Steroids or not, does McGwire deserve spot in Hall of Fame?

January 11, 2007

Mark McGwire was largely ignored by Hall of Fame voters.

The man who ranks seventh all-time with 583 career homers was listed on only 128 of 545 ballots.

Much of the coverage since has centered on the steroid controversy.

Certainly that was the biggest factor in his snub, but the larger question is whether he belongs at all.

No one can deny that McGwire has impressive power numbers.

His ratio of a home run every 10.6 at-bats is the best of all time.

But there is more to baseball than home runs.

McGwire's career average is only .263. Ty Cobb would scoff at someone with that kind of average joining him in the Hall.

McGwire had just 1,626 career hits. More than a third of his hits were home runs. That shows you he was only concerned with swinging for the fences.

His defense was mediocre at best.

Sure, McGwire reached the magical 500 homer mark, but I've never been an advocate of automatic numbers (3,000 hits, 500 homers, 300 wins) for Hall of Fame induction.

Sometimes hitting those milestones is more a measure of longevity than excellence.

Phil Niekro logged 318 career wins, but it took him 24 years to do it and he lost 274 times. He averaged just over 13 wins a year.

And the so-called magic numbers sometimes lose their significance. With the way home runs have been multiplying, 600 may soon be the standard.

What do McGwire's 583 homers mean in an era of juiced baseballs and steroids?

That's what the writers had to figure in this year's Hall of Fame vote.

The other thing working against McGwire was that he was the first of the players shrouded in the steroid cloud to become eligible for the Hall.

It was the first chance for the writers to lash out at the alleged cheaters.

McGwire paid the price.

The funny thing about this moral judgment is that steroids were not illegal in baseball during much of this time.

Baseball didn't even begin steroid testing until 2001.

So was using steriods a worse offense than Gaylord Perry doctoring baseballs?

Maybe writers gave Perry a break because he at least admitted his transgressions. McGwire, on the other hand, embarrassed the game with his testimony during Congressional hearings on steroids.

It will be interesting to see what happens in a few years when players such as Rafael Palmeiro and Barry Bonds, whose credentials on the field make them clear-cut Hall of Fame choices, become eligible for consideration.

Palmeiro is one of only four players to top 500 career homers and 3,000 career hits, but he tested positive for steroids after denying under oath that he had ever used them.

Bonds is almost certain to set the all-time home run mark and eclipse 3,000 hits, but has been branded as the poster boy for performance enhancing drugs.

They will be more difficult to keep out than McGwire.

Readers can reach Niles by telephone at 242-1100, ext. 323, or by e-mail at [email protected]. Blog with him at www.monroeblogs.com.