On Tuesday, January 25, the Hall of Fame Selection Committee made up of accredited journalists from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) selected just one out of the 30 former MLB players on the 2022 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot. David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins received 77.9% of votes, surpassing the 75% that is required to be inducted into Cooperstown. Ortiz will become the 58th player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame following his first year on the ballot. 

Ortiz seems deserving on paper. He hit 541 homers and drove in 1,768 runs, seventeenth and twenty-third of all time, respectively. Not to mention the countless clutch hits he had in the postseason. In addition to all of that, he is a three-time World Series champion and a World Series MVP. Ortiz’s full stats can be found here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/ortizda01.shtml 

The hesitation with Ortiz is that he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003. It is widely speculated that he used performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) sporadically throughout his career. Yet, despite his steroid use, more than three-quarters of the BBWAA believed that his numerous accomplishments in the game warranted him a spot in the Hall of Fame. 

So why weren’t Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, or Roger Clemens elected in the 10 years that they were on the ballot?

Sammy Sosa provided baseball fans with an unforgettable 1998 season. He and Mark McGuire were in a season-long battle to break the single-season home-run record, set at 61 by Roger Maris in 1961. Sosa came out on the losing end after hitting 66 home runs and breaking the record by five. McGuire hit 70 and set the new record. The home-run race brought attention to the fact that both Sosa and McGuire were most likely using steroids. Many turned a blind eye, including MLB commissioner Alan (Bud) Selig, as the American public was more interested in baseball than it had been in a very long time. Despite being a fearsome hitter and a big part of why baseball regained popularity in the early 2000s, he did not make the Hall of Fame. You can see all of Sosa’s stats here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sosasa01.shtml 

Clemens is another player who is proven to have used PEDs. He has an MLB record seven CY Young Awards, given to the best pitcher of the season. He has the third-most strikeouts in Major League history at 4,672. He also has one American League MVP Award. He did not make the Hall of Fame. More stats from Clemens’ career can be found here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/clemero02.shtml 

Barry Bond’s resume speaks for itself:he received an MLB record National League MVP Awards, 12 Silver Slugger Awards, and 14 All-Star selections. His record includes most career home runs (762), most single-season home runs (73), and most career walks. All of this explains why he was the most feared hitter to ever step up to the plate, which led to the massive number of intentional walks he received. You can check out more of Bond’s stats here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bondsba01.shtml 

He did not make the Hall of Fame. He never once tested positive for PED use, unlike Ortiz, but it is widely known and accepted that he used it. 

This is the problem with the BBWAA and the Hall of Fame selection process. If a player like Ortiz, who does deserve to be in, is selected on the first ballot despite confirmed steroid use, why weren’t Sosa, Clemens, or Bond?

All three of those players should have been inducted if Ortiz was. If Ortiz wasn’t inducted, then they shouldn’t have been either. Though I would certainly disagree with keeping them out of the Hall of Fame, at least there would be some sort of consistency. 

The Hall of Fame selection process is flawed. And until actual players, both retired and active, make up the selection committee, it will stay flawed. Only athletes who have played at the  highest caliber of the sport should be able to judge other players and determine if they deserve to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.