Kevin Gorman: Explaining a ballot that gave a vote to Scott Rolen but not Carlos Beltran

When I became eligible to vote for the National Baseball Hall of Fame for the first time two years ago, I made the decision to select the best players on the ballot.

It came with a caveat: Cheaters won’t get a check mark in their first year of eligibility.

That ruled out those suspected of or caught using performance-enhancing drugs and those involved in sign-stealing scandals, which makes the voting complicated, contradictory and controversial. It’s why I didn’t use any of my 10 available votes for David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez last year or Carlos Beltran this year.

Where many of my colleagues in the Baseball Writers Association of America refused to vote for Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling and Sammy Sosa, all four got my vote before their 10th and final year of eligibility lapsed.

Once again, my ballot included left-handed starting pitchers Mark Buehrle and Andy Pettitte, sluggers Gary Sheffield and Manny Ramirez, third baseman Scott Rolen and lefty closer Billy Wagner. I added check marks next to two new players, both named Rodriguez.

If not for his steroids suspension, Alex Rodriguez would have been a first-ballot choice. The three-time MVP finished his career with 3,115 hits, 696 home runs and a 140 OPS+. But that suspension can’t be ignored, and A-Rod’s candidacy comes with at least an asterisk.

Francisco Rodriguez was one of the great closers of his era, with eight seasons of 30 or more saves, six with 40 or more saves and the single-season saves record of 62 in 2008. K-Rod has more career saves (437) than Wagner, whose numbers by rate are superior, and a was top-five finisher in Cy Young voting three times.

That dominance was deserving of my vote. Plus, it’s important to consider that candidates need 5% of the vote to remain on the ballot. K-Rod received 10.8%. That’s the same as Buehrle, who I believe is an underrated player at an underrepresented position. Only 17 of the 84 pitchers in the Hall of Fame are left-handers.

That was tied for the fewest of any position with third basemen, until Rolen received 76.3% of the vote this year to become the only player selected by BBWAA voters. Rolen’s election is a nod toward his superior defense, as he won eight Gold Gloves and also hit 316 homers in 17 seasons (one fewer than George Brett had in 21 seasons). The number of third baseman elected could increase again next year, when Adrian Beltre becomes eligible.

That Rolen will be joined at the Hall of Fame induction in Cooperstown by Fred McGriff, who was chosen by the Contemporary Era Committee, should boost the candidacy of another first baseman, Todd Helton.

Helton just missed making the cut, receiving 72.2% of the vote, and my ballot didn’t help his cause. I voted for eight players, leaving two spots on the ballot open as I found choosing from Helton, Jeff Kent, Andruw Jones and Jimmy Rollins too close to call.

Helton has the strongest case, with a .316 career batting average, a batting title and three Gold Glove awards, though he benefited from playing in altitude at Coors Field. Jones won 10 Gold Gloves in center and hit 434 career home runs. Kent won an MVP batting behind Bonds in 2000 and hit the most home runs of any second baseman – eight more than Helton – and Rollins won four Gold Gloves and an MVP in ’08.

That Beltran received the same percentage of votes (46.5) in his first year on the ballot as Kent did in his last is telling that he could be the next player to build a case. One of the greatest switch-hitters in history, Beltran has a chance next year, along with Helton and Wagner (68.1%), to receive a Hall call.

For me, the cheating kept Beltran from getting a check mark this time.