25. Bret Boone
Position(s): 2B
Stats: .266 BA 1775 H 252 HR 1021 RBI
Career: 1992-2005
Team(s): Mariners, Reds, Braves, Padres, Twins
Accomplishments: 3x All-Star, 4x Gold Glove, 2x Silver Slugger
If you can ever make a case about how steroids can affect a player's performance, look no further than Bret Boone. Prior to the 1998 season, Boone never hit more than 15 HRs. From 1998-2004 he averaged 26 homers and beefed up considerably, plus all of his All-Star appearances, Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers were in that same time frame. He was essentially doing it under everyone's noses until Canseco called him an obvious user in Juiced because of his small frame and huge arms. Jose also said he commented on Bret's newly acquired girth in which Boone replied, "Shh, don't tell anybody." Boone has denied those allegations, but faded into obscurity soon after.
24. Ken Caminiti
Position(s): 3B
Stats: .272 BA 1710 H 239 HR 983 RBI
Career: 1987-2001
Team(s): Astros, Padres, Rangers, Braves
Accomplishments: 3x All-Star, 1x Silver Slugger, 3x Gold Glove, 1x MVP
Caminiti was one of the game's best third basemen for most of his career, winning three straight Gold Gloves from 1997-1999 with the Padres. He was the first star player to admit to using steroids. In a 2002 Sports Illustrated article, Ken told Tom Verducci he used 'roids during his 1996 NL MVP campaign to recover from a shoulder injury. During the 1996 season, Caminiti had career highs across the board; hitting .326, socking 40 homers and 130 RBIs. He had never hit more than 29 homers in a season. He told Verducci that he felt bigger, faster and stronger while on steroids quickly deflating any myth about juicing not making a player better—the proof is right there on the back of the baseball card. Ken had a history of substance abuse and died of a cocaine overdose on October 10, 2004. He was 41.
23. Wally Joyner
Position(s): 1B
Stats: .289 BA 2060 H 204 HR 1106 RBI
Career: 1986-2001
Team(s): Angels, Royals, Padres, Braves
Accomplishments: 1x All-Star
Wally Joyner busted on the scene becoming the first rookie to be voted into the All-Star game by the fans. During his rookie year, he batted .290, hit 22 HRs and had 100 RBIs—he came in second in ROY voting to Jose Canseco. His sophomore season was even better. Joyner batted .285, hit 34 homers and drove in 117, quickly becoming a fan favorite. He never had seasons like his first two and his stock fell. He bounced around, but was always solid defensively. In a 2005 ESPN interview, Wally admitted to asking Ken Caminiti about acquiring steroids because he felt his career was coming to an end and at 36 he wanted to revive it. He also confessed the same to Senator Mitchell during the Mitchell Report investigation.
22. Eric Gagne
Position(s): P
Stats: 187 S 3.47 ERA 718 SO
Career: 1998-2008
Team(s): Dodgers, Rangers, Red Sox, Brewers
Accomplishments: 3x All-Star, 1x Cy Young, 1x Champion
From 2002-2004, Gagne was looking like the heir to Marino Rivera's throne. In those three seasons he saved 52, 55 and 47 games, respectively. Between August 26, 2002 and July 5, 2004, he converted 84 consecutive saves, a MLB record. As "Game Over" flashed on the scoreboard, he came out of the Dodger bullpen with his signature goggles and sweat-soaked brim to the tune of "Welcome to the Jungle" and dominated. It all came to a screeching halt in 2005 when his arm gave out resulting in Tommy John surgery. He was never the same and in 2007 he was named in the Mitchell Report with a paper trail to boot. Former Mets' clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski sold Gagne and Dodger teammate Paul Lo Duca HGH and had the shipping receipts to prove it. Game Over.
21. Kevin Brown
Position(s): P
Stats: 211 W 3.28 ERA 2397 SO
Career: 1986-2005
Team(s): Rangers, Orioles, Marlins, Padres, Dodgers, Yankees
Accomplishments: 6x All-Star, 1x Champion
Kevin Brown was one of baseball's top pitchers in his prime. He was consistently in the mix for the Cy Young and always near the top when it came to ERA, leading all NL pitchers in 1996 and 2000. Brown was a part of the Marlins team that beat the loaded Indians in that legendary seven-game series in '97. He was also known for being injured, especially after he signed that crazy 7-year/$105 million contract with the Dodgers in 1999, making him baseball's first $100 million dollar man at the tender age of 34. Aware of his injury problems, the Yankees still traded for him and agreed to take on the last two years of the deal, even throwing LA two million in the process. His name came up in the Mitchell Report in 2007, tying him to Kirk Radomski whom he met through Paul Lo Duca. That was supported by a shipping receipt from 2004. Radomski stated that Brown was very knowledgeable about PEDs before he purchased any from him and sold him HGH about 5-6 times after 2001.
