Yankees: Performance enhancing drugs, and the baseball hall of shame

Voting for modern-era candidates for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America is underway. Final results will be announced on January 22, 2019. The controversy concerning drug use in the sport continues and will likely determine whether two particular New York Yankees are elected to Cooperstown.

As my previous article discussed, the drug-use issue will likely decide whether former starting pitchers and former Yankees Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte are elected to the Hall of Fame (HOF). Both are on the 2019 ballot.

Thus, this is an appropriate time to analyze this controversy and how the debate over drug use affects Yankee players in terms of their inclusion in the HOF. In the end, I will answer the question whether former Yankees and other players who have performed extremely well throughout their career but have used PEDs should be included in the Hall.

The list of banned PEDs by MLB includes steroids (such as the anabolic steroid testosterone), related hormones, amphetamines, masking agents, and diuretics. They provide an advantage to players on the diamond in various ways, including adding muscle mass, strength, and endurance.

According to the Mayo Clinic, however, there are many health risks associated with using PEDs. The major ones pertaining to men’s health include: shrunken testicles, infertility, prostate gland enlargement, liver abnormalities, tumors, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, heart and blood circulation problems, aggressive behaviors (such as rage or violence), psychiatric disorders (such as depression), infections or diseases such as HIV or hepatitis from injecting drugs, and risk of future development problems in teenagers.