On Saturday afternoon in upstate New York, Andre Dawson will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the sole player among this year's honorees. Former manager Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey also will receive baseball's ultimate recognition.

This year's class lacked a clear-cut choice for induction. Dawson barely surpassed the 75 percent threshold required for entrance, receiving 77.9 percent of the vote. Pitcher Bert Blyleven was once again the most heartbroken of all candidates, coming agonizingly close with 74.2 percent. With a relatively borderline group of prospects next year, as many are steroid-related cases, Blyleven should be a member of the 2011 induction class.

So with the Hall of Fame ceremony once again upon us, it's a good time to play the conjecture game and hazard a guess as to which players will likely have plaques in the Hall of Fame.

Of course, it's all left to the expertise - or whim, depending on one's view - of the writers, as discussed in this article last December.

It's wise to remind oneself that no player has ever been selected unanimously. Tom Seaver holds the record at 98.8 percent. Amazingly, Babe Ruth was chosen by only 95.1 percent, fewer than voted for Cal Ripken.

The foul specter of steroids will linger over Hall of Fame voting for several years. A few current players who otherwise would be automatic selections will surely face a certain percentage of automatic "no" votes because of their dalliance with the drugs.

I count only 11 teams that have even possible Hall of Famers in their midst at this point. While one can imagine a Joe Mauer or a Tim Lincecum putting up great numbers over a 15-year career, it's obviously far too early to gauge their chances. Here's the list with a description of each player's chances, without delving too much into statistical minutiae:

New York Yankees
Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera are unquestioned first-ballot inductees. Both are unusually popular with the media and fans, and I'd be shocked if they don't come close to garnering nearly unanimous support. Alex Rodriguez should make it on his first try as well, but I imagine a few writers will refuse to vote for him because of his involvement with steroids.

Andy Pettitte will also gather a significant number of votes. While his stat line is not particularly gaudy regarding strikeouts and ERA, his winning percentage is among the best of the recent era at 63.7 percent. He also has been clutch in the postseason, and his late-career renaissance, including 11-2 this year before straining his groin Sunday, also helps. But I'd be surprised if he's elected in his first couple of years of eligibility.

Minnesota Twins
Mauer may well continue to pile up stellar numbers, especially for a catcher, but it's far too early to tell. But veteran first baseman and DH Jim Thome should get in. Though many point to his weak batting average and average fielding ability, Thome's image has never been tarnished by steroids. With 600 home runs likely and a career on-base percentage over .400, it would be difficult for the writers to keep him out of the Hall.

Seattle Mariners
Ichiro Suzuki. Even with only 10 years of MLB service at 36 years of age, he's already a Hall of Famer. One of the great hitting machines of all time.

Texas Rangers
Vladimir Guerrero. Like Thome, Guerrero has never been associated with steroids. But unlike Thome, Guerrero was one of the great all-around players of the last several decades before injuries relegated him to DH. With 500 home runs likely, I imagine he'll also be a first-ballot pick.

Atlanta Braves
Chipper Jones. The Braves' version of Jeter, he has been a study in utter consistency and the hallmark of the franchise for 15 years. Though both the 3,000-hit and 500-homer milestones may be just slightly out of reach, Jones' numbers should add up to a first-ballot selection.

New York Mets
Johan Santana. He's 31, so it's a bit too early to declare the Mets ace for Hall consideration. But if he puts together a few more strong years, maintaining both his superb winning percentage and career ERA, he'll likely fall into the Pettitte category, meriting strong interest.

Washington Nationals
Ivan Rodriguez. The itinerant Rodriguez, even with serious yet unproven steroid allegations, will likely make Cooperstown on his extraordinary throwing arm alone. He also has a .299 career batting average.

Adam Dunn. A surprise name, perhaps, but a quick look at the 30-year-old's stats and one could make a case that with a few more productive years, he'll be on his way to 500 home runs. The fact that he has played on pretty bad teams in Cincinnati and Washington hasn't helped his stat lines or name recognition.

Milwaukee Brewers
Trevor Hoffman. The all-time saves leader should also make it on his first try, even though most would not rank him in Rivera's class. Then again, who is?

St. Louis Cardinals
Albert Pujols. Enough said.

Colorado Rockies
Todd Helton. Like a few other names on this list, Helton will be a major source of contention with the writers. If it were me, he'd make it on his first try on this basis alone: Helton joins Edgar Martínez, Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Stan Musial, Rogers Hornsby, Lou Gehrig and Manny Ramirez as the only players in history with 300 home runs, 500 doubles, a career batting average higher than .300, an on-base percentage higher than .400 and a slugging percentage higher than .500. Throw in three Gold Gloves too. Helton is often injured and nowhere near the player he was five or 10 years ago. But he has been able to play for 14 seasons to pretty much guarantee he'll be elected someday. He thus likely avoids the fate of Don Mattingly - my choice as the greatest player not in the Hall of Fame - whose injuries dropped him from certifiable first-ballot inductee to a very sad what-if.

Los Angeles Dodgers
Manny Ramirez. Until his admission and punishment due to his use of steroids, Ramirez was being touted as one of the greatest offensive forces the game has seen. But with the drug questions, his poor relationship with the media and questionable on-field effort at times, he goes from being guaranteed 90 percent of the votes to just making it.