Which Former Yankees Will Be Elected to the Hall of Fame in 2017?

Roger Clemens

At some point Hall voters are going to need to stop the witch hunt and acknowledge they have no idea who did and did not use performance-enhancing drugs during the so-called “Steroid Era” and stop arbitrarily punishing guys for unsubstantiated rumors. Clemens never officially failed a test or received a suspension for PEDs. He was never found guilty of any offense anywhere but the court of public opinion.

To me, Roger Clemens seems like kind of a jerk. I never really liked him when he was with the Yankees for a number of reasons. At the same time, he was easily the best pitcher of his generation and has a strong argument for being the greatest pitcher ever.

With 139.4 rWAR, he is the third most valuable pitcher in history according to Baseball-Reference. He ranks third all-time in strikeouts, ninth in wins, seventh in walks per nine, seventh in games started, second in home runs allowed per nine, and seventh in complete games. By most measures, he is at least one of the ten best starting pitchers to ever play the game. Unless someone wants to prosecute him for some crime, I don’t see how he’s not in the Hall.

Although he didn’t join the Yankees until age 36, he pitched six seasons in pinstripes, won one of his seven Cy Young awards, and was the ace of two of the World Series champions of the dynasty years. He’s not one of the most beloved Bombers in history, but his accomplishments are undeniable.