Jones, Guerrero, Thome headline 2018 Hall of Fame class

Cooperstown has grown by four.

Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome, and Trevor Hoffman were elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday after securing the required 75 percent of the 422 votes cast by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Jones received 410 of 422 votes in his first year on the ballot. The first overall selection in the 1990 MLB Draft, Chipper spent his entire 19-year career with the Atlanta Braves, logging more than 1,900 games at third base. He ranks second in franchise history in games played, hits, doubles, and RBIs behind Hank Aaron. Jones, who retired in 2012, was an eight-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger, 1999 NL MVP, 1995 World Series champion, and is the only switch-hitter to finish with at least a .300/.400/.500 slash line with at least 5,000 at-bats.

Thome also lands into the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot. The definition of power, Thome belted 612 home runs during his 22-year career and sits eighth on the all-time list. In six different seasons, Thome hit at least 40 home runs and produced nine seasons in which he reached the 100-RBI plateau. A 13th-round pick of the Cleveland Indians in the 1989 draft, Thome also played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Baltimore Orioles.

After receiving 71.7 percent of the vote in his first year on the ballot, Guerrero landed 92.9 percent in year two to become just the third player from the Dominican Republic to reach the Hall of Fame. Heralded as one of the most feared hitters in the majors, Guerrero was armed with an incredible ability to get on base. He posted four different seasons with an OBP over .400 and never struck out more than 95 times in a single season. Guerrero spent the first eight years of his career with the Montreal Expos, following with stints with the Los Angeles Angels (six seasons), Texas Rangers (one season), and Orioles (one season). He retired in 2011 as a nine-time All-Star, eight-time Silver Slugger, and 2004 AL MVP.

Hoffman needed three turns on the ballot before receiving induction. Originally drafted as a shortstop before converting to a pitcher in the minors, Hoffman was the first reliever to record save No. 500 and No. 600. He was the all-time saves leader until 2011 when Mariano Rivera surpassed him. Hoffman spent 15 seasons with the San Diego Padres while also spending time with the Florida Marlins (28 games) and Milwaukee Brewers (two seasons). He ended his career in 2010 as a seven-time All-Star, two-time NL Reliever of the Year, and two-time NL saves leader.

The four will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 29 alongside Jack Morris and Alan Trammell, who were both elected in December by the Modern Era Committee.