Baseball Hall of Fame voters receive 23 words of instruction along with their ballot.

“Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.”

That’s it. The rest is up to each voter to interpret those words how they see fit. You’re allowed to vote for no more than 10 players, and write-ins are not allowed.

For the six of us from the Globe eligible to vote, there wasn’t much agreement about what makes a Hall of Famer. CC Sabathia and Ichiro Suzuki were the only unanimous choices.

Sabathia pitched 19 years for the Indians, Brewers, and Yankees, and he won 251 games while striking out 3,093.

At a time when the game has adopted a “less is more” ethos with starting pitchers, Sabathia is a reminder of the days when doggedness mattered.

Suzuki didn’t join the Mariners until he was 27, but he still played 19 years and had 3,089 hits. Toss in his 1,278 hits while playing in Japan and he had more than Pete Rose.

From there, we all went down different paths. There were five votes for Carlos Beltrán and Billy Wagner, and four for Chase Utley.

Wagner, who appeared in 15 games for the Red Sox in 2009, is in his final year of eligibility. He received 73.8 percent of the votes last season and is likely to get over the top.

Dustin Pedroia, in his first year on the ballot, received three votes. The former Red Sox second baseman, whose career was cut short by injury, needs at least 5 percent to remain on the ballot.

Another former Red Sox star, Manny Ramirez, landed only two votes. Next year will be his final time on the ballot. He has topped out at 33.2 percent, the product of multiple positive tests for PEDs.

Seven other players received at least one vote. We averaged 6.8 votes. — Peter Abraham

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Dustin Pedroia’s candidacy deserves to be considered over time

By Peter Abraham

Ballot

• 

  

  Sabathia

• 

  

  Suzuki

• 

  

  Wagner

• 

  

  Beltran

• 

  

  Utley

• 

  

  Wright

• 

  

  Pedroia

Dave Parker played his final game in 1991 then waited 33 years before he was elected to the Hall of Fame last month.

The writers rejected Parker 15 times, dropping him to only 10.3 percent of the vote in 2003. He was considered by various versions of the Veterans Committee four times over a period of 11 years before finally getting in.

If there is a similar path for Dustin Pedroia to Cooperstown, hopefully it doesn’t take as long because I’d like to be around to write about his speech. That would be fun.

Pedroia made his debut on the BBWAA ballot this year and was one of my seven choices. My hope is he will receive at least 5 percent of the vote to stay on the ballot and continue what I believe is a worthy conversation about his candidacy.

A knee injury exacerbated by a dirty slide from Manny Machado essentially ended Pedroia’s career in 2017, although he limped through nine games over the next two seasons.

He was 2 for 31 in those games, dropping his career batting average from .300 to .299.

Pedroia finished with 1,805 hits over 1,512 games. There are Hall of Fame position players with fewer games, but none from the modern era. That works against him.

However, from 2007-16, only Robinson Cano (57.5), Adrian Beltré (56.2), Albert Pujols (55.3), and Miguel Cabrera (54.8) had more bWAR than Pedroia (50.6).

Beltré was a first-ballot Hall of Famer and it’s safe to say Pujols and Cabrera will join him. Cano threw away his chance by twice testing positive for PEDs.

Are 10 excellent seasons enough for Pedroia? If you add in two championships, four Gold Gloves, an MVP, a Rookie of the Year, and four All-Star berths, maybe.

In my view, the Hall of Fame should reflect the handful of players who shaped the game during their careers. Pedroia did that. He was one of the central players when the Red Sox were one of the powerhouse teams in the league. Trophies matter.

It’s the same reason I voted again for David Wright, whose outstanding career was ended by an injury. Carlos Beltrán, Chase Utley, and Billy Wagner also remained on my ballot from last year.

It’s time to stop punishing Beltrán for his sins with the 2017 Astros. He was one of the best all-around players of his time.

Ichiro Suzuki should be unanimous given his excellence as a player and impact on the global game. His election will be a milestone for baseball.

