Major League Baseball made waves earlier this month by reinstating Pete Rose and ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson following their longstanding placements on the permanent ineligible list for the Baseball Hall of Fame. While both are now eligible to be inducted by a committee into Cooperstown, Rose still might not make it in.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today wrote that it’s a ‘long shot’ for Rose to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. One of the reasons stems from the history of voting from the Classic Baseball Era Committee and how inducting Rose could open the door to the likes of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa to be inducted.
”You don’t have to look back any further than the ballot two years ago when Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens didn’t even receive the four of the required 12 votes needed by the 16-person committee in December 2022…The voters realize that if Rose is let into Cooperstown, there will be no compelling reason to keep out Bonds, Clemens and Sammy Sosa or even Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez”
Bob Nightengale on why Pete Rose won’t be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame
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- Pete Rose stats: .303/.375/.409, 784 OPS, 118 OPS+, 4,256 hits, 198 steals, 160 home runs
Nightengale argues that if voters are going to allow managers who bet on games or players who were accused of taking money from the mob to throw games (Shoeless Joe Jackson), the use of performance-enhancing drugs should no longer be disqualifying for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
It would potentially open a Pandora’s box for the veterans’ committee, which has already faced criticism in the past for voting in the likes of Harold Barnes and Jack Morris. It could be argued that if those players are deemed worthy of induction into Cooperstown and Rose’s history of betting on games doesn’t disqualify him, then PED use shouldn’t disqualify some all-time greats from also being inducted.
Related: Why Pete Rose doesn’t deserve to be elected into the Hall of Fame
If the argument is being made purely of statistics and on-field impact, Rose warrants a spot in Cooperstown as the all-time leader in hits and games played (3,562). He’s also a three-time World Series champion and 17-time All-Star selection, which also merits induction.
However, Bonds holds the all-time MLB records for home runs (762) and walks (2,558) and many argue he is the best baseball player ever, but alleged PED use kept him out of the Hall of Fame every year he was on the ballot. The Classic Baseball Era Committee has demonstrated that it weighs breaking MLB’s rules and violating the codes of the game as a disqualifier for being inducted. If they stick by that, Rose won’t be inducted.
Related: Voter says Pete Rose is overrated ahead of potential Hall of Fame vote
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