The cheaters are still on the outside looking in. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, who dominated the sport for part of the 1980s, much of the 1990s and early 2000s, were denied election by the voting body of the Baseball Hall of Fame Contemporary Era ballot.
Only one of the eight players on the ballot got the 12 votes needed from the 16-person panel: Jeff Kent.
Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy were the top vote getters among the non-steroid tainted candidates.
Bonds and Clemens received fewer than five votes each. This was the second time the shamed former stars have been considered by the Hall of Fame Contemporary Era committee.
Both Clemens and Bonds, who were attached to allegations that they used illegal performance-enhancing drugs, spent the mandatory 10 years on the regular baseball writers’ ballot. Neither attained to the 75 percent threshold needed for election. The highest totals were 65.2 percent by Clemens and 66 percent by Bonds.
Many who guard the reputation of the Hall of Fame are not keen on Bonds or Clemens earning election. Enough of those people are apparently on the small voting body for this Contemporary Era committee, which meets every year to decide on candidates from various periods of baseball history.
The next time Bonds, Clemens, or other player candidates can be considered from this post-1980 era would be in 2028.
In addition to Bonds and Clemens, Gary Sheffield was also on this ballot despite the black cloud of steroids hanging over his legacy. Sheffield did not receive as much as six votes from the 16 voters.
Mattingly at his peak was one of the few players who were in contention for the title of best player in baseball. For six seasons from 1984 to 1989, Mattingly batted .327 with a .530 SLG while averaging 203 hits, 43 doubles, 27 home runs, and 114 RBI. Back injuries slowed him in his thirties, and he retired following the 1995 season with 2,153 hits and a .307 average. He was American League Most Valuable Player in 1985, and won nine Gold Gloves.
Playing exclusively in the National League, Murphy was a five-tool player who won two MVP awards. He averaged 36 home runs, 110 runs, 105 RBI, and 18 stolen bases, from 1982 to 1987. He won five Gold Gloves as a center fielder. and was considered one of the best people in the sport, earning the Roberto Clemente Award for humanitarianism.
Others on the ballot were Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Gary Sheffield, and Fernando Valenzuela.
