2024 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot: The players worthy of enshrinement, from first-ballot greats to longtime candidates

2024 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot: The players worthy of enshrinement, from first-ballot greats to longtime candidates originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

With 2024 just around the corner and almost all of the attention in the baseball world directed towards a free agency market headlined by the Los Angeles Dodgers, it's easy to forget that January brings the biggest moment of the year for some of the game's recently retired players.

The annual voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame is underway, with the ballot consisting of players who have been retired for at least five years who have earned at least 5% of the vote in each appearance on the ballot.

Players may only remain eligible on the Baseball Writers of America Association ballot for 10 years, with at least 75% of the vote necessary for election.

This year's ballot features a total of 26 players, with 14 returning from the 2023 ballot while 12 players are newcomers.

Voting in 2023 saw just one player, Scott Rolen, be elected to the Hall of Fame, earning 76.3% of the total vote in his 6th year on the ballot, while former MVP Jeff Kent fell short with 46.5% of the vote in his 10th and final year of eligibility.

Before taking a look at who I would be voting for if I were casting a ballot in this year's Hall of Fame election, feel free to scroll past my ballot to read my thoughts on the steroid era's impact on voting, and how it ultimately impacted my ballot.

1. Adrián Beltré

Headlining the 2024 ballot is a newcomer and the easiest call for voters to make this winter, as perennial pure hitter Adrián Beltré gets his first taste of Hall of Fame voting.

Playing a stellar 21 seasons from 1998-2018, the early stages of Beltré's career with the Los Angeles Dodgers were a slow burn before exploding in his age-25 season in 2004, leading all of baseball with 48 home runs and finishing second in NL MVP voting.

Beltré then left for Seattle for a five-year stint, where he won two Gold Gloves and showed offensive numbers that were stronger than his early days with the Dodgers, though still well below the production of his peak season in 2004.

The third baseman appeared to emerge in a new way in 2010 with a one-season stop with the Red Sox, a stellar age-31 campaign that kickstarted the part of his career that would make him a Hall of Famer.

A rare case of a player being significantly better during his 30s than his 20s, Beltré racked up accolades from 2010-2016, with the latter six of those seasons coming with the Texas Rangers.

Beltré added five top-10 MVP finishes, three Silver Sluggers, three Gold Gloves and four All-Star appearances.

Retiring after the 2018 season, Beltré finished his career with 3,166 hits, 636 doubles, 477 home runs, 1,707 RBI and a slash line of .286/.339/.480.

In addition to being one of the best hitters of his generation, Beltré quietly accumulated 27 defensive WAR, good for 15th all-time among all players regardless of position.

This should be an easy decision for voters.

2. Todd Helton

Falling just short in 2023 with 72.2% of the vote in his fifth year on the ballot, Helton should get in on his sixth try.

A franchise icon of the Colorado Rockies, Helton accumulated some of the most impressive offensive numbers of the era, and did so without any known association to steroids.

Helton's offensive achievements have been diminished by many over the years, who attribute his successes to playing half his games in Coors Field, which was especially potent prior to the adoption of humidors for baseballs at the park in 2002.

While Helton did indeed hit a gargantuan .345/.441/.607 at Coors Field, he still managed a .287/.386/.469 line on the road, good for an .855 OPS that dwarfs fellow candidate Adrián Beltré's career mark of .819.

Though the majority of Helton's major damage was done in a five-season stretch from 2000-2004, he still retired with 2,519 hits, 1,335 walks over 1,175 strikeouts, 592 doubles and 369 home runs.

Helton was a five-time All-Star with three top-10 MVP finishes, four Silver Sluggers, three Gold Gloves and a batting title.

An offensive juggernaut throughout his career, Helton belongs in Cooperstown.

3. Billy Wagner

Coming up short last year with 68.1% of the vote, Wagner will try to make it in on his ninth try in 2024.

Long one of the game's most dominant relievers, the hard-throwing southpaw was somewhat of a late bloomer, posting three solid seasons as a closer for the Houston Astros under the radar before breaking out at the age of 27 in 1999, saving 39 games with a 1.57 ERA.

While his 2000 season was comparatively a disaster, Wagner would go on to replicate his 1999 production in two more decades.

Wagner saved 44 games with a 1.78 ERA in his final year in Houston in 2003 before beginning a two-year stint with the Philadelphia Phillies.

In 2005 at the age of 33, Wagner finished 70 games to the tune of a 1.51 ERA and 38 saves, making his fourth All-Star team.

Wagner would go on to the New York Mets, where he was an All-Star in back-to-back seasons in 2007 and 2008, saving 61 games over that span.

