Should David Ortiz’s PED connections impact his Hall-of-Fame case?

David Ortiz seems bound to end up in the Hall-of-Fame. Should any possible PED connections impact his ability to get in?

With the latest National Baseball Hall-of-Fame class being released, it’s (unfortunately) time once again to ponder whether or not a star who dominated during MLB’s scandalous steroid era will be able to get into Cooperstown.

The star some might question? David Ortiz, a longtime stellar slugger for the Minnesota Twins and then later the Boston Red Sox, where he spent much of his career.

Ortiz did allegedly test positive for PED use in 2003, but it was never disclosed what exactly Ortiz actually tested positive for in that 2003 test. After it was reported that he allegedly tested positive, Ortiz apologized but defended his name, saying that the positive result was likely due to supplements and vitamins.

Ortiz has acknowledged that he’ll have a hard time proving to detractors that he wasn’t a PED user while he was a MLB star, but the evidence against him doesn’t include any public drug tests.

So will anything end up impacting Ortiz’ case?

Probably not.

David Ortiz Hall-of-Fame case: Should PED connections hinder David Ortiz’ ability to get into Hall-of-Fame?

Many who vote on the Hall-of-Fame are now willing to move past limiting players who may have potentially had a connection to steroid use. There’s not much concrete evidence here that will be really thrown against him.

At the end of the day, there is no substantial argument that should keep Ortiz out. He was far too good for far too long to deny him a chance at the Hall-of-Fame. If we’re operating in a world where we follow the rules of even the strictest baseball purist, it’s hard to draw a strong enough case against Ortiz by some alleged PED connections.

If the Hall-of-Fame is willing to acknowledge that players from the steroid era should get in, then Ortiz has as strong a case as any player possibly could.

Expect to see Ortiz in Cooperstown sooner rather than later.