BETA
This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here

More From Forbes

Edit Story

With No Strong First-Time Nominee, Barry Bonds And Roger Clemens Could Claim Hall Of Fame Berths

Following
This article is more than 3 years old.

With no strong first-year candidate likely to be named when the Baseball Hall of Fame reveals its 2021 ballot next Monday, long-excluded superstars Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens will have their best shot at election.

Both got more than 60% of the needed 75% last time, their eighth year on the Cooperstown ballot, and will have one more chance after this year before their election status reverts to a Veterans Committee.

For the moment, Bonds and Clemens will be under consideration by voting members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Under BBWAA rules, players are limited to ten years on their ballot.

Next year, enshrinement will be virtually certain for David (Big Papi) Ortiz, who will appear on the ballot for the first time, along with Prince Fielder and Alex Rodriguez. But Rodriguez has the same markers of suspicion—use of performance-enhancing substances—that separated Bonds and Clemens from the Hall of Fame gallery.

Without steroids clouding the picture, Bonds and Clemens would have been elected years ago. The former hit the most home runs in both a season (73) and career (762), while the latter won more games (354) than any living pitcher not named Greg Maddux.

Bonds and Clemens also won more major awards than any other players: seven MVP trophies for the outfielder and as many Cy Young Awards for the pitcher. Bonds also won eight Gold Gloves and went to 14 All-Star Games during his 22-year career.

Many voters consider their numbers tainted – inflated by performance-enhancing substances. Bonds, for example, never hit 50 home runs in a season except for the year he hit 73.

Though Bonds hit eight more lifetime home runs than Hank Aaron, a significant numbers of writers and historians insist Aaron is the legitimate home run king. Other writers say their votes are guided purely by statistics, regardless of how they were produced.

In last year’s balloting, shortstop Derek Jeter and outfielder Larry Walker were chosen by the writers with catcher Ted Simmons and former players union chief Marvin Miller picked by the Veterans Committee.

Former pitcher Curt Schilling, controversial because of outspoken political statements, finished third on the writers’ ballot with 70%. Then came Clemens at 61% and Bonds with 60.7%. The only other player to crack 50% was former shortstop Omar Vizquel, at 52.6%.

Jeter, who missed unanimous election by one vote, was the 58th man chosen in his first try, while Walker waited until his tenth and last attempt before inching over the 75% plateau with 76.6%.

Jeter’s percentage of 99.7% was second only to former teammate Mariano Rivera, who became the only unanimous selection in Hall of Fame history the previous year.

Neither Bonds nor Clemens was ever fined or suspended for alleged steroid abuse but associates of both contended they used illegal substances. That was enough to trigger swirling controversies that kept them out of Cooperstown.

Should one or both obtain 75% in this year’s balloting, they would join Jeter, Walker, Simmons, and Miller for Induction Day on July 25, 2021, at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown. The Class of 2020 and Class of 2021 have been combined because inductions were canceled by coronavirus four months ago.

Other potential electees include Tim Hudson, Torii Hunter, Aramis Ramirez, and Barry Zito, all on the ballot for the first time, and holdovers Gary Sheffield, Andruw Jones, and Scott Rolen, whose numbers are rising.

Results will be revealed in January.

The writers cast 397 votes last year, with 298 needed for entry. Writers may pick as many as 10 candidates per ballot though most list less. The Hall of Fame has 333 elected members, 76 of them living.

Follow me on Twitter