Dan Connollys 2023 Hall of Fame ballot: Seven in, one out, two nevers

It’s becoming a tradition: Me not liking my submitted Hall of Fame ballot.

I work at it. I study each eligible candidate each year to determine if I’m missing something. I read a bunch. I talk to other voters. I talk to friends who aren’t voters, just to see if they’re seeing something BBWAA members aren’t.

I take it all in and then apply it to my own criteria, which leans heavily toward excellent defenders — I believe that aspect is highly underappreciated — and slightly away from power hitters who slugged in an age of slugging.

Mine is not a perfect system. And it’s usually yielded a full ballot, making me a “Big Hall” guy.

This year, I’ve selected seven players for the Hall. That’s the fewest who have ever appeared on my ballot, but still more than what most voters are doing this year.

It might be too many. Then again, I may have left off a few deserving players. It’s such a subjective exercise that you can’t get it 100 percent right. In a way, though, that’s the beauty of this process, and it’s why I share my ballot every year with readers. You don’t have to agree — few will — but at least you know I take it seriously.

My 2023 Hall of Fame ballot. (Dan Connolly / The Athletic)

My ballot (7)

Scott Rolen

I’ve been on him for several years now. He’s one of the greatest defensive third basemen in history — eight-time Gold Glover — and he was extremely consistent offensively, batting .281 with a .855 OPS and 122 OPS+. If he doesn’t get in this year, he’ll at least come within scratching distance of the 75 percent needed for induction.

Todd Helton

Yes, he spent his entire career playing home games at Coors Field, which, last time I checked, was a stadium in the majors. I’m not docking him for that. He was a strong defensive first baseman and one of the steadiest hitters of his generation. He has a career slash line of .316/.414/.539. I consider .300/.400/.500 to be a tremendous hitter. Skim off some Coors Field cream, and you still have a Hall of Famer.

Andruw Jones

He’s probably the best center fielder I ever saw play live. And though his offense really dropped in his final six seasons, Jones was one of the best all-around players in the game from 1998 to 2006. I give extra points for elite defense, and that pushes Jones over for me.

Billy Wagner

Gauging closers is difficult. But I think the best belong in the Hall. Wagner is fairly comparable to Trevor Hoffman, whom I helped induct. Even if Wagner is the third-best closer of his generation, that’s good enough for me.

Jimmy Rollins

This is the last guy on my ballot. He is borderline. But he’s a former MVP, a huge part of a World Series winner, an excellent defender and a Roberto Clemente Award winner. His offense is a little light for a Hall of Famer, but his speed was a difference-maker, with 10 seasons of 30 or more steals and four seasons leading the league in triples. It’s the whole package that does it for me, and I at least think he should stay on the ballot for a while.

Gary Sheffield

This one is always brutal. He was a terrible defender and was connected to PEDs. But this is the third straight year he has been on my ballot. He was that much of a feared hitter — a career .907 OPS and a 140 OPS+. When I voted for David Ortiz last year, a guy who never played defense, I felt like I couldn’t remove Sheffield from my list. Because he was a hitter teams game-planned against for the better part of two decades. He defies many of my criteria, but Sheffield just feels like a Hall of Famer to me.

Carlos Beltrán

Beltrán was one of the best all-around players of his generation, the only switch-hitter with at least 2,500 hits, 300 homers and 300 steals. He was an excellent outfielder in center and right. He also was a great postseason performer, with a 1.021 OPS in 65 playoff games. Of course, he’s considered the ringleader of the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. And that’s why this is a Hall of Fame debate — and another voting headache. I assume he’ll get plenty of support, but I wanted to make sure Beltrán wasn’t a one-and-done candidate, so I included him on my ballot. The sign-stealing certainly bothers me, but I also voted for some PED users over the years. I don’t feel great about it, but I think Beltrán is a Hall of Famer.

Who dropped off

Torii Hunter

In his first two years of eligibility, I voted for Hunter, partially because I thought he was someone whose candidacy needed to be vetted further. And partially because he fits my ideal of all-around Hall of Famers. But the offense is mid-level, so I regretfully dropped him this year.

Who just missed

Jeff Kent, Francisco Rodríguez

Opposite spectrums here. Kent is in his last year of eligibility; Rodríguez is in his first. At first blush, Rodríguez is close but just shy of a check for me. I’m sure I’ll revisit this one for years to come. Every year, I take a hard look at Kent. And every year I stop short. The best argument for him is his power and run-production numbers as a second baseman. And I get that. But he was a bad second baseman, with a negative dWAR in seven seasons. He was a really good offensive player, but not strong enough to overcome the defensive issues. Classic “Hall of Really Good” for me.

Whom I can’t currently support

Omar Vizquel

I was once a big proponent of Vizquel’s candidacy, simply because of his defensive prowess at shortstop and, as I’ve written repeatedly, that’s significant in my mind. And the man did have nearly 3,000 hits, though I understand his deficiencies on offense. Even as a supporter, I admitted he was borderline and needed a lot to go right for election. Part of what put him over the line for me was the character component, and his reputation as a winning teammate and clubhouse glue. When reports surfaced of both domestic abuse and sexual harassment of a former bat boy with autism, the character check switched ledgers and dropped him on the wrong side of borderline.

Who will never get my vote

Manny Ramírez and Alex Rodriguez

Both are deserving. But I draw the PED line at one-time losers. Implicated a second time, with the penalties clearly outlined at that point, is enough to call an entire career into question.

(Photo of Andruw Jones in 2012: Rich Schultz / Associated Press)