CC Sabathia’s 251 victories and 3,093 strikeouts speak to his worthiness. That he was a first-class teammate and a person with the wherewithal to overcome alcoholism and become a significant contributor to the game in retirement also adds to his resumé.

Félix Hernández was the toughest call on players I didn’t select. Hernández had a very high peak for the Mariners, but the players he compares best to statistically were Cole Hamels, Kevin Appier, and John Lackey.

Jump to: Peter Abraham | Chad Finn | Dan Shaughnessy | Michael Silverman | Alex Speier | Tara Sullivan

First-time voter wanted more

By Chad Finn

Ballot

• 

  

  Sabathia

• 

  

  Suzuki

• 

  

  Wagner

• 

  

  Beltran

• 

  

  Utley

• 

  

  Wright

• 

  

  Pedroia

• 

  

  An. Jones

• 

  

  A. Rodriguez

• 

  

  M. Ramirez

First-time voter, longtime wannabe voter here. As someone who wrote an assortment of columns over the years about what my ballot would have looked like if I’d had one, it’s a privilege and a dream fulfilled to actually have a vote now.

I used all 10 allotted spots on my debut ballot, and I might have used one or two more if the rules permitted. That might seem like an overzealous approach by a rookie voter, and perhaps it is to a degree, but mostly my approach was informed by some frustrating outcomes in the voting over the years.

It has always bothered me when players who may deserve enshrinement and at the very least deserve further, multiyear consideration fall off the ballot and out of our consciousness far too soon.

I am thinking of Lou Whitaker (2.9 percent of the vote in 2001, deserves to be enshrined alongside Alan Trammell) and Johan Santana (2.4 percent in 2018) and our own Dwight Evans (three years on the ballot from 1997-99, peaking at 10.4 percent in his second year).

So part of my ballot is tactical, to keep some wonderful players from falling off too soon. Here’s how I allocated my 10 votes, by category:

The no-brainer: Ichiro Suzuki. The Mariners icon should, but won’t be, unanimous. Before mailing my ballot, I checked it again to make sure I didn’t accidentally leave his name unchecked.

The almost no-brainers: CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner. Sabathia’s 251 wins are going to look better and better as the years pass and no one approaches the 300-win milestone. There’s some backlash against closers because of how few innings they pitch, but the job is the job, and Wagner did it as well as anyone in that tier of closers below Mariano Rivera.

The PED guys: Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez. My stance has been that players with a proven connection to performance enhancers should have their transgression acknowledged on their plaque. I get where the ban-them-all people are coming from, but common sense tells me that the Hall of Fame is already speckled with players who used PEDs. There isn’t a righthanded hitter I’ve enjoyed watching more than Manny. And if you’re voting Manny, you have to go with A-Rod, too, given that he’s fifth all time with 696 home runs.

The second basemen: Dustin Pedroia, Chase Utley. Like Whitaker and Bobby Grich (2.6 percent of the vote in 1992), they’re players who thrived at a sneaky-difficult position and are worthy of further consideration even if they are ultimately never elected. Utley, who had 50 more hits in his career than Pedroia, got 28.8 percent of the vote last year in his first on the ballot. I don’t believe Pedroia, whose accolades include the 2008 AL MVP award, will do that well, but he had better stick around beyond this year.

The final three in the order: Andruw Jones, Carlos Beltrán, David Wright. Jones peaked early, but he is the best defensive center fielder I have ever seen and hit 434 home runs. Beltrán (435 homers, 2,725 hits) has paid his penance for the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. Wright is similar to Pedroia, a superb player who was the heart of a single team (Mets) but had a brilliant career abruptly halted by injury. Full disclosure: If I were filling out this ballot again, I might give his vote to Félix Hernández.

Jump to: Peter Abraham | Chad Finn | Dan Shaughnessy | Michael Silverman | Alex Speier | Tara Sullivan

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Less is more for this ‘Small Hall guy’

By Dan Shaughnessy

Ballot

• 

  

  Sabathia

• 

  

  Suzuki

Two boxes checked: Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia.

