For decades, the name Pete Rose has stirred debate, admiration, and controversy to the maximum. The all-time MLB hits leader was once synonymous with greatness, until his lifetime ban from baseball in 1989 for betting on games cast a long shadow over his legacy. But now, you know the table got turned with MLB having officially removed Pete Rose from its ineligible list. A move many fans hoped for, but few expected.
Yet, as the baseball world reacts to this stunning shift, a more profound question emerges: Will Pete Rose finally earn a place in the Hall of Fame? While Rose’s fans dream of seeing his presence in Cooperstown, perhaps even posthumously, the odds remain slim. At least, that’s the belief of MLB insider Jon Heyman. He suggests that despite this first stage of redemption, Rose’s road to baseball’s honorary shrine is still covered with obstacles.
“While it’s nice that he is now technically and finally eligible to make the Hall, even 36 years after he was found to have bet on baseball, and even posthumously, I can’t find anyone in the know who thinks he’s actually getting in.“
For the unversed, in 1991, the Hall of Fame extended its restriction by voting to bar anyone on baseball’s ineligible list from appearing on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot. So, that effectively shut Rose out of the Hall of Fame through traditional means. But hey, there’s still scope. Rose’s only remaining route would be through the Classic Baseball Era Committee. They evaluate players who made their greatest impact on the game before 1980.
The committee is scheduled to meet next in December 2027, meaning the earliest Rose could be elected is 2028. But that possibility is far from certain, as inclusion on the ballot is determined by the Hall’s Historical Overview Committee, which selects only eight candidates, and there’s no guarantee Rose will be among them. Now you know how difficult to get Rose to Cooperstown.
Moreover, the chances are high that Rose was delisted from the ineligible list mainly for posthumous reasons and might have nothing to do with being inducted into the HOF. Does that mean no tainted names have been inducted in the HOF all these years? NO!
Cooperstown has a long history with names like Pete Rose
It should be noted that several MLB HOF inductees have had their legacies tainted by controversy or allegations of misconduct. This ranges from PED use to off-field behavior. While not officially tainted by the Hall’s standards, these names are often part of the larger debate around ethics and eligibility.
The big daddy, David Ortiz, was inducted into the HOF in 2022, becoming a first-ballot HOFer. You can imagine that’s a rare honor that underscores both his iconic status. However, Ortiz is from the steroid era. He was reportedly among 104 players who tested positive in 2003 during an anonymous survey testing meant to determine if a formal PED testing program was necessary. Yes, his result was deemed inconclusive, and there was no reliable evidence!
Remember the first Blue Jays player in Cooperstown. Roberto Alomar? He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011. However, in 2021, MLB placed Alomar on its ineligible list following an independent investigation into accusations of s-xual misconduct dating back to 2014. While the Blue Jays severed all ties with him, his name is still placed at MLB’s holy shrine.
So, all these examples proved that Pete Rose’s chances are minimal, considering his accusations were all proven. Still, a ray of hope is there in 2027. Let’s see if Rose’s legacy could be recognized or not.
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