Will ex-Dodgers newcomers on 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot get elected?

At least one of them has a pretty good shot.

Baltimore Orioles vs Los Angeles Dodgers - June 15, 2004
Baltimore Orioles vs Los Angeles Dodgers - June 15, 2004 / Kirby Lee/GettyImages

The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown seems extremely likely to welcome a few more new faces this winter, especially after so many difficult cases spent the last few years climbing up the list towards the necessary threshold for induction.

Clearing steroid cases like Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds off the ballot certainly helped, in that regard, but oh, look, right on time, here's Alex Rodríguez to make your Twitter timelines sludge-filled again!

Among the returning candidates with the best shot of making the leap this year are former Dodger (barely) Andruw Jones, ace reliever Billy Wagner, and former NL West foe Todd Helton, who narrowly missed tripping past the line to gain last winter.

The official Cooperstown ballot dropped on Monday afternoon, and with it came the full list of first-time candidates. The list had been theorized previously (eg, all qualified players who were six years past retirement), but Monday's drop confirmed previous estimates. Several new former Dodgers will join the fray, from (late-career) Chase Utley to silent captain Adrián González. 3,000-hit man Adrián Beltré has by far the best shot at first-ballot induction, though he's exceedingly unlikely to wear an interlocking LA on his cap when he goes in (unless Beltré's 2004 season gets its own plaque).

2024 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot: Former Dodgers Adrián Beltré, Adrián González, Chase Utley highlight newbies

Other Dodgers-adjacent options include Bobby Abreu (we'll never forget that portion of 2012!) and Matt Holliday, who earned a Hall of Shame vote for the playoff game at Chavez Ravine that flipped on a dime when a fly ball struck him in the groin.

Beltré has always felt like a lock, though, and his case will only shine brighter based on the names around him, all of which come with a few detractions. Joe Mauer might eventually reach this plateau, but it could take a while; Victor Martinez is less likely, but if he does receive consideration, it'll be a while. González resides in the Hall of the Very Good and Still Beloved, and Silver Fox Chase Utley feels like a solid advanced metrics candidate, but not quite yet. Manny? Sheffield? Sorry. Maybe 30 years down the line.

Also under consideration this winter are several modern managers, from Jim Leyland to Davey Johnson to Cito Gaston to Lou Piniella. Any combination of those stalwarts could get the call, along with former MLB umpire Joe West (commence eye rolls).

If you're looking for Dodgers representation, though, your best shot is probably an offhanded mention during Beltré's all-but-guaranteed speech.

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