The Baseball Hall of Fame is losing its credibility in the sporting world, and it’s due to the inconsistencies amongst voters themselves. When people are asked to name the greatest baseball players ever in the 90s and 2000s, names like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa come to mind. However, the one thing all these players have in common is their absence in the Hall of Fame (HOF).
The BBWAA (Baseball Writers’ Association of America) has always been rocky when it comes to HOF standards. Stars like David Ortiz, Mike Piazza and Ivan Rodriguez have all been elected to the hall of baseball’s greats despite the suspicion (and confirmation on the latter) of steroid use.
The most recent incident of HOF controversy regarding steroids involves right fielder Gary Sheffield. Sheffield certainly had the accolades, slugging 509 home runs with 5 Silver Sluggers and 9 All-Star Games over a brilliant 22-year career. However, Sheffield’s reasons for not being inducted are why the BBWAA’s voting standards have to change. Steroid users have been inducted into the hall, including Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio, as well as the aforementioned. Sheffield was no different, as he was mentioned in the Mitchell Report and admitted to using “the cream” from the BALCO Scandal. This begs the question: why should some steroid users be inducted, while others are not?
What separates the Ortizes and Piazzas from the Bonds and Sheffields of MLB, however, is their relationship with the media and the public. Earlier in Sheffield’s career with the Milwaukee Brewers, he was labeled as a “troublemaker,” frequently clashing with the media, former teams and teammates as he earned the title of an antagonist in the baseball world.
This ideology of refusing entry into the HOF to players who were disliked by the public is exactly why the HOF is losing its credibility. Barry Bonds is arguably the greatest baseball player of all time, racking up the most bWAR and home runs of any player ever. However, legends like Bonds, Clemens and even Sheffield are prevented from entering the hall of baseball gods due to writers’ opinions of their personality.
In hindsight, the only factor that should determine who is inducted into the HOF should be their ability to play baseball. Although the legitimacy and morality of the athletes who used steroids should be questioned, the players who used performance enhancing drugs ultimately grew the game to greater heights. This goes the same for potential inductees’ relationships with the media and public. After all, if Derek Jeter weren’t such a good guy, he would never have been a first ballot hall of famer, but that’s an argument for a different time.
