Here is the best season by each HOF ballot newcomer

Twelve players find themselves on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time this year -- and all of them are there for good reason.

For some, this will end up being their only year on the ballot because they don't receive the necessary 5% of votes to stick around. For others, it may be their only season because they get voted in on the first try. And some will likely stick around for years to come as they hope to eventually reach the 75% threshold.

But all of them had at least one Hall of Fame-quality season.

So with that in mind, let's take a look at the best season by every newcomer to the Hall of Fame ballot in 2023-24.

? Your guide to Tuesday's HOF election results

José Bautista
2011 (Blue Jays): .302/.447/.608, 1.056 OPS, 43 HR, 103 RBIs

Though he hit a career-high 54 home runs just one season earlier, Bautista’s all-around production in 2011 gives this season the edge. Not only did he lead the Majors in homers for a second straight season, but Bautista also paced all players in walks (132), slugging percentage (.608), OPS (1.056) and OPS+ (182). He finished third in AL MVP Award voting, behind winner Justin Verlander and runner-up Jacoby Ellsbury.

Adrián Beltré
2004 (Dodgers): .334/.388/.629, 1.017 OPS, 48 HR, 121 RBIs

While many will remember Beltré for the final eight seasons he spent with the Rangers, he initially made his mark while playing his first seven big league seasons for the Dodgers. That includes the 2004 season in which he led the Majors with 48 home runs -- the only 40-homer campaign in his 21-year career. It also accounted for Beltré’s lone 200-hit season, not to mention his career highs in RBIs, average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, OPS+ and total bases.

Bartolo Colon
2002 (Cleveland/Montreal): 20-8, 2.93 ERA, 8 complete game, 3 shutouts

Colon was named the AL Cy Young Award winner in 2005, but that was actually his eighth-best season in terms of WAR. At a time when individual pitcher wins were perhaps a bit overvalued, his AL-best 21 wins helped him win the Cy Young, despite a 3.48 ERA for the Angels. Colon had multiple better seasons on a personal level, including in 2002 when he went 20-8 with a 2.93 ERA, eight complete games and three shutouts over 33 starts between Cleveland and Montreal. It was a close call between this season and his ’13 campaign with the A’s (18-6, 2.65 ERA) -- each of which resulted in a 147 ERA+.

Adrián González
2011 (Red Sox): .338/.410/.548, .958 OPS, 27 HR, 117 RBIs, 45 doubles

Though González hit a career-high 40 home runs for the Padres in 2009, his performance for the ’11 Red Sox was far more well-rounded. He hit a career-best .338 while pacing all players with 213 hits – his only 200-hit season. González also racked up 45 doubles and a career-best 345 total bases, all while earning his first career Silver Slugger Award and one of his four Gold Glove Awards.

Matt Holliday
2007 (Rockies): .340/.405/.607, 1.012 OPS, 36 HR, 137 RBIs

Much of the talk around Holliday’s 2007 season will forever center on whether he actually touched home plate when he scored the winning run in Game 163 to send the Rockies to the postseason -- but that was just the final play of a truly remarkable regular season. Along with winning the 2007 NL batting title, Holliday also led the NL in RBIs, hits (216) and doubles (50). He paced all players with 386 total bases. Each of those numbers proved to be a personal best for Holliday over his 15-year career.

Victor Martinez
2014 (Tigers): .335/.409/.565, .974 OPS, 32 HR, 103 RBIs

Martinez had a major resurgence at the age of 35, when he posted a number of career highs for the 2014 Tigers. Along with a personal-best 32 home runs, he led the AL with a .409 on-base percentage and the Majors with a .974 OPS – both career highs. Martinez was so dialed in that he was intentionally walked 28 times – the most by any player in the Majors. He was rewarded with his second Silver Slugger Award (the first came 10 years earlier in 2004), while also finishing second in AL MVP voting behind Mike Trout.

Joe Mauer
2009 (Twins): .365/.444/.587, 1.031 OPS, 28 HR, 96 RBIs, 171 OPS+

There was no doubt about this one. Mauer’s 2009 campaign not only earned him near-unanimous AL MVP honors (he received 27 of 28 first-place votes), but it was on a completely different level than any of his 14 other seasons. Mauer’s 28 home runs were more than twice as many as he hit in any other season, while his 1.031 OPS was nearly 100 points higher than any other full season (.936 in 2006). That season marked one of his three batting titles, one of his three Gold Glove Awards and one of his five Silver Slugger Awards.

Brandon Phillips
2007 (Reds): .288/.331/.485, .816 OPS, 30 HR, 94 RBIs, 32 SB

Phillips' best season, in terms of WAR, actually came in 2011, when he hit .300 with 18 homers, 14 stolen bases, an .810 OPS and a career-best 118 OPS+. But still, we're giving the edge to his breakout '07 campaign, when he joined the 30-30 club on his way to receiving down-ballot NL MVP Award votes.

José Reyes
2006 (Mets): .300/.354/.487, .841 OPS, 19 HR, 81 RBIs, 64 SB, 122 runs

It was tough not to go with 2011 when Reyes won the NL batting title, but his all-around performance in ’06 gets the nod. He led the Majors in both stolen bases and triples (17) while also posting career bests in home runs, RBIs and runs scored. That was good enough for Reyes to finish seventh in NL MVP Award voting and earn his lone Silver Slugger Award.

James Shields
2011 (Rays): 16-12, 2.82 ERA, 225 strikeouts, 11 CG, 4 shutouts

One season doesn’t make a Hall of Famer, but if it did – Shields would be a first-ballot option. Just look at those numbers from his 2011 season: 11 complete games, four shutouts and 225 strikeouts over 249 1/3 innings. The only other pitchers with 11 complete games, four shutouts and 200 strikeouts in a season over the last 35 years are Pedro Martinez (1997) and Roger Clemens (1991 and '92).

Chase Utley
2007 (Phillies): .332/.410/.566, .976 OPS, 22 HR, 103 RBIs

You could probably make a case for any season from 2005-09 -- a span in which Utley's 39.7 WAR trailed only Albert Pujols (44.6). Utley had a career-high 105 RBIs in ’05. He hit .309 with 32 homers and 102 RBIs in ’06. He had a career-high 33 homers in ‘08, then followed it up with 31 home runs and a career-best 23 steals in ’09. But with very little to separate any of these seasons, we’re siding with his career-best .976 OPS from ’07. Utley actually posted career bests in average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage on his way to finishing eighth in NL MVP Award voting.

David Wright
2007 (Mets): .325/.416/.546, .963 OPS, 30 HR, 107 RBIs

You could have gone with either 2007 or ’08 for Wright -- his two Silver Slugger-winning seasons. Though his career highs in home runs (33) and RBIs (124) each came in ’08, Wright posted career bests in average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage in ’07. He finished fourth in ’07 NL MVP Award voting, while also winning the first of his two Gold Glove Awards. His 8.3 WAR was also the best of his 14-year career (he had a 6.9 WAR in ’08).