Chase Utley, David Wright Among Newly Eligible Players for 2024 Baseball HOF Class

After longtime third baseman Scott Rolen was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the 2023 class, the group of players who will be in their first year of eligibility in 2024 was revealed.

Former All-Star infielders Chase Utley and David Wright headlined the list of 14 standouts.

Utley is best known as a mainstay at second base for the Philadelphia Phillies. He helped lead the franchise to the World Series title in 2008 and a Fall Classic appearance in 2009, in which he tied an all-time record with five home runs. The six-time All-Star also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and retired after the 2018 season.

Wright spent his entire 14-season career with the New York Mets and was named to the All-Star Game seven times. The star third baseman was the face of the franchise and finished in the top 10 of National League MVP voting four times. The latter half of his career was plagued by injuries, but he made his mark and ingratiated himself with the Mets, being named a special adviser to the front office upon his retirement.

Joining Utley and Wright as first-time nominees are José Bautista, Adrián Beltré, Bartolo Colon, Adrián González, Matt Holliday, Jim Johnson, Victor Martinez, Joe Mauer, Brandon Phillips, José Reyes, James Shields and Brad Ziegler.

An eight-time Gold Glove Award winner and seven-time All-Star, Rolen was elected in his sixth year of eligibility, as he was named on 76.3 percent of ballots. None of the other 27 players on the ballot received the 75 percent of votes needed, though first baseman Todd Helton came close with 72.2 percent.

Players become eligible five years after their retirement and are allowed to remain on the ballot for 10 years, provided they appear on at least 5 percent of the ballots during a voting cycle.