Picking the best possible lineup from the '24 HOF ballot

The 2024 Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) Hall of Fame ballot features a lot of impressive names.

Sure, most of them will not actually be voted into Cooperstown, and many will go one and done (by virtue of receiving less than 5% support). But falling below the high bar of Hall worthiness doesn’t change the fact that each of these players enjoyed distinguished careers that included some phenomenal seasons.

• Your guide to Tuesday's HOF election results

It also just so happens that the makeup of the 26-name ballot is such that it can be split neatly into two teams, each with a full nine-man lineup (including DH), two starting pitchers, one closer and one bench player. And the depth of these squads helps illustrate all of the talent on this ballot.

So without further ado, here are the 2024 All-HOF Ballot first and second teams.

• 9 storylines on 2024 Hall of Fame ballot

FIRST TEAM

Catcher: Joe Mauer (1st year on ballot)
Yes, concussion issues forced Mauer to leave the catcher position behind in 2014, and he became a first baseman and DH for his final five seasons. But he still spent an easy majority of his career behind the plate and hit like few catchers in history have.

• Breaking down every first timer on 2024 HOF ballot

First base: Todd Helton (6th year)
This is almost certainly the year for Helton. He got 72.2% of the vote last time around, falling just short of the 75% threshold -- quite a climb from his 16.5% showing back in 2019. Even adjusting for Coors Field, Helton was a monster at his peak, posting an OPS+ of 160 or higher four times between 2000-04.

• Debating the 2024 HOF ballot: Who gets in?

Second base: Chase Utley (1st year)
It will be fascinating to see how Utley fares in the BBWAA voting. His résumé is awfully short on counting stats (just 1,885 hits, for example), but he fares much better via advanced metrics (64.5 WAR, including 45.5 from 2005-10). That splendid run also should appeal to voters who value peak performance.

Third base: Adrián Beltré (1st year)
Beltré would appear to be a first-ballot lock, with the only question being how high his vote percentage will go. That’s quite an outcome for a player who was not widely thought of as a future Hall of Famer until late in his career. More than half of Beltré’s 93.5 career WAR -- and six of his seven highest-WAR seasons -- came after his age-30 campaign.

• Complete Hall of Fame coverage

Shortstop: Alex Rodriguez (3rd year)
The fact that support for Rodriguez only inched up from 34.3% to 35.7% in his second year on the ballot likely tells you all you need to know about the difficulty of his path to induction. Of course, that’s entirely about off-the-field matters. If you’re picking the best possible team, as we are here, you want peak A-Rod as your shortstop.

Left field: Manny Ramirez (8th year)
Like A-Rod, Ramirez has not gained traction on the ballot, with a PED-related violation (in his case, multiple violations) almost certainly the culprit. (Although his adventures on defense don’t help, either.) But there is no denying that for most of Ramirez’s career, there were few hitters in baseball whom opponents would want to see in the box less. From 1999-2008, he topped a 1.000 OPS eight times.

Center field: Andruw Jones (7th year)
After nearly falling off the ballot at first, Jones has soared from 7.5% support (2019) to 58.1% (2023), so while he likely has too far to climb in 2024, he now appears on the path toward induction. Jones’ steep decline in his 30s certainly works against him, but his status as a 10-time Gold Glove Award winner in center goes a long way -- and earns him a spot here.

Right field: Carlos Beltrán (2nd year)
Will Beltrán get a big boost this year? He got 46.5% of the vote in his first year on the ballot, a number likely suppressed by his ties to the 2017 Astros’ sign-stealing scheme. While Beltrán did play more than 600 games in right field, he spent the majority of his career as a five-tool center fielder who hit 435 homers, stole 312 bases (with an all-time great 86.4% success rate) and won three Gold Glove Awards.

Designed hitter: Gary Sheffield (10th year)
This is the final go-around for Sheffield on the BBWAA ballot, and he’ll need to jump 20 percentage points to make it, likely giving him an outside shot at best. Similar to Ramirez, voters have found understandable reasons to leave the box next to Sheffield’s name blank, with sketchy defense among them. But also like Ramirez, Sheff was a terrifying sight in the box. He hit 509 homers while walking far more than he struck out in nearly every season of his career.

Bench: Jimmy Rollins (3rd year)
Rollins (12.9% last year) has a long way to go. Advanced metrics don’t do him many favors, but he has plenty working in his favor, including some impressive counting stats (2,455 hits, 470 steals), a World Series ring and hefty hardware (an NL MVP Award and four Gold Gloves).

