Pedro Martinez says Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens deserve to be in Hall of Fame
Pedro Martinez is a sure bet to be in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame when he is eligible and he believes Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds should be there with him.
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Martinez was asked Thursday about the controversial duo, who arguably were the best pitcher and best hitter the game has seen in at least the last 50 years, but had their careers marred by allegations they used performance-enhancing drugs.
"“With all due respect to everybody that votes, I’ll have to say Roger and Barry Bonds are two guys that I think had enough numbers before anything came out to actually earn a spot in the Hall of Fame,” Martinez said. “I’m not quite sure 100 percent how close they will be before all the things came out, but in my heart, if you asked me before any of that, I would’ve said, ‘Yes, 100 percent,’ without looking back.“It wasn’t just the individual performances. [It was] how they dominated the time that they came up and stayed in the big leagues until those things happened. I believe they have a legit chance, and I think, with time, the voters will take into consideration what they did previously.”"
Hall of Fame voters have not been kind to any of the players linked to PED’s, especially Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro and Sammy Sosa, the poster boys of the steroid-era, but did Clemens and Bonds do enough to merit consideration before alleged PED use?
That’s the million dollar question and one voters will have to ask themselves as long as they are on the ballot.
Do you think Clemens and Bonds should be in the Hall of Fame? Leave your thoughts on this hot-button topic in the comments section below.