At approximately 6:00 pm, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY will announce who will be enshrined as part of the 2017 HOF Class. OF Tim Raines and 1B Jeff Bagwell appear to have the best chance of all those on the ballot. C Ivan Rodriguez and OF Vladimir Guerrero have also been mentioned as possible inductees.
The real story will be the progress made, in terms of voting percentage, by OF Barry Bonds and RHP Roger Clemens. Bonds and Clemens are part of a handful of players who either used, or allegedly used, steroids to enhance their careers. There is a very good chance that Bonds and Clemens will appear on close to 70% of the ballots. While it is just short of the minimum 75% needed for induction into the HOF, the number would show a significant upswing from approximately 37% they received in 2015.
I have said from the start of my show a little over two years ago the Bonds and Clemens both belong in Cooperstown. The fact is, they both had HOF careers long before they allegedly took steroids. I would also point out the hypocrisy by the elder members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Members of the BBWWA have no problem throwing anyone who is even alleged to have taken steroids in the 1990's and 2000's, but turn a blind to eye to anyone who took amphetamines (greenies), an illegal drug, in the 1950's and 1960's.