Are Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens Hall of Famers?
Do PED users belong in the Baseball Hall of Fame?
With the recent anniversary of the release of the Mitchell Reports (December 13), and the start of 2019 Baseball Hall of Fame voting, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are top of mind for many MLB fans. Like every other year, the ballots are filled with some old names and some new names. However, the two most interesting spots still belong to Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. By the numbers, these are two no doubt Hall of Famers. But, their reputations and accomplishments have been tainted by their use of performance enhancing drugs.
If accomplishments and statistics were the only thing that BBWAA voters took into account when casting their Hall of Fame ballots, Barry Bonds would be a shoe-in. In 22 seasons in the MLB, Bonds made 14 All-Star teams, won 12 Silver Sluggers, 8 Gold Gloves, and a staggering 7 NL MVP awards. He also holds the all time home run record (762) and the record for most home runs hit in a single season (73).
If we only accounted for statistics, the same is true for Roger Clemens. He played 24 seasons in the MLB. During this time, he won 354 games (9th overall) and struck out 4,672 batters (3rd all time). He made 11 All-Star teams, was awarded 7 Cy Young Awards, and won two World Series. In addition, he won the Triple Crown twice and was named the 1986 AL MVP.
Like it not, the Steroid Era is always going to be part of baseball history. While we as fans don’t have to celebrate the players who took them with the same kind of reverence as those who didn’t, we should all still acknowledge them. Not doing so would be cutting out a huge chunk of history. But the question is, do Bonds and Clemens have to be in Cooperstown in order for fans to properly recognize their place in baseball history?
There is no question about it, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens disrespected the integrity of the sport. When took these drugs, they cheated both fans and other players out of something they can never get back. Many of the players who were inducted to Hall of Fame without using PEDs have expressed that they will feel discredited if they are joined by PED users in what is the most sacred place in baseball.
In order to be be inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame, a player needs 75% of votes from the Baseball Writer’s Association of America. Bonds and Clemens have followed extremely similar trajectories in terms of percentage over the last few years. And although they have both been trending up in recent years, it is likely that they will again fall short of this number this year.
With both players’ eligibility expiring in 2022, they are running out of time. If they don’t make much more progress this year, it will be hard for them to ever make it in. The issue of voting players who took PEDs into the Hall of Fame is a heated debate that will continue even when Bonds and Clemens lose their eligibility in 2022. However if these two cannot get in because of their association with steroids, it is unlikely that anyone who has touched PEDs ever will. So decide for yourself, would you cast your vote for Bonds and Clemens to be inducted into the Hall of Fame?
Do Bonds and Clemens deserve to be celebrated with the rest of the Baseball Treasures that reside in the hall?
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Riley Poole
Baseball Treasure
Riley Poole
