Written by Jacob Lauing at Mashable.com
Amid the controversy and disdain surrounding slugger Barry Bonds, one indisputable truth remains: He is one of the greatest hitters of all time.
He has the track record to prove it, with 14 All-Star games, seven MVP awards and 12 Silver Sluggers to his name. But his name and resumé are tainted, stamped with the asterisk ofbaseball’s steroid era, when Bonds became the poster child for performance-enhancing drugs.
Bonds’ alleged steroid use kept him out of the Baseball Hall of Fame during his first four years on the ballot. It’s curious, then, that early reports suggest his chances of induction this year (to be officially announced Jan. 18) are increasing.
Baseball’s baddest villain might be on the verge of the Hall of Fame.
Members of the Baseball Writer’s Association of America (BBWAA) determine by vote which eligible players reach the Hall of Fame. A player must appear on 75 percent of submitted ballots to earn a spot in Cooperstown.
Though ballots aren’t officially revealed until next week, some BBWAA members often release them beforehand. As of Jan. 10, Bonds appears on 64.4 percent of public ballots, according to ballot-tracking extraordinaire Ryan Thibodaux. The slugger stood above 70 percent last week, a huge jump from his 44.3 percent finish just last year.
Former All-Star- and Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Roger Clemens, who also allegedly took steroids, sits at 63.9 percent after a 45.2 percent finish in 2016.
Here’s my ballot: Bagwell, Bonds, Clemens, Griffey, Hoffman, Kent, Piazza, Raines, Schilling, Sheffield. (Would have voted for Mussina too)
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) January 6, 2016
Bonds’ percentage could still drop considerably as final ballots tally up. But even if he isn’t inducted in 2017, the narrative on Barry Bonds is shifting.
The home run king
Bonds’ reputation remains something of a mixed bag.
With MLB records for home runs in a season (73) and career (762), he’s the home run king. But his murky ties to performance-enhancing drugs and steroid use discredit those stats, some say. Do towering home runs matter if Bonds is a cheater?
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