Borges’ HOF ballot: Jeter and a group of juicers

I’ve always found it funny how some people see Derek Jeter as this overachiever who relied on fundamentals (and great teammates) for much of his success. Captain Intangibles, he’s been called.

It’s as though when Jeter lined up alongside A-Rod as the left side of the Yankees’ infield for a decade, he was the scrappy go-getter while A-Rod was the superstar with otherworldly talent.

Fact is, Jeter was the No. 6 overall pick in the 1992 MLB Draft — a year before A-Rod was the No. 1 overall selection. A lot was expected from Jeter from the jump (throw), and boy did he deliver: 3,465 hits (No. 6 all-time), 14-time all-star, five-time world champion, World Series MVP, Rookie of the Year, All-Star Game MVP. He never won regular-season MVP, but he probably should have in 2006 (.343) and could have in 1998 (.324) and 2009 (.334).

And, of course, there was the clutch play and flair for the dramatic: the jump throw, the flip play, the Mr. November home run, the Jeffrey Maier home run, the 3,000th-hit home run, the walk-off in his final Yankee Stadium at-bat.

When trying to define pornography more than 50 years ago, Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said he couldn’t, “But I know it when I see it.”

I can’t precisely define what a Baseball Hall of Famer is, either. But I know one when I see one. Derek

Jeter is a Hall of Famer. That’s an easy one.

Jeter is the only one of 18 new names on this year’s ballot that got my vote. Paul Konerko, who lived part of his youth in Connecticut, is a White Sox Hall of Famer, but not a Cooperstown. Cliff Lee and Alfonso Soriano were worthy of a look, but didn’t do enough. Josh Beckett was on that track but fell off quickly. Jason Giambi, too. Bobby Abreu? Chone Figgins? J.J. Putz? No.

Jeter is also the only new player I voted for. My other five votes went to players I voted for last year and, for the most part, the past few years: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, Manny Ramirez and Sammy Sosa. All five spark controversy and heated debate, but here’s my explanation on each one.

Bonds and Clemens: The National Baseball Hall of Fame isn’t complete without these two in it. They are immortal players. Steroids, unfortunately, likely played a role in getting them there, but they were both Hall of Famers long before they were suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs.

Harold Baines is in the Hall of Fame. Ted Simmons is in the Hall of Fame. A man named Rabbit Maranville is in the Hall of Fame. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens should be in the Hall of Fame.

Schilling: If you don’t believe Curt Schilling is a Hall of Famer because of his on-field accomplishments, that’s fair. “Only” 216 wins in 20 seasons. Never a Cy Young winner. OK. He does rank 15th all-time in strikeouts (3,116), probably should have won the Cy in 2004 (21-6, 3.24 ERA), and I believe his postseason dominance — 11-2, 2.23 ERA, 2001 World Series MVP, bloody sock, three-time world champ — more than puts him over the top.

If you don’t believe he’s a Hall of Famer because of his political leanings and social media rants, however, that’s just plain wrong. Vote for what he did on the field. In my opinion, the story of baseball can’t be written without Curt Schilling. He belongs in Cooperstown.

Ramirez and Sosa: Here’s where things get tricky. Ramirez is the greatest right-handed hitter in my lifetime. An RBI machine. 555 career homers. Part of the most fearsome 3-4 tandem (with David Ortiz) of the 2000s. Sosa hit 609 career homers. His 1998 Home Run Chase with Mark McGwire was one of the most memorable seasons in the sport. He was one of the few baseball players who was actually bigger than the game at one point.

Ramirez was busted for PED use twice late in his career, and also allegedly was on the 2003 list of players who failed tests. Sosa was also on that list, and there isn’t a person alive who believes his three 60plus homer seasons from ‘98 to 2001 weren’t fueled by ’roids.