Mentions
Though we won’t see Dave Roberts, Andrew Friedman or Brian Cashman impact the box score during the 2024 Fall Classic, all three have the makings of personnel who a veterans committee could select in the far off future.
Roberts may only have one Manager of the Year Award (2016), but he’s consistently led Los Angeles to the playoffs each of the last nine seasons. He has five 100-win seasons and will take part in his fourth World Series this week. The 52-year-old isn’t slowing down any time soon.
Friedman and Cashman have both been the architects of several clubs that have gone deep into October. Friedman miraculously turned around the small-market Tampa Bay Rays in the late 2000s with a blueprint that’s still used (and working well) today. Since becoming the President of Baseball Operations for the Dodgers in 2015, no club is within 50 victories of L.A.’s 943 wins during his tenure
Cashman is the sports longest-tenured GM — 26 years and counting. He’s presided over the late-90’s Yankees dynasty and has won four rings, six AL pennants and 15 AL East titles, appearing in the postseason 22 times.
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