20. Mo Vaughn
Position(s): 1B
Stats: .293 BA 1620 H 328 HR 1064 RBI
Career: 1991-2005
Team(s): Red Sox, Angels, Mets
Accomplishments: 3x All-Star, 1x Silver Slugger, 1x MVP
Mo Vaughn towered over the plate daring someone to throw it inside. His swing was tailor-made for Fenway and the numbers prove it. In 1996, a season removed from MVP honors, Mo had a career year. He batted .326, hit 44 HRs and drove in a ridiculous 143 runs. For most of his career he was one of the big league's top home run hitters. Those accomplishments were tainted when the Mitchell Report came out. It was reported that Mo purchased HGH from Kirk Radomski, a former Mets' clubhouse attendant, in 2001. Radomski provided two checks to prove it. Vaughn hasn't been seen in public since.
19. Ryan Braun
Position(s): LF, 3B
Stats: .312 BA 981 H 181 HR 583 RBI
Career: 2007-Present
Team(s): Brewers
Accomplishments: 5x All-Star, 4x Silver Slugger, 1x MVP, ROY
Ryan Braun has been putting up numbers since his debut in 2007. During his rookie season, he had one of the greatest freshmen campaigns in history. He put up a .324 batting average coupled with 34 HRs and 97 RBIs. In his young 6-year career he's averaging 37 homers and 119 RBIs a season. He also joined the 30/30 club in 2011 when he hit 33 HRs and stole 33 bases. The baseball world was disappointed when reports surfaced in 2011 that Braun tested positive for an elevated level of testosterone and a banned substance. Facing a 50-game suspension, Braun won an appeal on a technicality resulting in the suspension being overturned—the first time a player was successful in appealing a drug test. Apparently the man who handled the sample broke protocol by taking the urine sample home instead of delivering it to the lab, although, the seal was still intact. Ryan took a second test in which it showed normal levels of testosterone. However he wants to spin it, Ryan was caught cheating and got lucky that someone slipped up.
18. Andy Pettitte
Position(s): P
Stats: 243 W 3.87 ERA 2303 SO
Career: 1995-2010, Present
Team(s): Yankees, Astros
Accomplishments: 3x All-Star, 5x Champion
Pettitte was one of the most consistent players of his era. He would be one of the last guys you'd think juiced until his name came up when former relief pitcher Jason Grimsley was being investigated and again when the Mitchell Report came out. Andy confirmed this by admitting to taking HGH to recover from injury during the 2002 season soon after the Mitchell Report was made public. In May 2002, he testified under oath that Roger Clemens told him he used HGH. Clemens has denied this and said, Andy "misremembered" what he originally said. Andy Pettitte has never had a losing season, is the postseason leader in starts and innings pitched, has the most pick-offs all-time and in 2009 postseason he won three series-clinching games, plus the regular season game that clinched the division. He was always known to throw that cutter in a big spot and always seemed to wiggle his way out of trouble. Andy recently went down with a fractured ankle, maybe he should use some HGH to speed up his recovery.
17. David Justice
Position(s): RF, 1B
Stats: .279 BA 1571 H 305 HR 1017 RBI
Career: 1989-2002
Team(s): Braves, Indians, Yankees, Athletics
Accomplishments: 3x All-Star, 2x Silver Slugger, 2x Champion, ROY
David Justice was the Atlanta Braves' best offensive player back when they were going to every World Series it seemed. He was also a part of those stacked Cleveland Indians' squads that included Manny Ramirez, Marquis Grissom, Sandy and Robby Alomar, and Omar Vizquel. He lived in the postseason, making six World Series appearances. He was a decent outfielder, but he was known for his bat. Justice didn't have gaudy numbers, except for the 41 homers (career high) and 118 RBIs he put up in 2000 at 34 years old.
