If I had a Baseball Hall of Fame vote...

The 2023 Baseball Hall of Fame voting results will be unveiled next month. Here's what my ballot would look like if I had a vote.

Having a vote for the Baseball Hall of Fame would be an honor. It’s a dream for any aspiring baseball writer. But after a few years in this field, I can’t help but think it would also be a tremendous burden.

The steroid era has warped all of our brains. You were wrong whether you voted for Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens or held their PED use against them. There was no winning.

There will be no winning this year either with Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, and Gary Sheffield as the polarizing figures on the ballot. If you ask me, one day we’ll all look back at just how silly it is that these legendary names were kept out of Cooperstown. All because some writers wanted to make themselves look virtuous. That doesn’t mean I believe cheating is OK. I just can’t help but scoff at a baseball museum — which is exactly what the Hall of Fame is — pretending these greats didn’t exist.

Anyway, here’s a look at the full list of players on the 2023 Hall of Fame ballot. Electors can vote for as many as 10 candidates.

And here would be my ballot if I had a vote…

Andruw Jones

Probably the greatest defensive center fielder of all time. The man won 10 consecutive Gold Glove awards while also producing big numbers at the plate. His offensive production fell off at age 30, but he still finished his career with 434 homers and a .823 OPS. While I wish his prime lasted a bit longer, he’s still a no-brainer in my book.

Manny Ramirez

As I alluded to earlier, I’m ready to just let all the PED guys in. Put an asterisk next to their names if you have to. Manny Ramirez is arguably the greatest right-handed hitter of all time and the Red Sox don’t break the curse in 2004 without him. And before you accuse me of being a biased Boston fan, check out the next name on this list.

Alex Rodriguez

Yep. No matter how much you, me, or anyone else despised him during his career, A-Rod belongs in Cooperstown. With or without steroids, he’s one of the most talented baseball players who has ever lived. An obvious pick for those willing to look past the PED use.

Gary Sheffield

Another name connected to steroids and will likely miss out on the Hall of Fame because of it. Sheffield scared the hell out of me every single time he stepped up to the plate. That bat waggle made him perhaps the most intimidating hitter of all time. He raked for multiple decades, finishing his 22-year career with 509 homers and a .907 OPS.

Todd Helton

Helton has never been linked to PED use. So instead of using that against him, voters have used the Coors Field excuse. The thing is, Helton was dominant away from home too. In 4,612 road plate appearances, the slugging first baseman hit .287/.386/.469 with 142 home runs and a .855 OPS. He amassed a .316/.414/.539 slash line and 369 homers in his 17 seasons. Don’t let playing in Colorado for his entire career prevent him from getting into Cooperstown.

Carlos Beltran

Voters probably will prevent Beltran from getting in — at least for a couple of years — due to his involvement in the 2017 Houston Astros cheating scandal. That’s bogus. Beltran was a true five-tool player who made nine All-Star teams and was an absolute machine in the postseason. He ended his career with 435 homers and 312 steals. Should be a shoo-in.

Billy Wagner

Wagner had the disadvantage of playing in the same era as Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera, so it’s easy to forget just how electrifying he was. He was virtually unhittable for about a decade. The seven-time All-Star posted a 2.31 ERA and 0.998 WHIP to go with 1,196 strikeouts and only 300 walks in his 16 seasons (903 innings).