That’s it.

I am a Small Hall guy. Most of the Hall of Famers I have spoken with (some dead, some living) feel the same way. It’s the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Very Good.

Ichiro, of course, is a lock this year. Mariano Rivera is the only player who was ever elected unanimously, and Ichiro may be close, but do not expect 100 percent agreement. It’s hard to get 400 individuals to agree that Tuesday follows Monday and I am not expecting unanimity on Japan’s first MLB superstar. There will always be contrarians who insist, “Well, DiMaggio and Mays weren’t unanimous, so I’ll hold off on this guy.”

Silly. And unimportant. Ichiro is getting in. Easily.

It was thrilling to watch Ichiro explode on the MLB scene in the spring of 2001. Every leadoff single or walk felt like a triple. And a run scored.

He didn’t arrive until the age of 27, but still amassed a whopping 3,089 big league hits. Add his hits for the Orix Blue Wave and you have 4,367 knocks on two continents. He had 10 consecutive 200-hit seasons. He was an MVP in his rookie season and hit .372 with 262 hits in 2004. He won 10 Gold Gloves and played in 162 games three times (161 four times).

No brainer. See you in Cooperstown in July.

Sabathia is also just about certain to make the cut. He won 251 games over 19 seasons, a number that is soon going to be extinct. Along with Steve Carlton and Randy Johnson, Sabathia is one of only three southpaws in the liveball era (since 1920) with 250 wins and 3,000 strikeouts. He won a Cy Young Award, pitched in 10 postseasons, and won a World Series with the Yankees in 2009.

Billy Wagner won’t get this vote, but you can expect him to join Ichiro and Sabathia in Cooperstown. Wagner, who pitched for the Red Sox in 2009, fell five votes shy of the required 75 percent needed for induction last year, his ninth try on the ballot. This summer he’ll be enshrined along with Ichiro, Sabathia, plus veterans committee electees Dave Parker and the late Dick Allen.

I can’t join the Wagner chorus. It was the same with Trevor Hoffman and it’ll be the same when Craig Kimbrel comes up for election. When it comes to closers, give me Rich Gossage, Dennis Eckersley, or Rivera, and send the rest of them to the Hall of Very Good. Too many modern closers are stat compilers — useful only with a three-run lead and a clean inning (are you listening, Kimbrel fans?). And let’s not forget that Wagner’s postseason ERA was 10.03 in 14 appearances spread over eight playoff series.

It was tempting to vote for Dustin Pedroia because I saw him every day and always believed that with 25 Pedroias you’d win every game. Pedroia was Rookie of the Year, MVP, and a multiple World Series champ. A manager’s dream. Alas, his career was cut short by injuries and he’s unlikely to get much love from the writers.

Known steroid cheats Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez, two of the greatest players who ever lived, are still on the ballot, but won’t get 50 percent of votes. Andruw Jones and Carlos Beltrán (candidacy dented by his role in the Astros’ cheating scandal) are other strong candidates who’ll come up short.

This Small Hall guy is happy to vote for Ichiro and Sabathia, just like last year when we had Adrián Beltré and Joe Mauer as first-timers on the ballot. Next year, Ryan Braun and Cole Hamels will be the biggest new names.

Hmm. Not a good development for Small Hall guys.

Jump to: Peter Abraham | Chad Finn | Dan Shaughnessy | Michael Silverman | Alex Speier | Tara Sullivan

This year, whom to leave off proved more difficult

By Michael Silverman

Ballot

• 

  

  Sabathia

• 

  

  Suzuki

• 

  

  Wagner

• 

  

  Beltran

• 

  

  Utley

• 

  

  A. Rodriguez

• 

  

  M. Ramirez

For my 19th Hall of Fame ballot, this year’s sweat quotient revolved more around whom to leave off than whom to vote in.

Voting for Ichiro Suzuki was about the quickest and easiest checkmark I’ve ever executed.