Coincidentally, according to the Mitchell Report, former Mets' clubhouse attendant, Kirk Radomski claimed he sold Justice HGH after the 2000 World Series. After that news came out, Justice admitted to talking to the Yankees' strength coach, Brian McNamee, about using HGH for his shoulder, but he decided against it. He was very vocal about his innocence saying, "Where's that check? I want to see that check. I'm telling you, I don't even know the guy [Radomski]. How do you have all these actual checks, and then all of a sudden, you get to my name and you don't have no check? Come on," referring to the paper trail Senator Mitchell was able to tie to other players in his report.
16. Jason Giambi
Position(s): 1B
Stats: .281 BA 1966 H 429 HR 1405 RBI
Career: 1995-Present
Team(s): Athletics, Yankees, Rockies
Accomplishments: 5x All-Star, 2x Silver Slugger
"The Great Giambino" was a power-hitting machine when he played for the A's and was the most coveted free agent after the 2001 season. Naturally, the Yankees came calling and Jason left the poor Oakland A's for the loaded pinstripes for a paltry 7-year/$120-million contract. He was two years removed from an MVP season and had just hit for .342 to go along with 38 HRs and 120 RBIs. He continued his mashing of the baseball with New York smacking 41 homers in each of his first two years in the Bronx. Then it all came crashing down. His name came up during the 2003 BALCO investigation and reports surfaced saying Jason admitted to using steroids to a federal grand jury.
A benign tumor was found on Giambi during the 2004 season and many folks attributed it to past steroid use. Jason returned to form the following two seasons hitting 32 HRs in 2005 and 37 HRs in 2006, respectively. He played the McGwire card and stayed quiet about the PED issue whenever asked by the media until 2007. He finally came clean and told USA Today in May of '07 that he was "wrong for doing that stuff" and stated, "What we should have done a long time ago was stand up — players, ownership, everybody — and said: 'We made a mistake.' He was never the same after that, but he was also 36 and at the tail end of his career.
15. Juan Gonzalez
Position(s): RF
Stats: .295 BA 1936 H 434 HR 1404 RBI
Career: 1989-2005
Team(s): Rangers, Tigers, Indians, Royals
Accomplishments: 3x All-Star, 6x Silver Slugger, 2x MVP
Juan "Goin' Goin'" Gonzalez was a huge specimen for most of his career and put up power numbers with the best of them. He averaged 42 HRs a year and in 1998 he drove in 157 runs; 35 of them in April and 101 before the All-Star break. In 2001, his trainer, Angel Presinal, was caught with a bag that was allegedly filled with steroids. Presinal said it belonged to Gonzalez and vice versa. Nothing was ever confirmed and the incident was swept under the rug, but Presinal did find himself being banned from clubhouses for life. So, there's that.
In 2005, Canseco mentioned he educated and injected Juan personally while both were teammates in Texas. Gonzalez's name came up again in the Mitchell Report in regards to the 2001 incident and in that same year (2007), Rangers owner Tom Hicks was asked what move he regretted and answered, "Juan Gonzalez for $24 million [in 2002] after he came off steroids, probably, we just gave that money away." While answering questions about the response to his statement Hicks said, "I have no knowledge that Juan used steroids. His number of injuries and early retirement just makes me suspicious, In any event, we paid him $24 million for very few games." Where there's smoke there's fire.
14. Mike Piazza
Position(s): C
Stats: .308 BA 2127 H 427 HR 1335 RBI
Career: 1992-2007
Team(s): Dodgers, Marlins, Mets, Padres, Athletics
Accomplishments: 12x All-Star, 10x Silver Slugger, ROY
Mike Piazza was all power from 1992-2002. Piazza holds the all-time record for home runs by a catcher with 396, but he sucked behind the plate. If he played in the American League he would've been a DH without a doubt. He was never on a list and was never mentioned by Canseco, but he did admit to using androstenedione before it was banned, and that folks, is a steroid. That's the same shit that got McGwire caught up. He followed that admission up with this excuse, ”I hit the ball as far in high school as I do now.” In The Rocket That Fell to Earth by Jeff Pearlman, Piazza was said to have told reporters, off record, that he used PEDs and two fellow ball players—one unnamed, the other was Reggie Jefferson—confirmed this. Jefferson was quoted as saying, "He's a guy who did it, and everybody knows it. It's amazing how all these names, like Roger Clemens, are brought up, yet Mike Piazza goes untouched." A couple NY-area writers, Joel Sherman and Murray Chass, noticed his bad case of back acne; a supposed side effect of juicing, but still nothing solid.
