Let’s say you had a vote. What would your Hall of Fame Ballot look like? As we are just days away from finding out which greats will be part of the 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame class, here’s who our writers would’ve voted for if they had the ability to.

Chris Bello

My ballot would be: Carlos Beltrán, Adrián Beltré, Todd Helton, Andruw Jones, Joe Mauer, Francisco Rodríguez, Billy Wagner, and David Wright.

Why Beltrán isn’t in yet is baffling to me. He’s one of the best switch hitters of all time, plus was a gold glove centerfielder. Same goes for Jones. He had 443 homers and is the best defensive centerfielder of all time (yes I said that). There’s an argument to be had for Helton but I believe he deserves to be in.

As for Wagner and Rodríguez, I believe they should be in as well. They’re both over 400 saves and Wagner is among the best relievers in K/9.

David Wright should be self-explanatory. I am biased.

Jorge Eckhardt

For my ballot, I’m going with Carlos Beltrán, Adrián Beltré, Todd Helton, Joe Mauer, and Billy Wagner.

Beltrán: One of the greatest switch hitters ever, a true five-tool player, and one of the best of his era. Beltré: Self-explanatory. It’s Adrian Beltré. Helton: Screw the Coors tax. Helton was elite. 3/4/5 career slash. Clear HoFer. Mauer: One of the best catchers of his era, maybe the best (even though he was only really 50% a catcher). Wagner: Probably the best left-handed reliever ever. Relief pitchers don’t get enough love.

I understand people want all 10 votes to be used, but in my opinion, this is not a very strong ballot. I’m not in favor of voting for someone who isn’t HoF-worthy just because there’s a vote available. For some of the notable people not included, the explanation is either one of two things: 1) Steroids. I wouldn’t personally vote for steroid users. No issue with those who do — either is an acceptable opinion — and this is mine. 2) Violation of the character clause. People might not like it, but it’s a thing. This is about honoring people, not just players. No matter how good of a player someone might have been, if they fail the character clause, they don’t get my hypothetical vote. Maybe some people who fit that criteria have been elected before, but just because a mistake was made in the past doesn’t mean we need to keep making it.

Oh, and, regrettably, no David Wright. He was on the HoF track but played his last 100 (hell, last 50) game season at age 31. Injuries suck. That said I am conflicted. I prefer Hall of Famers who were the best of the best, even if it was for a shorter period of time (ex: Johan Santana should be in the HoF) than those who were just above average for a long time (ex: Mark Buehrle, Bobby Abreu). You can make an argument Wright meets the requirements of the first category. Did all Wright need to do to make the HoF was play 4-6 more years even if he was awful? It’s an interesting question for sure.

If I have to make a decision though, these five get my vote.

James Villani

My votes (in order): Adrían Beltré, Álex Rodriguez, Manny Ramírez, Todd Helton, Joe Maurer, Carlos Beltrán, Billy Wagner, Chase Utley, Andruw Jones, Garry Sheffield

You have 10 votes, why not use them all?

Each player above, when compared to other Hall of Famers at their respective positions, stacks up very well. Whether you look at WAR, Baseball Reference’s JAW metric, etc. As one can see, my ballot is very “value-based.”

As for the touchy performance-enhancer subject; some say that some individuals already in the hall are suspected of using as well. The on-field results are what they are.

Allison Waxman

For my ballot, I’m selecting: Carlos Beltrán, Joe Mauer, David Wright, Billy Wagner, Todd Helton, Gary Sheffield, and Andruw Jones.

For me, this feels like a very biased list, but isn’t that how most people vote for these things? There’s always the age-old debate about how much a scandal can affect one’s chances of getting into Cooperstown. People tend to look the other way for some, but for others, they scrutinize based on the size of the scandal. And don’t even get me started on players whose careers ended far too quickly due to injury (Oh Captain, my Captain).

These players are some of the best of the best at one point in their careers, regardless of how their careers ended. Mauer might be overlooked, but he might also be considered by some as one of the best catchers of the 21st century and recent memory. Wagner is considered the sixth-best reliever according to JAWS and feels like a shoo-in. Like many here, I’m a sucker for David Wright. It’s hard not to imagine what his career would have been like without injury, but it’s something for voters to consider.

Johnluke Chaparro

My votes would go as follows: Carlos Beltrán, Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, Joe Mauer, Álex Rodríguez, Gary Sheffield, Billy Wagner, David Wright, Andruw Jones, Manny Ramírez

Every single one of those players was at one point considered a superstar of the game. Even though A-Rod and Ramirez are shrouded in controversy, the Hall has elected players with similar pasts, so why not two of the most prolific home run hitters of our time?

Billy Wagner is a personal favorite for mine because of how dominant he was on the mound when needed and factor in his story of how he threw left-handed in the first place is incredible.

David Wright is, as many others stated, is a biased pick but he does have strong enough numbers to be considered seriously.