His dominance with the Mariners in the AL West meant I couldn’t witness his mastery of every tool in the game as often as I could have hoped. As someone who watched Derek Jeter’s entire career with the Yankees from a pretty close perch, I give Ichiro the nod for the better player. If he doesn’t get in unanimously, I’d find that more baffling than how Jeter (one vote short) or Ken Griffey Jr. (three votes) didn’t.

CC Sabathia was my other first-ballot choice. For this so-called “Medium-to-Big Hall of Fame” voter, Sabathia’s a classic pick: a dominant lefthander whose career stats and hardware collection elevate him just above the line I’ve sketched for starting pitchers.

I hope Billy Wagner finally gets in this year and that Carlos Beltrán eventually clears the bar, as well. I am under no delusion that Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez will ever get close, but they continue to get my votes.

I’m sticking with Chase Utley, too, which led to my biggest predicament this year: Dustin Pedroia.

I was fortunate enough to cover Pedroia’s entire career. There’s no question he had Hall of Fame talent, checking the boxes in every statistical category. He had the awards and championships, plus the ol’ intangibles such as heart, hustle, leadership, and moxie.

All that to say it pained me to leave him off. It was his cruel fate to have a too-short career.

Comparing his career to Utley’s was a useful exercise, especially since last year I surprised myself when I wound up voting for Utley. Against Utley, who played for roughly three more seasons, Pedroia fell short. Not by a ton.

I don’t stop voting for players once I check their box. I do sometimes add players later in their eligibility. I reserve the right to change my mind on Pedroia, who during his peak was as qualified as anyone, including Suzuki and Jeter, to enter the Hall of Fame.

Jump to: Peter Abraham | Chad Finn | Dan Shaughnessy | Michael Silverman | Alex Speier | Tara Sullivan

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Excelling while playing within the rules significant

By Alex Speier

Ballot

• 

  

  Sabathia

• 

  

  Suzuki

• 

  

  Wagner

• 

  

  Beltran

• 

  

  Utley

• 

  

  Wright

• 

  

  Pedroia

• 

  

  An. Jones

• 

  

  Pettitte

• 

  

  Hernandez

In a vacuum, Dustin Pedroia’s statistical case for the Hall of Fame is adequate but hardly a slam dunk. The same can be said of his impressive collection of accolades: Rookie of the Year, MVP, four-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glover, multi-time World Series winner.

There are Hall of Famers who haven’t accomplished as much. Others who never received a plaque can make a strong claim to have done more.

Yet it does a disservice to Pedroia and to the Hall of Fame to base election simply on numbers or to distill his career to checkboxes about what he did or did not do. Instead, it’s worth thinking about the player in his time.

Over a 10-year peak from 2007-16, Pedroia not only had the statistics and hardware of one of the top performers in the sport but was an iconic player who challenged the imaginations of those who watched — and heard — him, in a fashion that made his contributions to the game enduring in a fashion befitting a Hall of Famer.

Pedroia’s absurd hand-eye coordination alternately permitted him to rip doubles down the line on neck-high fastballs on the inner half of the plate (never mind the blasphemy of the “MLB The Show” commercials in 2009) or to snatch seemingly unreachable ground balls with a gloved flourish of prestidigitation. He was revered by teammates and opponents for both the unrelenting style and impact of his play. There was discussion about Pedroia’s Hall-worthiness during his career, as well as amazement that a person who appeared so physically unassuming could so often command his chosen stage.

More than five years since his final game — and nearly eight since he was a healthy force of nature — the experience of watching Pedroia remains vivid. Such a player, to my mind, belongs in the Hall.

With this ballot — which, I believe, featured more than 10 players with sound Hall arguments — I tried to select players who excelled within the rules of the game during their careers, and who forged a place that stood out as historically significant and compelling to contemporary players and fans while still in uniform. That thinking was behind my 10 checkmarks, including four first-year-eligible players: Ichiro Suzuki, a transcendent talent; CC Sabathia, who spent seven years as one of the sport’s most dominant pitchers, and another dozen as one of its most reliable; Félix Hernández, whose run from age 20 to 29 was among the best 10 years ever by a player who had yet to turn 30; and Pedroia. I also voted once again for six holdovers: Carlos Beltrán, Andruw Jones, Andy Pettitte, Chase Utley, Billy Wagner, and David Wright.

