Does George Steinbrenner Belong in the Hall of Fame?

Controversial New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner is one of 10 finalists on the Today’s Game Era ballot for induction in the Hall of Fame.

The Boss is one of the most polarizing figures in baseball history, but the results speak for themselves. In his 37 years as principal owner of the New York Yankees, the team collected a remarkable seven World Series championships and finished in first place in the American League East 16 times in that span.

Critics claim that Steinbrenner simply used his immense fortune to buy the Yankees the best available players every year following the advent of free agency. However, consider that there have always been MLB owners whose personal wealth outstripped Steinbrenner’s, it was just that he always prioritized winning over his own bottom line.

Success on the field always took precedence over business decisions, something the Boss’s son Hal Steinbrenner should take note of. The difference between the elder Steinbrenner and his offspring really highlights just how influential George was in making the Yankees perennial contenders. It’s no coincidence that the club has not won the AL East in four years.

The Hall of Fame announced Monday that George Steinbrenner is one of ten finalists up for induction on the Today’s Game Era ballot. The other candidates under consideration are : Atlanta Braves executive John Schuerholz, former commissioner Bud Selig, 1986 Mets skipper Davey Johnson, former Yankee great Lou Pinella, long-time Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser, and notable 90’s sluggers Will Clark, Albert Belle, Mark McGwire, and Harold Baines.

The voting will take place during the December winter meetings. A panel of 16 Hall of Famers will vote on the group, with 75% still needed for induction, just like on the regular HOF balloting. Here is Steinbrenner’s write-up from the Hall’s official press release:

George Steinbrenner purchased the Yankees in 1973 and oversaw the team’s path to seven World Series titles before his passing in 2010. An early adopter in baseball’s free agency era of the 1970s, Steinbrenner’s Yankees compiled a winning percentage of .565 and totaled 11 American League pennants in his 37 full years as the team’s owner.

One of the factors working against Steinbrenner’s induction may be his permanent ban from managing the Yankees in 1990 for hiring a private investigator to dig up dirt on one of his team’s stars Dave Winfield, with whom the owner had a tumultuous relationship.

He was reinstated in 1993, but was never exactly a model citizen in the baseball community. He made a lot of enemies among his former players and coaches. 2016 Hall inductee Ken Griffey Jr. memorably vowed he would never play for the Yankees because of Steinbrenner’s meddling.

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It is an open question whether George Steinbrenner belongs in the Hall of Fame, even among Yankees fans. Few love him unconditionally, but at the same time, his incredible success and influence on the game is undeniable.