Baseball Hall of Fame 2023: Was Barry Bonds inducted from the Contemporary ballot?

Barry Bonds' name conjures some very strong feelings from baseball fans.

Bonds hit the most home runs in a single season of any player in history. However, he was also found to be using performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) while doing so.

Bonds played 22 years in the league from 1986 to 2007. In that time, he has compiled some of the most spectacular offensive stats ever seen. Between his time playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants, Bonds won no fewer than seven MVP Awards, including four straight from 2001 to 2004.

"Should Barry Bonds be inducted into the Hall of Fame?" - @ Kerry Byard

In 2007, during a federal investigation into BALCO, a San Francisco Bay Area manufacturer of undetectable steroids, Bond was identified as a user of the PED. This discovery immediately cast doubt on the validity of his incredible hitting stats.

In 2003, Bonds denied his use of these steroids after his trainer, Glen Anderson, was found guilty of supplying MLB athletes with these substances. However, the 2007 findings invalidated his claims and he was hit with a perjury charge.

Although he was convicted, the charge was eventually overturned. The damage was done though, and Barry Bonds' name was mired forever. He was never able to reach the 75% threshold from the Baseball Writers Association of America that would have granted him entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

In December 2022, the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee met to discuss inductions into the Hall of Fame.

The Contemporary Committee considers players who have been retired for more than 15 years and played most of their careers after 1980. It aims to provide a "second chance" for players who may have previously been overlooked.

Barry Bonds found himself on the 2022 ballot. The committee was made up of several Hall of Famers like Greg Maddux and Frank Thomas, as well as MLB consultant Theo Epstein, among others.

"I see the Hall Of Fame did not vote Barry Bonds in today. I also think MLB needs to declare Hank Aaron and Aaron Judge home run kings while they are making changes to the game in 2023." - @ Roger Maris Jr.

Bonds found himself with other semi-disgraced former players on the list like Curt Schilling and Roger Clemens. Bonds was rejected, with former Atlanta Braves first baseman Frank McGriff entering the Hall of Fame on the contemporary ballot.

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Barry Bonds will probably never gain entry into the Hall of Fame

Although Bonds technically holds the record for single-season home runs with 73 in 1997, practically nobody considers this a valid record. They have instead pointed to New York Yankees star Aaron Judge as the champ.

Bonds' name is now inextricably linked to steroid use, and it is unlikely that he will ever be able to shake that unfortunate association.