The first season of Hall of Fame eligibility for Alex Rodriguez was, for the lack of a better word, rough. The former New York Yankees third baseman is, by the numbers, one of the best players in the history of the game, but voters punished him harshly for his involvement with steroid use.
A three-time MVP, A-Rod saw his name in only 34.3 percent of the Hall of Fame ballots, well short of the necessary 75 percent for enshrinement. He only got 135 of 394 votes and has a long way to get in.
The future is not looking bright for Rodriguez as far as the Hall concerns. If Barry Bonds, who has been linked to steroids use but allegedly did it when they were widely used around the league, couldn’t get in, it’s hard to see A-Rod, who was caught and suspended in 2014, entering Cooperstown.
Bonds got 66 percent of the votes in his final shot. This means there is at least one third of the voters that will never allow players linked to steroids in the Hall. The Yankees’ third baseman in the 2000s and 2010s is one of these players.
The former Yankees’ slugger chances are not looking good
Rodriguez had to sit out the whole 2014 season with the Yankees after being found guilty of steroids possession and use, thus breaking MLB’s rules.
The league said that Rodriguez’s suspension stemmed from the “use and possession of numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including Testosterone and human Growth Hormone, over the course of multiple years” and “attempting to cover-up his violations of the Program by engaging in a course of conduct intended to obstruct and frustrate the Office of the Commissioner’s investigation.”
The New York Post illustrated a good point: perhaps A-Rod chances can improve over the years (he still has nine years of eligibility as long as he clears 5%) as new voters enter the system.
“The infielder’s best chance for a turnaround probably lies in a turnover of the electorate, as younger writers obtain a vote (with 10 years of service in the BBWAA) and take a different stance on the illegal PED issue,” the publication said.
The former Yankees star, who won a World Series in the Bronx in 2009, has an uphill battle towards immortality.