Steroid era stars, Guerrero join Hall ballot
Cooperstown voters divided on inducting greats linked to performance-enhancing drugs
NEW YORK— Steroids-tainted stars Manny Ramirez and Ivan Rodriguez are on baseball’s Hall of Fame ballot for the first time along with former Montreal Expo Vladimir Guerrero.
Jeff Bagwell is the top holdover on the 2017 Baseball Writers’ Association of America 34-player ballot announced Monday. He fell 15 votes short of the required 75 per cent in 2016 voting.
Ramirez was suspended for 50 games in 2009 while with the Los Angeles Dodgers for using a banned female fertility drug. He retired in 2011rather than face a 100-game sus- pension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. He applied for reinstatement that December, and his suspension for the second failed test was cut to 50 games because he sat out nearly all of the 2011season. Ramirez did not play in the majors again.
Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, also tainted by steroids allegations, are on the ballot for the fifth time. After a change in voting eligibility rules eliminated some retired writers, Clemens rose to 45.2 per cent and Bonds to 44.3 per cent in last year’s voting.
Results will be announced Jan. 18.
Rodriguez was never disciplined for PEDs, but former Texas teammate Jose Canseco alleged in a 2005 book that he injected the catcher with steroids. Asked whether he was on the list of players who allegedly tested positive for steroids during baseball’s 2003 survey, Rodriguez said in 2009: “Only God knows.”
A 12-time all-star, Ramirez helped the Boston Red Sox win World Series titles in 2004 and 2007. He hit .312 with 555 home runs and 1,831RBIs in 19 big league seasons.
Rodriguez was a 14-time all-star and 13-time Gold Glove catcher, and he was voted AL MVP in 2008 with Texas, his team for the first12 of his 21 big league seasons. He batted .296 with 311 homers and 1,332 RBIs, winning a World Series with the Florida Marlins in 2003 after earning MVP of the NL Championship Series.
Guerrero hit .318 with 449 homers and 1,496 RBIs in 16 big league seasons.
Other holdovers include Expos great Tim Raines (69.8), Trevor Hoffman (67.3) and Curt Schilling (52.3) along with Edgar Martinez (43.4), Mike Mussina (43), Lee Smith (34.1), Fred McGriff (20.9), Jeff Kent (16.6), Larry Walker (15.5), Billy Wagner (10.5) and Sammy Sosa (7).