Fansided

Jorge Posada doesn’t think Alex Rodriguez should be in Hall of Fame

By Nathaniel Reeves

Sep 20, 2013; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez (13) reacts after striking out against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning of a game at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 20, 2013; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez (13) reacts after striking out against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning of a game at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The former New York Yankees catcher believes being in the Hall of Fame requires playing without controversy.

More from MLB

Shortly after calling out New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi and other members of the organization is his memoir for the way he was treated in his final MLB season, former Yankees catcher Jorge Posada had some more controversial comments for former teammates.

In an interview with “CBS This Morning” on Wednesday, Posada said that Alex Rodriguez and Roger Clemens shouldn’t be members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, via Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York.

"“I don’t think it’s fair. I really don’t. I think the guys that need to be in the Hall of Fame need to be a player that played with no controversy.”"

Many of those who vote for the Baseball Hall of Fame have shared Posada’s sentiment over the past few years. Even a player like Mike Piazza, who deserves to be in the Hall of Fame based on statistics alone and was only vaguely connected to performance-enhancing drug use, fell short of election his first year on the ballot.

It’s easy to see how a supposedly clean player like Posada might feel the circumstances were unfair during the time. Posada narrowly missed winning the American League’s Most Valuable Player award in 2003, finishing behind Rodriguez and Carlos Delgado, who was suspected of using PEDs.

However, there’s another side to the argument as well. Only selecting candidates with “no controversy” would eliminate a lot of great players in baseball history, not just ones from the steroid era.

The Hall of Fame is supposed to be a measure of how a player performed compared to others in his time period. Players like Piazza, Rodriguez, Clemens and Barry Bonds were the best in an era when PED use was rampant and still stood out.

Unfortunately for them, the voters are going to be very hesitant to put controversial players in the Hall. Steroids or not, Rodriguez and Bonds are two of the greatest hitters in MLB history and should be recognized as such.

Posada himself might get some Hall of Fame support – his numbers are very good despite being overshadowed by teammates for most of his career – but it would be a surprise if he ultimately gets in. It will be interesting to see if Posada gets penalized for playing in the steroid era despite never being connected to PEDs, as he certainly wouldn’t be the first player to have it happen to him.

Wherever you sit on the PED debate, it’s pretty clear that the voters agree with Posada. Rodriguez and Clemens are going to have to wait a long time before election, if they make it at all.

More from MLB

Home/MLB