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Major League Baseball will decide on Pete Rose by end of year

By Kyle Franzoni

Jul 14, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Pete Rose is honored prior to the 2015 MLB All Star Game at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 14, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Pete Rose is honored prior to the 2015 MLB All Star Game at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports /
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Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has issued a statement regarding the potential reinstatement of all-time hits leader Pete Rose.

The on-again, off-again saga of Pete Rose, gambling, banishment, and reinstatement appears to be drawing to a close shortly.  Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred met with baseball’s all-time hit king on Thursday and will reach a decision before the year’s end as to Rose’s reinstatement to the game per a statement released by the league early Friday.

Rose was banned from the game on August 24, 1989 by then commissioner Bart Giamatti. At the time, it was a voluntary punishment accepted by Rose. The acceptance of the ban gave Rose the ability to apply for reinstatement within one year of the banishment. However, he has thus far been unable to secure that reinstatement, first from Giamatti and then from Bud Selig. Now, that falls into the hands of new commissioner Rob Manfred during his first year in office.

While there has seemingly been some movement to lift Rose’s ban, including allowing him to not only serve as a commentator for Fox Sports but also allowing Rose to take part in the All-Star Game festivities in Cincinnati, there has thus far been little indication that Rose’s eligibility will be reinstated. And according to T.J. Quinn of ESPN’s Outside The Lines, it remains unlikely that Manfred will do so either.

Things haven’t been made any easier for Rose over the years. After initially denying having bet on baseball, Rose was found to have done so. Then he went year with saying he never bet on his own team, only to have that also proven to be a lie. Each time that these truths came about, they cam during times of Rose’s own personal gain, from a tell-all book to the All-Star festivities.

Of course, the heart of this entire discussion is the greatest source of personal gain for Pete Rose; the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Due to his place on the Ineligibility List, Rose is not allowed to be considered for induction into Cooperstown. Now past his 15-year window, Rose would need to be removed from the banned list and then achieve selection via the Veterans Commitee. Given his questionable character flaws, and the Hall of Fame’s insistence on considering it, Rose may find it hard to even achieve that at this point.

And that’s really what it comes down to; character. Numbers were never going to keep Rose out of the Hall of Fame, with the former Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies legend owning the most hits in MLB history (4,256), most games (3,562) and most at-bats in history (14,053). A career .303/.375/.409 slash-line and 1,314 RBI aren’t too shabby either.

That all said, the decision lies in one man’s hands and Rob Manfred, as progressive as he may want to be, isn’t likely to buck the trend of his two most recent predecessors in this regard either.

Next: MLB All-Time 25-man Roster

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