Like every incredible athlete dreams of doing, Wagner perhaps saved his most effective season for last, an unbelievable age-38 showing with the Atlanta Braves in 2010.

Appearing in 71 games, Wagner was 7-2 with a 1.43 ERA, racking up 37 saves while posting 104 strikeouts to just 22 walks in 69.1 innings of work.

Showing sustained dominance during a changing game, Wagner is the forgotten third name when Rivera and Hoffman often come first.

4. Andruw Jones

It blew my mind as a young child to see that the Braves had two guys with the last name "Jones" that were both incredible and were both capable of turning the game upside down against your team.

Well, it still blows my mind as 2024 approaches.

A Curacao native, Jones debuted as a 19-year-old in 1996, playing a role down the stretch for a pennant-winning Braves club.

Emerging as a classic five-tool player, Jones had sensational power, had capability of hitting for average and showed above-average speed as well.

But what really set Andruw Jones apart was what he was capable of in the outfield.

With one of the best arms of his generation and a range that devastated hitters over the span of several years, Jones was a vacuum for the Braves throughout the late '90s and much of the 2000s.

At 24.4 defensive WAR, Jones is first among all outfielders all-time, while ranking 22nd among all players regardless of position.

On top of his unquestionable defensive greatness, Jones retired as a five-time All-Star with 1,204 runs, 434 home runs, a Silver Slugger and two top-10 MVP finishes.

5. Álex Rodríguez

The first truly controversial pick of my ballot, A-Rod attracts specific scrutiny due to admitting to using steroids in his career prior to serving a suspension that kept him out of the entire 2014 season in connection to the Biogenesis scandal.

That controversy has affected Rodríguez, who only received 35.7% of the vote in his third year on the ballot in 2023.

There is no question that A-Rod used steroids, a fact that helped him fit into a role of baseball's villain during the early 2010s with the New York Yankees.

While the steroid usage is undoubtedly a blemish, it doesn't fully diminish Rodríguez's illustrious accomplishments, which came at every point of his storied 22-season career.

A-Rod's 1996 season remains perhaps the most impressive from a shortstop in league history, posting a MLB-leading .358 batting average alongside a 1.045 OPS with 141 runs, 54 doubles and 36 home runs, all at the age of 20.

Two years later, Rodriguez became the third player to record a 40-40 season, hitting 40 home runs alongside 40 stolen bases.

Quickly becoming one of the game's most marketed stars, Rodriguez went on to win three MVP awards, 10 Silver Sluggers, two Gold Gloves along with a championship with the 2009 Yankees.

Steroids may turn a few doubles and fly balls into home runs, but they do not create the consistency, discipline and natural hand for the game that A-Rod showed throughout his career.

Rodríguez's switch from shortstop to third base when moving to the New York Yankees further displayed his ability in all aspects of the game, making the move to accommodate Derek Jeter despite statistically being a superior defender at the position.

A-Rod retired with video game numbers across the board, with 2,021 runs, 3,115 hits, 548 doubles, 696 home runs and 2,086 RBI.

6. Manny Ramirez

Another player with a clear-cut case regarding steroids due to two positive tests late in his career that resulted in suspensions, many voters have written Ramírez's candidacy off for good.

Ramírez received just 33.2% of the vote last year in his seventh year on the ballot.

Similar to Rodríguez, Ramírez was a hallmark of the game's talent during the home run explosion of the late 90s, serving as an integral part of one of the most high-octane offensive teams of all time with the then-Cleveland Indians.

Beginning a stretch of unparalleled offensive excellence with a 165 RBI season in 1999, Ramírez posted an OPS of 1.000 or greater in six consecutive seasons, stretching into his tenure with the Boston Red Sox where he would emerge as a postseason hero.

Which perhaps is what makes Ramírez such a no-brainer Hall of Famer on my ballot, is that setting aside the 555 home runs, .996 career OPS and 2,574 hits, Ramírez was arguably one of the most feared October hitters in baseball history.

A career .937 OPS in the playoffs, Ramírez's 29 home runs remain an all-time record. A two-time champion, Ramírez hit .412 in the 2004 World Series, winning the MVP for the series in which the Red Sox broke the Curse of the Bambino.

While an awful outfield defender, Ramírez's consistency over the span of 15+ years as one of the game's most feared hitters on top of sensational October accomplishments make him worthy of Cooperstown enshrinement.

7. Carlos Beltrán

The first player who has attracted a cheating-related controversy that does not involve steroids, Beltrán's known involvement as a ringleader for the 2017 Houston Astros during their cheating scandal has disqualified him to some voters, as he received 46.5% of the vote in his first year on the ballot.