13. Jeff Bagwell
Position(s): 1B
Stats: .297 BA 2314 H 449 HR 1529 RBI
Career: 1991-2005
Team(s): Astros
Accomplishments: 4x All-Star, 3x Silver Slugger, 1x Gold Glove, 1x MVP
Jeff Bagwell never popped up on any list nor was he mentioned in any of Jose Canseco's books, but a cloud of doubt hovers over his career. For what ever reason, Hall of Fame voters hold his friendship with Ken Caminiti against him and the fact that he played for a known steroid hotbed of an organization for his entire career. Bagwell put up monster numbers and played a superb first base (.993 Fielding %) for most of his time in Houston. Bagwell made history during the 1994 strike-shortened season. He became the first National Leaguer to finish first or second in batting average, home runs, RBI, and runs scored since Willie Mays in 1955. Bags is also one of four infielders (Ian Kinsler, Alfonso Soriano, and Howard Johnson) in MLB history who have had multiple 30/30 seasons as of 2011. Many point to his muscular physique during his playing days, his sudden breakdown and the way he looks after retiring as tell-tale signs that he was a juicer. He's the only true question mark on this list. No evidence, just speculation.
12. David Ortiz
Position(s): DH, 1B
Stats: .284 BA 1824 H 398 HR 1318 RBI
Career: 1997-Present
Team(s): Twins, Red Sox
Accomplishments: 8x All-Star, 5x Silver Slugger, 2x Champion
David Ortiz was another guy on this list that folks believed in. Especially Red Sox Nation because he helped end the "Curse of the Bambino." Before becoming a star in Boston, Ortiz was a bum with the Twins, averaging 10 HRs a season during his six years there. With the Red Sox, Ortiz became the greatest DH to ever play, averaging 34 HRs a season over the course of ten years, and has an uncanny ability to come through in the clutch. He and Manny Ramirez formed their own version of the "Bash Brothers" and bopped their way to two championships. His name was on the list of 104 players that tested positive in 2003 and was shocked when he first heard about testing positive by a reporter in 2009. Ortiz conducted his own investigation and held a press conference stating that he did indeed test positive, but he never took steroids knowingly. He hasn't been quite the same player since.
11. Miguel Tejada
Position(s): SS
Stats: .285 BA 2362 H 304 HR 1282 RBI
Career: 1997-2011
Team(s): Athletics Orioles, Astros, Padres, Giants
Accomplishments: 6x All-Star, 2x Silver Slugger, 1x MVP
Tejada was a five tool player. He had speed, defense, power, hit for average and had a rocket for an arm. He was at the fore front of the new wave of Latin stars when he was with Oakland and was the best shortstop in the game for a good stretch. Everything seemed legit until Rafael Palmeiro, Jose Canseco and Jason Grimsley threw him under the bus—in that order. According to Palmeiro, he failed a drug test because of a tainted B-12 shot Tejada gave him. In his book, Canseco mentioned Miguel's name as a guy he thought took steroids because they allegedly had a convo about it and Jose noticed Tejada looked stronger the next year. While under investigation for the Palmeiro incident, Tejada denied any involvement and said he never took steroids and didn't know of any players that did. Shit hit the fan in 2007 once his name came up in the Mitchell Report with receipts of purchased PEDs and all. The feds charged him with perjury in 2009, but went light on him due to this tearful admission while a member of the Houston Astros.
10. Jose Canseco
Position(s): OF, DH
Stats: .266 BA 1877 H 462 HR 1407 RBI
Career: 1985-2001
Team(s): Athletics, Rangers, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Rays, Yankees, White Sox
Accomplishments: 6x All-Star, 4x Silver Slugger, 2x Champion, 1x MVP, ROY
The man, the myth, the legend. Jose started it all with his book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big in 2005. In said text, Canseco named names and created a scandal on par with the Black Sox and segregation in baseball. He claimed that about 85% of major leaguers are doping and that he personally injected McGwire, Juan Gonzalez, Ivan Rodriguez, Palmeiro and Jason Giambi. Two years later, Canseco published another book entitled, Vindicated, in which he outed Alex Rodriguez as a user. People thought he was full of shit until Alex came clean in 2009 and admitted to juicing during his time in Texas. Along with fellow "Bash Brother," Mark McGwire, he tore through the majors averaging 40 home runs a season during his 17-year career. He was the first member of the prestigious (not anymore) 40/40 club when he accomplished the feet in 1988. He was banging celebrities and was on top of the world until his back went on him and his off the field antics started to take their toll.
