The Poscast, Ep. 5: With Michael Schur

Joe Posnanski and Michael Schur discuss Hall of Fame voting in the context of steroids (have we touched on that subject yet?), and then run down the ballot.  Both believe the HOF should have an “inner sanctum”; in its absence, Schur believes in a first-ballot distiction.  Thus, as I understood it, their 2012 ballots would be:

Poz: Bagwell, Biggio, Bonds, Clemens, McGwire, Piazza, Raines, Schilling, Trammell, L. Walker (I’m taking his statement that he voted for Edgar “in the past” as a sign he didn’t this time.  He also wasn’t clear about McGwire, Piazza and Sosa.)

Schur: Bagwell, Bonds, Clemens, E. Martinez, McGwire, Palmeiro, Piazza, Raines, Sosa, L. Walker

Finally, a “superpower” draft.

Schur: Flight
Poz: Teleportation
Schur: Time travel
Poz: Stop time
Schur: Invisibility
Poz: Speak any language
Schur: Omniscience (!)
Poz: Telekinesis
Schur: Super-strength
Poz: Seeing the future

Pouliot: Steroids or no, Sammy Sosa doesn’t belong in Hall of Fame

But what about this Appling-esque achievement???

If I had a Hall of Fame ballot — and don’t worry, I do not — I’d put down nine names on it this year: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling and Alan Trammell.

Yes, there are some cheaters on that list: three definites and at least a couple of maybes. I am willing to penalize for steroids. But I can’t see leaving Bonds, Clemens and McGwire out of the Hall. For better and for worse, they’re part of the history of the game.

Rafael Palmeiro, on the other hand, is close enough to the borderline that I don’t mind leaving him off the list… And then there’s Sammy Sosa. He’s not in the same boat as Palmeiro because he was a true superstar. From 1998-2002, Sosa hit .306/.397/.649 with 292 homers… But that five-year run supplies the vast majority of Sosa’s case. The problem with Sosa is that he just wasn’t that valuable over the course of the rest of his six 30-homer seasons…

Look at where Sosa ranks on the career lists… HR: 8th… RBI: 27th… SLG: 44th… OPS: 100th… OPS+: 190th…

Compare that with McGwire. He’s two spots below Sosa on the home run list and just 68th in RBI, but he’s eighth in slugging, 10th in OPS and 13th in OPS+. McGwire was one of the greatest hitters of all-time. Sosa certainly had a great run, but he was also a product of his time. If he came up in 1979 or 1999, rather than 1989, his numbers wouldn’t be nearly as impressive.

Maury Brown: Manny Ramirez Tests Positive For Testosterone

Not sure what this means… is it three strikes?

An annual report released as part of Major League Baseball’s drug program shows that of 5,136 tests for performance-enhancing drugs and stimulants, a total of 18 tested positive, or less than 1 percent (0.35%) during the 2012 season. While 18 players tested positive for banned substances, not all served suspensions as a first offense for stimulants only results in follow-up testing…

There were a total of 7 positive tests for performance-enhancing substances that resulted in discipline, with four accounting for testosterone that resulted in 50 game suspension. Three were announced suspensions during the course of the year (San Diego Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal; Oakland Athletics pitcher Bartolo Colon, and; San Francisco Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera), but the fourth was not announced. That now appears to be Manny Ramirez who retired in early 2011 to avoid a 100-game suspension for a second violation of the drug policy. After sitting out the entire 2011 season, a deal was reached with MLB and the MLBPA to allow his reinstatement and to serve just 50 games rather than 100 after signing with the Athletics.