While I believe the actions taken during the Houston Astros' cheating scandal to have a greater impact on the game than steroids, Beltrán does make the cut on my ballot, which I can attribute to a couple things.

• 2017 was the final year of Beltrán's career, and bears little relevance on the evaluation of his career as a player.

• Beltrán losing his opportunity to manage the New York Mets in the wake of the scandal served as a more direct sanction.

A former Rookie of the Year in 1999, Beltrán suited up for seven different teams while displaying remarkable consistency on the field across three decades.

Beltrán retired with 2,725 hits and 435 home runs, driving in 1,587 runs while totaling 565 doubles.

A nine-time All-Star with three Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers, Beltrán continued to be primary factor on his teams through the end of his career, making an All-Star team at age 39 in 2016, a year in which he hit .295 with an .850 OPS and 29 home runs.

While not having any individual seasons that jump out too conspicuously from the rest, Beltrán's consistency should earn him a spot in Cooperstown as one of the era's finest.

8. Gary Sheffield

Another power hitter of the steroid era with loose association to PEDs, Sheffield is entering his final year on the ballot in need of some help - earning 55% last year.

Sheffield never tested positive for steroids, but was often mentioned in steroid rumors and was later named in the 2007 Mitchell Report, bringing some credence to that assocation for many.

Steroids or not, Sheffield's case is not a clear-cut one. While he surpassed the previous benchmark seen as an automatic for Cooperstown with 509 home runs, he was also a well below-average defender with often underwhelming postseason performances.

A journeyman of eight different clubs, Sheffield won five Silver Sluggers and a batting title along with being a nine-time All-Star.

An offensive juggernaut from the early '90s to the late '00s, Sheffield posted six seasons of top-10 MVP finishes and five seasons of an OPS at 1.000 or above.

If the slugging wasn't enough, Sheffield's 1,475 walks to just 1,171 strikeouts along with 253 stolen bases show he was a tough out both at the plate and on the basepaths.

It's a close call, but Sheffield just brought too much to the table to leave off the ballot.

9. Mark Buehrle

Neglected by the vast majority of voters each time around so far, former White Sox icon and left-hander Mark Buehrle has garnered just enough support to stick around on the ballot each year thus far, earning 10.8% of the vote last year in his third time around.

Buehrle lacks a lot of the intangibles that quickly come to mind when fans think of a Hall of Fame player, as Buehrle was known as a finesse pitcher who did not have overpowering stuff, struck hitters out at a rate well below league-average and outside of one magical season, had very little postseason exposure.

Ignoring those things that really don't matter, Buehrle was the definition of durability and consistency during his 16-year career.

A five-time All-Star, Buehrle retired with 214 wins, 33 complete games, 10 shutouts and two no-hitters to his name, including a legendary perfect game in 2009, one of just 22 in the modern era.

Pitching 3,283.1 innings and facing 13,705 batters, Buehrle tossed at least 200 innings in every season from 2001 to 2014, a feat that is now unheard of in today's MLB.

On top of the 3.81 ERA and unparalleled durability, Buerhle was also one of his position's finest defenders, winning four straight Gold Gloves from 2009 to 2012.

He may not be the most memorable pitcher of the era, and may not lead in the stats that grab the headlines, but his quiet, consistent excellence earns him a spot in the Hall of Fame.

10. Joe Mauer

The final spot on the ballot goes to one of the finest backstops of the past era, hometown hero and Minnesota Twins icon Joe Mauer.

At a 15-year career and notable battles with injuries, Mauer will face some difficulty among voters who value longevity in his first time around on the ballot.

While I consider myself to strongly value longevity and believe my ballot reflects that, taking Mauer's position into consideration is imperative when evaluating his career.

Though the Twins failed to win a playoff series in Mauer's tenure with the club, he quickly emerged as one of the game's most feared hitters and methodical catchers.

Emerging in 2006 with an incredible .347 batting average that won him the batting title, Mauer would go on to have one of the most incredible offensive seasons from a catcher in MLB history in 2009.

In his MVP campaign, Mauer slashed .365/.444/.587, good for a 1.031 OPS alongside 28 home runs and 96 RBI. Mauer's 171 OPS+ led all of the American League.

Mauer went on to retire as a six-time All Star with three Gold Gloves, three batting titles and five Silver Sluggers.

At 1,018 runs, 2,123 hits and 428 doubles, Mauer doesn't completely neglect the counting stats either.

