The Baseball Writers Association of America announced on Monday that former Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Scott Rolen will be inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in July. Rolen received 76.3 percent of the votes and 297 votes total to get in. Seventy-five percent is needed for induction.
The association also sent a clear message about those superstars implicated or caught using PEDs. They are still seen as “cheaters” and don’t have the support within the BBWA to get in.
Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez were both snubbed again. Ramirez was snubbed for the seventh straight year and Rodriguez was snubbed for the second straight year. Both seem like long shots of getting in because of PED suspensions late in their playing careers.
Rodriguez is considered widely as one of baseball’s GOATs, but if he doesn’t make the the Hall of Fame could he still be worthy of such a title?
Rodriguez’s Career Achievements
Rodriguez put up stellar numbers during his career. He hit 696 home runs, had 3,115 hits, 2,086 RBI, and 329 stolen bases. He also was a three-time MVP, 14-time All-Star, 10-time Silver Slugger, two-time Gold Glove winner and a World Series champion.
Examining the Hall of Fame case for Alex Rodriguez. #HOF2023 pic.twitter.com/8TIs1uFMT7
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 24, 2023
Rodriguez hit 30 or more home runs in 16 of his 22 MLB seasons and hit 40-plus home runs in eight of those seasons. He is arguably one of the best hitters in his generation along, with legends such as Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Jr. He hit for contact, he hit for power, was a good defender, and showed versatility by switching from shortstop to third base.
A-Rod Is A Long Shot For Hall of Fame
Rodriguez received the longest PED suspension in MLB history for one year in 2014 while he was playing for the New York Yankees.
Roger Clemens and Bonds never got caught or suspended for using PEDs and neither got in. The implications and federal investigations alone sealed their fates. Bonds received 61.8 percent of votes in his tenth year of eligibility and Clemens received 61.6 percent of votes in his tenth year of eligibility, which were both their highest on the ballot.
Rodriguez received 34.3 percent in last year’s voting and 35.7 percent of votes this year.
Both Bonds and Clemens recently had meetings with the Veterans Committee after falling off the ballot last year. The Veterans Committee’s job is to decide whether players should get into the Hall of Fame after they are no longer eligible to be on the ballot.
So many players like Rodriguez and Ramirez are attached with the fates of Bonds and Clemens. There is hope for Rodriguez if eventually the Veterans Committee votes for his entry.
Rodriguez’s Thoughts on the HOF
A-Rod, who’s enjoying a booming career as a celebrity MLB analyst and entrepreneur, hasn’t spoken about the voting of late but has made comments about it in the past.
“I hope I get in one day. It would be an incredible honor,” Rodriguez told ESPN reporters last year when he was snubbed. “I’d be terribly disappointed if I don’t get in, but if I don’t get in I have no one to blame but myself.”
Rodriguez has accepted full responsibility for his actions and has only justified it by saying he felt tremendous pressure to perform after the Rangers signed him in 2000 to a $252 million deal spread out over 10 years.
Despite the snub for obvious reasons, he has moved on to revamp his image since retiring at the end of the 2016 season. After years of being public enemy No.1, he’s beloved again by the younger generation who have seen his exploits on YouTube, still identify him with his ex-boo Jennifer Lopez, and watch him on TV and on the internet.
D'Angelo Russell crashed into A-Rod 😬 pic.twitter.com/uL4UasgBi6
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 24, 2023
Rodriguez is a co-host for Fox’s “MLB on Fox Pregame” and “MLB on Fox Postgame” shows during the MLB season, he is part owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and has achieved the ultimate “girl dad” title with his two daughters.
The Hall of Fame seems like a distant goal for Rodriguez, but he has accepted his fate and moved on.
