Two calls are easy, others are tougher

Rickey Henderson, Tom Seaver, and John Smoltz were firstballot Hall of Famers who spent one season with the Red Sox.

Adrián Beltré is sure to join that list. It was an easy decision to check his name on my ballot.

Beltré finished his career with 3,166 hits and 477 home runs. Only Hank Aaron, Miguel Cabrera, Willie Mays, Eddie Murray, and Albert Pujols reached both those levels.

Beltré also won five Gold Gloves at third base and finished in the top 10 of the Most Valuable Player voting six times. He’s an obvious choice.

The same was true for Joe Mauer in his first year on the ballot. A catcher who won three batting titles and an MVP along with being a franchise cornerstone in Minnesota deserves to be in Cooperstown.

It was a much tougher call for Chase Utley (below), who closed his 16-year career with a series of below-average seasons at the plate.

But Utley’s value defensively and what his presence meant to the Phillies and Dodgers were meaningful. Statistics back that up, too. His peak seasons were outstanding and his career WAR is among the elite second basemen of his time.

Voters should examine all sides of a player, not just the standard statistics.

Carlos Beltrán, Todd Helton, and Billy Wagner return to my ballot from previous years.

Beltrán has the credentials and was already punished for his role in the Astros scandal by being fired as manager of the Mets. Ballot tracking suggests he’ll come close this year.

I can’t see holding it against Helton for spending his career at hitter-friendly Coors Field. Was he supposed to ask for a trade?

Wagner’s numbers compare favorably with those of other Hall of Fame closers. He’s been gaining support in recent years and could get over the top this time.

I also voted for David Wright, who is likely not a Hall of Famer because of a career cut short by injuries that started when he was only 32. But there is merit in keeping him on the ballot if only to continue the discussion about how best to approach players who were clearly Cooperstown-worthy before injuries marred their résumés.

Wright was a spectacular player from 2004-13 and is first in Mets history among position players with 49.2 bWAR despite playing only 1,585 games. He should not be quickly dismissed.

The writers have been too quick with one-and-done choices (Johnny Damon, Jorge Posada, and Carlos Delgado among them) in recent years.

Gary Sheffield received strong consideration. But his candidacy is entirely dependent on his offensive statistics. For a player from the Steroids Era, that raises the bar to a high level.

Sheffield was quite a character in addition to his accomplishments on the field. If he does get in, his induction speech is sure to be memorable.