When thinking of greatness at the catcher position in the last 25 years, it's impossible to leave out Joe Mauer. If not this year, he belongs.

Steroids and the Hall of Fame fallout

In the wake of the so-called "steroid era" in MLB, evidently gripping the game in the late 1990s before the public was made aware of their prevalence in the early 2000s, several players who dominated MVP voting and All-Star games in the era being voted on grew some level of connection with performance-enhancing drugs to the public.

This could have happened in one of several ways, be it one of the sport's major doping scandals such as the BALCO and Biogenesis scandals that implicated players such as Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun, or being named in the historic Mitchell Report in 2007.

While in today's era, that association is more explicit with the start of steroid testing in 2003 and penalties for positive tests two years later, being implicated also came in the form of being accused by admitted steroid user Jose Canseco or being named in a vague 2003 test with results that didn't go (partially) public until 2009.

This has undoubtedly impacted Hall of Fame voting for otherwise surefire members, such as Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens as well as current players on the ballot such as Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez.

These players have been held off the ballot of most voting baseball writers, many of whom say the use of steroids constitutes cheating in the game, showing conduct that should not be honored in the Hall of Fame.

That would be a respectable stance, if it was actually upheld by the realities of the Hall of Fame today.

Though the system of several hundred writers picking 10 players for their ballots offer great diversity of thought, it also offers great diversity of what constitutes as cheating.

Many BBWAA writers apparently did not see the reliance of the illegal spitball to be cheating, voting longtime pitcher Gaylord Perry into the Hall of Fame with over 77% of the vote on his third ballot despite the pitcher having literally written a book about his extensive usage of a pitch against the rules. Some would call that cheating.

Many BBWAA writers who pay close attention to who they believe is associated with steroids or not also seem to have ignored the prevalence of amphetamines in the sport throughout the 1970s and 1980s, with Hall of Famers Mike Schmidt and Goose Gossage admitting to using the drugs at some points in their career, though the latter did not believe it was a performance-enhancing drug.

The contradiction with the system has continued into the modern day, where it appears that writers have decided for themselves who has or hasn't done steroids.

A small percentage of writers have appeared to omit all players that even played in the era, as evidenced by the non-unanimous votes of players such as Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Derek Jeter and Ken Griffey Jr., all steroid era players who were never known to have any association with PEDs.

Where ballots have gotten confusing is with players such as Ivan Rodriguez, Mike Piazza and David Ortiz, three players who were loosely associated with PEDs to varying degrees, yet all were elected to the Hall of Fame.

Rodriguez never tested positive for PEDs, but was mentioned by Jose Canseco as a frequent steroid user in a 2005 tell-all book that incriminated several MLB players of the era.

Pudge was also teammates with several known steroid users while with the Rangers, including Canseco himself, Rafael Palmeiro and later Alex Rodriguez. Former two-time MVP and Rangers slugger Juan Gonzalez is also widely speculated to have used steroids and was also named by Canseco, though he has repeatedly denied any usage.

Piazza, while not twirled up in Canseco-related rumors and unnamed in the Mitchell Report, admitted to using a substance long-banned by the International Olympic Committee and later banned by MLB in 2004 in his 2013 autobiography, three years prior to his election to the Hall of Fame.

Ortiz was named in a controversial New York Times report in 2009 that named a few of the supposedly over 100 players who tested positive for PEDs in 2003, while the league was determining options for penalizing use of the substances.

While both the league and the MLBPA issued statements expressing that there were uncertainties with the test's results and that it did not mean that a player tested positive for steroids, the test's results were used by writers to incriminate Sammy Sosa of steroid use, who had no definitive link to steroid usage outside of the 2003 test results despite a widespread belief that he used PEDs during his prime.

Ultimately, in voting for the Hall of Fame, each writer is also deciding what they define cheating to be - a dilemma that has presented itself in a different way with Carlos Beltran's candidacy and his ties to the 2017 Houston Astros cheating scandal.

Though it's noble to want to protect the "honor" of the Hall of Fame, it's reasonable to acknowledge both on-field performance and overall impact on the sport with players tied to steroids, while also acknowledging that cheaters to varying degrees (and much worse for that matter) are already in Cooperstown.

If the Hall of Fame is already telling the stories of and enshrining those who helped keep the game segregated, much less cheated while playing the game, it feels like neglecting what really happened in MLB during a period of time that saw popularity in the game explode and the league return to relevance.

It's no secret that the league willingly turned a blind eye to steroids while stands filled up again in the wake of the 1994 strike. A blind eye should not also be turned to the players who brought the game back and thousands upon thousands of new fans with them.