Is Jon Doe a HOFer

[21bdp21]

I thought it would be fun to take out the name and fame from players and see if they would be a HOFer.

Here are the Stats

 

• Career length 13 years
• BA .289
• OBP .408
• SLG .557
• OPS .965
• AVG OPS+ 163
• WAR 99.9
• 8X AS
• 3X MVP, 5X 2-10 in MVP voting and 12th in MVP voting once
• 8x GG
• 7X SS
• 411 HR (Averaged 31.5/year)
• Led the League in HR  1X, BB 5X, OBP 4X, SLG 3X, OPS+ 4X.

 

 

[bean5302]

The issue with Bonds is not whether he was good enough to be in the Hall of Fame. The evidence for Bonds using became extremely convincing in 1998, but what's the likelihood he was using before that when we know the steroid era dates back to the late 80s? The issue is how players like Bonds, who absolutely used PEDs, hurt MLB's fanbase and the reputation of the entire sport. The PED scandals in baseball were shocking to the public and it undermined MLB's credibility. The PED cheaters like Bonds stand out like Shoeless Joe Jackson and Pete Rose. Their actions had the potential to undermine the entire sport's business viability. 

The strongest argument for PED cheaters to get into the Hall of Fame, in my opinion is we don't know who cheated. We have the names in the Mitchell Report and cowardly leaked confidential testing results from prior to MLB's testing policy. We don't have all the names of the players who were promised their information would remain private. Just some. Did Fred McGriff use PEDs? It doesn't seem likely based on his physique, but maybe he did? There are players in the HoF who cheated by using PEDs. We just don't know which ones.

Also, how much of the blame for PED use goes to MLB, the commissioner, front offices and owners looking the other way as the home run races filled their pocketbooks? They knew. They knew it was pervasive and let it continue because it was big money, especially after the strike crushed the sport. The owners and commissioner were all too happy to profit from PED use and then scapegoat the players while they passed the buck along when the scandals hit.

The Hall of Fame is viewed as maybe the public's only option to "punish" the cheaters since MLB didn't and America is a very vengeful society. Furthermore, baseball fan demographics really hit hard when it comes to that vengefulness.

[terrydactyls]

Those stats are not for Barry Bonds (or his father).  I'm not sure what the original post had to do with steroids?

[21bdp21]

46 minutes ago, terrydactyls said:

Those stats are not for Barry Bonds (or his father).  I'm not sure what the original post had to do with steroids?

Actually they are Barry Bonds just his first 13 years prior to when we think he started (again never tested +) using PEDs.

[bean5302]

6 hours ago, 21bdp21 said:

Actually they are Barry Bonds just his first 13 years prior to when we think he started (again never tested +) using PEDs.

Bonds tested positive for amphetamines in 2006. Amphetamines are considered "Stimulants" by baseball, but in 2006, it just triggered additional testing rather than a suspension. Under the current testing rules, Bonds would have been suspended. Bonds was also highly likely to have tested positive in 2000 for steroids and other PEDs, but that was before the MLB drug testing program was in place. The evidence was pretty compelling when it was presented at trial, but it wasn't absolutely a lock due to possible tampering.

Look, Bonds absolutely 100% used. The argument he might not have is absolutely dead on arrival. When it comes to Roger Clemens, it's a little murkier, but there are still some fairly strong connections there. Arguing they didn't use doesn't help their case, it just hurts the case.