LH starting pitcher: Andy Pettitte (6th year)
Pettitte has yet to make much headway on the ballot, reaching a high of 17% last year. With that said, perhaps the evolving nature of pitching could help his case. In many ways -- other than strikeout total -- Pettitte has a remarkably similar statistical record to CC Sabathia, who seems primed to make the Hall, perhaps as soon as when he debuts on the 2025 ballot.

RH starting pitcher: Bartolo Colon (1st year)
It seems unlikely that Colon will stick on the ballot after this year, but if the Hall vote were about who had the most interesting careers, he’d be right up there. Colon made All-Star teams at both 25 and 43, and he hit one of the most shocking and memorable home runs in recent memory.

Relief pitcher: Billy Wagner (9th year)
Wagner has risen from the 10-11% range on his first three ballots to the doorstep of Cooperstown (68.1% last year). Relievers always present a difficult case, but Wagner was about as dominant as anyone can be. Nobody in MLB history has more innings and a higher K/9 rate than Wagner, and only Mariano Rivera has a better ERA+.

What might that look like on a lineup card? Here's just one possibility.

First-team HOF Ballot Lineup

1) Carlos Beltrán, RF
2) Alex Rodriguez, SS
3) Joe Mauer, C
4) Manny Ramirez, LF
5) Todd Helton, 1B
6) Gary Sheffield, DH
7) Adrián Beltré, 3B
8) Andruw Jones, CF
9) Chase Utley, 2B
Andy Pettitte, SP

SECOND TEAM

Catcher: Victor Martinez (1st year)
Like Mauer, V-Mart moved out from behind the plate later in his career. But from 2004-10, he spent the vast majority of his time at catcher while hitting .300/.371/.476 (123 OPS+).

First base: Adrián González (1st year)
The first overall pick in the 2000 Draft, González was traded twice before establishing himself with the Padres. But once he did, he spent a decade as an elite first baseman, eventually topping 300 homers.

Second base: Brandon Phillips (1st year)
Similar to Gonzalez, Phillips went through two trades and some struggles before gaining a foothold with the Reds. He went on to win four Gold Glove Awards at second base while reaching 200 homers and steals.

Third base: David Wright (1st year)
Wright was undoubtedly on a path toward Cooperstown in his 20s before injuries derailed him and ultimately forced a premature retirement. Still, the seven-time All-Star boasts an impressive resume.

• HOF-level stars who were derailed by injury

Shortstop: José Reyes (1st year)
It’s only right (no pun intended) that Reyes slots in next to his longtime Mets infield partner. With New York from 2005-11, Reyes was a lineup catalyst, leading MLB in triples four times and steals three times.

Left field: Matt Holliday (1st year)
He might soon be known more as Jackson’s dad, but the elder Holliday was a tremendous player, especially at the plate (career 132 OPS+).

Center field: Torii Hunter (4th year)
Hunter has yet to reach a double-digit percentage but has managed to stay on the ballot, thanks to his impressive combo of nine Gold Glove Awards and 353 home runs.

Right field: Bobby Abreu (5th year)
Abreu finally gained a bit of momentum last year, jumping from 8.6% to 15.4%. Long an underrated star, he was an on-base machine as well as a power-speed threat.

Designated hitter: José Bautista (1st year)
Nobody on this ballot walked a more winding path to stardom than Bautista. But at his best (2010-15 with Toronto), Joey Bats was a force of nature at the plate.

Bench: Omar Vizquel (7th year)
Vizquel’s candidacy has stalled in recent years, but the 11-time Gold Glove Award winner is one of the greatest defensive shortstops ever.

LH starting pitcher: Mark Buehrle (4th year)
There hasn’t been a ton of support for Buehrle, but in this age of pitcher usage, he should get a lot of credit for his ability to throw 200-plus strong innings year after year after year.

RH starting pitcher: James Shields (1st year)
Another pitcher whose workload would be an anomaly today, Shields’ 10 seasons of 200-plus innings included an eye-popping 11 complete games and four shutouts in 2011.

Relief pitcher: Francisco Rodríguez (2nd year)
K-Rod survived his first ballot (10.8%) on the strength of ranking fourth all-time in saves (437) and first on the single-season list (62 in 2008).

What might that look like on a lineup card? Here's just one possibility.

Second-team HOF Ballot Lineup

1) Bobby Abreu, RF
2) Matt Holliday, LF
3) Adrián González, 1B
4) José Bautista, DH
5) David Wright, 3B
6) Victor Martinez, C
7) Torii Hunter, CF
8) Brandon Phillips, 2B
9) José Reyes, SS
Mark Buehrle, SP