Based on Jay Jaffe’s compelling case to account for the defensive impact of catchers (and particularly their pitch framing), I gave strong consideration to Russell Martin and Brian McCann. Yet I couldn’t quite bring myself to vote for them for the same reason that I haven’t been able to vote for Torii Hunter (whose case keeps growing on me), Bobby Abreu, Ian Kinsler, or Mark Buehrle: Despite excellent career records, there simply wasn’t enough of a sense during their careers that they surpassed the standard of “very good” to rank among the very best players.

Finally, to this point, I have yet to vote for Manny Ramirez or Alex Rodriguez because both were suspended during their careers for violating MLB’s PED rules. Every year, I consider relaxing that stance in recognition of their historic accomplishments. And every year, I re-read Doug Glanville’s brilliant essay on the subject and — at least with those who got caught cheating at a time when MLB had started testing — leave the boxes unchecked of two of the most dominant players I’ve ever seen.

Jump to: Peter Abraham | Chad Finn | Dan Shaughnessy | Michael Silverman | Alex Speier | Tara Sullivan

Enjoyment comes in reexamining each year’s ballot

By Tara Sullivan

Ballot

• 

  

  Sabathia

• 

  

  Suzuki

• 

  

  Wagner

• 

  

  Beltran

• 

  

  An. Jones

As a relatively new Hall of Fame voter (don’t blame me for Derek Jeter being one vote short of being unanimous; he was on my first ballot in 2020), one of the aspects I’ve found most enjoyable about the process is the chance to revisit and reexamine the ballot each year. There are so many factors that can change my mind, including a new understanding of statistics, a fresh look at context, and truly factoring in the era in which a player played.

It also includes putting special emphasis on a first-year vote, which in my eyes, matters more in baseball than any other sport. With such a long, storied history and such a love of numbers, facts, and figures, I think first-year entry is, and should be, a very high hurdle to clear. For me, it most certainly kept Alex Rodriguez out when he first became eligible, his admitted steroid use more than enough reason to ignore his undeniable Hall of Fame numbers. Two years later, I’m still not ready to vote for him, even if I occasionally softened on other steroid users. A-Rod’s blatant cheating after rules were explicitly written is bad enough; his hubris in lying about it for so long is worse.

That doesn’t mean I won’t change my mind, as I have with Carlos Beltrán, who has paid his price for a role in the Astros’ cheating scandal, including losing out on the Mets’ managerial job. As one of just 58 players to pass the 400-home run mark, with nine All-Star selections, and with an impressive five-tool game, he’s in.

Two other holdovers keep their votes from me, Andruw Jones and Billy Wagner.

Wagner, who fell just five votes short a year ago, is in the final year of eligibility. My argument remains the same. Closers are too often overlooked, but in Wagner’s era, were such a vital part of the game. Here’s hoping he gets to close this one out in the bottom of his ninth inning. Jones, whose 434 home runs finished just one short of Beltrán’s, was also an exceptional defensive player, another area that too often gets undervalued by Hall of Fame voters.

And so we come to the first-timers. I checked the boxes for Ichiro Suzuki (who should be unanimous) and CC Sabathia, though I’m not quite there yet for Félix Hernández. Suzuki is among the game’s greatest leadoff hitters, and his 3,089 hits over 19 major league seasons is even more impressive considering he had 1,278 hits in nine seasons with Japan’s Pacific League. He is the only player in history with 10 straight seasons of at least 200 hits with a Gold Glove award.

The case of CC is as much eye test and memory as it is statistics. He was a true big-game pitcher, one of the true aces of his era, and as one of only three lefties since 1920 with at least 250 wins and 3,000 strikeouts, he’s in.