The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will induct its Class of 2024 on Sunday, adding three players to the baseball shrine’s roster.
Joining the Hall of Fame will be Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton and Joe Mauer, who were elected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Jan. 23.
Also joining the Baseball Hall of Fame will be former manager Jim Leyland, who was elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee.
The Class of 2024 induction ceremony starts at 12:30 p.m. CDT Sunday in Cooperstown, New York. MLB Network will televise the event.
The Class of 2024 ballot did not include any candidates who played at Alabama high schools and colleges on their way to the big leagues.
But the Baseball Hall of Fame does have 10 players with Alabama roots – stars who transitioned to professional baseball from state sandlots, industrial leagues, high schools and colleges, depending on the era — and three others who are natives of Alabama but grew up in the game in other states.
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The Baseball Hall of Fame players with Alabama roots (presented in order of induction) include:
Heinie Manush, left fielder, Detroit Tigers 1923-27, St. Louis Browns 1928-30, Washington Senators 1930-35, Boston Red Sox 1936, Los Angeles Dodgers 1937-38, Pittsburgh Pirates 1938-39
The Tuscumbia native was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964 after being chosen for enshrinement by the Veterans Committee. A career .330 hitter, he led the American League with a .378 batting average in 1926 and four times finished in the top five of the MVP voting.
Satchel Paige, pitcher, Birmingham Black Barons 1927-30, Cleveland Cubs 1931, Pittsburgh Crawfords 1933-34, 1936, New York Black Yankees 1941, Kansas City Monarchs 1942-43, 1944-47, Memphis Red Sox 1943, Cleveland Indians 1948-49, St. Louis Browns 1951-53, Kansas City Athletics 1965
The Mobile native was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971 after being chosen for enshrinement by the Negro League Committee, becoming the first player to enter the Hall in that way. A legend in segregated baseball, Paige was 42 years old when he reached the American League, yet still represented the St. Louis Browns at the All-Star games in 1952 and 1953.
Early Wynn, pitcher, Washington Senators 1939, 1941-44, 1946-48, Cleveland Indians 1949-1957, 1963, Chicago White Sox 1958-62
The former Geneva High School standout was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972 in his fourth year of eligibility. The nine-time All-Star and 300-game winner received the Cy Young and Sporting News MLB Player of the Year awards in 1959.
Joe Sewell, shortstop, Cleveland Indians 1920-30, New York Yankees 1931-33
The former University of Alabama player and coach was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977 after being chosen for enshrinement by the Veterans Committee. A .312 career hitter, the Wetumpka High School alumnus is the hardest player to strike out in baseball history, once going 115 consecutive games without striking out.
Willie Mays, center fielder, Birmingham Black Barons 1948, New York/San Francisco Giants 1951-52, 1954-1972, New York Mets 1972-73
From Fairfield Industrial High School, Mays was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 in his first year of eligibility. The center fielder was named on 94.7 percent of the ballots, which was the highest since the inaugural Hall of Fame election in 1936, when Ty Cobb drew 98.2 percent, Honus Wagner garnered 95.1 percent and Babe Ruth received 95.1 percent of the possible votes. A 24-time All-Star, Mays won 12 Gold Gloves, two MVP Awards and a Rookie of the Year Award.
Hank Aaron, right fielder, Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves 1954-74, Milwaukee Brewers 1975-76
Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982 in his first year of eligibility, the Mobile native was named on 97.8 percent of the Baseball Writers Association of America ballots, the second-best in history at the time. The 25-time All-Star is most famous for breaking Babe Ruth’s career home run record, but he remains baseball’s all-time leader in runs batted in and total bases.
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Willie McCovey, first baseman, San Francisco Giants 1959-1973, 1977-80, San Diego Padres 1974-76, Oakland Athletics 1976
From Central High School in Mobile, McCovey was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986 in his first year of eligibility. A six-time All-Star and the NL MVP in 1969, “Stretch” ranked seventh in baseball history in home runs when he retired.
Billy Williams, left fielder, Chicago Cubs 1959-1974, Oakland Athletics 1975-76
From Mobile County Training School, Williams was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987 in his sixth year of eligibility. The six-time All-Star was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1961 and The Sporting News MLB Player of the Year in 1972. The Baseball Hall of Fame announced Williams would attend the Class of 2024 induction.
Mule Suttles, first baseman, Birmingham Black Barons 1924-25, St. Louis Stars 1926-29, 1930-31, Chicago American Giants 1929, 1933-35, Detroit Wolves 1932, Washington Pilots 1932, Newark Eagles 1936-1940, 1942-44, New York Black Yankees 1941
Suttles was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006 after being chosen for enshrinement by the Negro League Committee. He came out of the Edgewater Coal Mining Camp just west of Birmingham to play for the Black Barons and was on the team when it joined the Negro National League in 1924. In 1926, Suttles had a Triple Crown season when he led the NNL in home runs, RBIs and batting average. Selected for five East-West All-Star Games, the first baseman played his final game three years before Jackie Robinson integrated the National League.
Frank Thomas, first baseman, Chicago White Sox 1990-2005, Oakland Athletics 2006, 2008, Toronto Blue Jays 2007-08
The Auburn alumnus was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 in his first year of eligibility. Thomas was the American League MVP in 1993 and 1994 — the first two of his six consecutive All-Star selections — and hit 521 home runs, the same number as Willie McCovey.
The other Baseball Hall of Fame members born in Alabama include:
Monte Irvin, left fielder, Newark Eagles 1938-43, 1945-48, New York Giants 1949-55, Chicago Cubs 1956
The Haleburg native was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973 after being chosen for enshrinement by the Negro League Committee. Irvin, who played high school baseball in New Jersey, was 30 years old when he reached the National League but still led the circuit in RBIs in 1951 just as he had the Negro National League 10 years before.
Don Sutton, pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers 1966-1980, 1988, Houston Astros 1981-82, Milwaukee Brewers 1982-84, Oakland Athletics 1985, California Angels 1985-87
The Clio native was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998 in his fifth year of eligibility. Sutton played high school baseball in Pensacola before his 23-season MLB career, during which he won 324 games and struck out 3,574 batters. Only Cy Young and Nolan Ryan started more games on the mound than Sutton.
Ozzie Smith, shortstop, San Diego Padres 1978-81, St. Louis Cardinals 1982-96
The Mobile native was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002 in his first year of eligibility. Smith played high school and college baseball in California before becoming a 15-time MLB All-Star and earning 13 Gold Gloves for fielding excellence.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
