Over the last few years, it has become very apparent that the media and the Hall of Fame voters will never allow one of the greatest power hitters of my generation to enter the Hall of Fame.
My question is: Why? What is their basis to keep Mark McGwire out?
All they can say is McGwire used performance-enhancing drugs.
Has McGwire failed a drug test like Rafael Palmeiro or Manny Ramirez?
The answer is no.
Was McGwire on the dreaded Mitchell Report like Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Andy Petite, Roger Clemens, and many others?
The answer is no.
Has McGwire ever been convicted or put under indictment for Purgery like Bonds or Clemens?
The answer is no.
All McGwire did was hit monster home runs throughout his entire career. In 1987, he hit a rookie record of 49 home runs in 151 games while having a batting average of .289.
Over the next four years he hit 32, 33, 39, and 22 home runs. Why did his power numbers drop? You can look at his batting average over those years and see that each year it dropped as well (.260, .231, .235, .201).
Before the 1992 season, McGwire went to a vision specialist and received contacts to wear while he playing. The results were an astounding 42 home runs and .268 batting average in 139 games.
During the 1993 and 1994 seasons, McGwire started suffering from foot ailments, and the '94 season was cut short because of the strike.
From 1995 to 1999, McGwire entered the prime of his career, as he turned 31 years old in '95.
During those years, he hit 39, 52, 58, 70, and 65 home runs. Once again, look at his batting average during those same years (.274 in '95, .312 in '96, .274 in '97, .299 in '98, and .278 in '99). McGwire was also able to play in an average of 140 games from '95 to '99.
During the 2000 and 2001 seasons, McGwire started to show his age, as he should at 36 and 37 years old. He started developing back problems and decided to retire.
Over McGwire's entire career, there was never a balloon in his power numbers like there was with Bonds or some other guys who hit 20 home runs a year and then all of a sudden pound 50 or 60 in one season.
You can compare McGwire's power to his batting average. When he started seeing the ball, he started hitting the ball. It wasn't his fault that he was a big man and could hit it a little further than most people.
He never hit 40 doubles in a year, or even 30 doubles in a year. Most people's doubles were home runs to McGwire.
McGwire never won a MVP award, but he was a 12-time All-Star, the AL Rookie of the Year in 1987, a Gold Glove winner in 1990, a three-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and was a part of the 1989 World Series Champions.
His career batting average was .268, but he hit 583 career home runs.
And if it wasn't for "The Chase" in 1998 with Sosa, baseball would not be the same today.
The only thing McGwire is on record of ever taking is androstenedione, which is an over-the-counter supplement that was not banned in baseball and was a legal supplement in the United States.
Is it banned now? Yes, but if your going to hold that against him, you would have to kick out every player inducted in the last 20 years out of the Hall for taking supplements that were not banned in the '60s or '70s.
McGwire's statement in front of the House Government Reform Committee was a true statement. "If a player answers 'no,' he simply will not be believed; if he answers 'yes,' he risks public scorn."
The media and Hall voters have made his statement true by not voting for him. He said "No," and he is simply not believed.
Voters need to get their heads out of the sand, quit bickering, and put McGwire in the Hall of Fame where he belongs.
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