During a half-hour Q and A session with some ESPN reporters, new baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said that Hall Of Fame voters should not assume people did Performance Enhancing Drugs without evidence.
“I think it’s unfair for people to surmise that Player A did X, Y or Z, absent a positive test, or proof that we produced in an investigation, or whatever. I just think it runs contrary to a very fundamental notion in our society, that you’re innocent until somebody proves you’re guilty.”
Manfred did not address any players by name, but if any two players on the ballot should be happy to hear him say this, they’re first baseman Jeff Bagwell and catcher Mike Piazza. Both players sport career numbers that merit a first-ballot induction, however swirling PED rumors have stunted their ascension to HOF immortality.
Bagwell is one player who is “suspected of PED use”, but nothing more. Known among other things for his batting stance, he played all of his 14.5 seasons for the Houston Astros along new Hall inductee Craig Biggio. He hit 449 home runs and drove in 1529 RBIs to the tune of a .297/.408/.540 slash line. The 1991 NL Rookie of the Year also won 3 Silver Slugger awards and one Gold Glove. The 4-time All Star was the 1994 NL MVP. In the strike-shortened season, he hit .368/.451/.750 with 39 home runs and 116 RBIs in only 400 at bats.
Piazza is another player who, in my opinion, should have been inducted on his first ballot but has been punished without evidence of PED use. He played most of his career with the Dodgers and Mets, as well as short stints with the Marlins, Padres, and Athletics. Beginning with his NL Rookie Of The Year win in 1993, Piazza would be an All Star every season until 2002, and then again in 2004 and 2005. Despite never winning an MVP, he won the Silver Slugger award for catchers every year from 1993-2002. He hit 427 career home runs with a .308/.377/.545 slash line and 1,335 RBIs. In 1997 he had one of the best offensive seasons ever for a catcher, hitting .362/.431/.638 with 40 home runs and 124 RBIs, with 201 hits and 104 runs scored in 152 games.
Both players absolutely have the credentials to be inducted into Cooperstown, and Rob Manfred urging voters to dismiss rumors not backed by evidence could help both their cases. This last vote, Bagwell finished with 55.7% of the vote and Piazza had 69.9%. Both players have shown an upward trend in voting totals in recent years, but neither have been able to get over the 75% needed.