9. Mark McGwire
Position(s): 1B
Stats: .263 BA 1626 H 583 HR 1414 RBI
Career: 1986-2001
Team(s): Athletics, Cardinals
Accomplishments: 12x All-Star, 1x Champion, 3x Silver Slugger, 1x Gold Glove, ROY
"The Big Mac" admitted to using steroids as early as the 1989 season in which he and Jose Canseco led the Oakland A's to a World Series championship; the second of three straight appearances. During the 1987 season, his rookie year, McGwire shattered the rookie HR record (38) set by Frank Robinson and Wally Berger with 49 HRs; a record that stood for 31 years. According to Mark, he used PEDs on and off from 1989 until his retirement in 2001, which explains him not ever having a neck. Most importantly, he used them during his historic 1998 season when he demolished Roger Maris' HR record with 70 homers and followed it up in 1999 with 65 HRs. McGwire wants us to believe he juiced only for health reasons and not for power, which is a crock of shit. Canseco said he injected Mark in the A's clubhouse in his book, Juiced, back in the days when they were the "Bash Brothers" hitting every baseball and hot Cali blonde in sight. But, of course, Mark denied it. PEDs aside, McGwire was a borderline Hall of Famer until the 1998 and 1999 seasons. If he would've played clean, those two seasons would've put him over the top. He sits tenth in HRs (583) and eighth in slugging percentage (.588) all-time.
8. Ivan Rodriguez
Position(s): C
Stats: .296 BA 2844 H 311 HR 1332 RBI
Career: 1991-2011
Team(s): Rangers, Marlins, Tigers, Yankees, Astros, Nationals
Accomplishments: 14x All-Star, 13x Gold Glove, 7x Sliver Slugger, 1x MVP
For many years, Ivan Rodriguez was the benchmark for aspiring catchers. His cat-like reflexes earned him the nickname, "El Gato" amongst spanish folk and kept base runners at bay. He's the all-time leader in putouts as a catcher with 14,864; nearly 2,000 more than second place (Jason Kendall). Pudge dropped a significant amount of weight once the steroid scandal started getting hot and heavy further validating Canseco's book. In it he said that he personally educated Rodriguez and other teammates about steroids and injected them many times while in Texas. Ivan showed up to Tigers' spring training that same year weighing 187lbs as opposed to 215 the season prior. If steroids don't make people better explain Rodriguez's 1999 MVP season with the Rangers. He batted .334, smacked 35 HRs, drove in 113 and stole 25 bases; all career highs. He never hit more than 19 HRs before 1996 and after 2004 and never stole more than 10 bases except for the 1999 season. When asked if he was on the list of 104, Rodriguez replied, "Only God knows." Bigger, faster, stronger indeed.
7. Sammy Sosa
Position(s): RF
Stats: .273 BA 2408 H 609 HR 1667 RBI
Career: 1989-2005, 2007
Team(s): Rangers, White Sox, Cubs, Orioles
Accomplishments: 7x All-Star, 6x Silver Slugger, 1x MVP
Sammy, like Ortiz, was relatively unknown during the early part of his career. From 1989-1992 he only averaged 9 homers a season. But, by 1993 it was a wrap. His home run average jumped to 41 a season from 1993-2007 and he had become one of the league's premier players. It's pretty clear when he started juicing. "Slammin' Sammy" became the Cubs' first 30/30 guy in 1993 proving to be a rare combination of speed and power. Along with Mark McGwire, Sammy saved baseball from the devastation of the 1994 strike. He was a lovable guy that always played hard, but that all went away during the 2005 Congressional hearing on PEDs in the majors. Sosa suddenly forgot how to speak english and dodged questions by having his attorney speak on his behalf. After the hearing the New York Times published an article that stated Sosa was among 104 players who tested positive for PEDs in 2003. All sides neither confirmed nor denied who was on that list, which can only mean his name was on it. Before officially announcing his retirement in 2009, Sosa told ESPN, "I will calmly wait for my induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Don't I have the numbers to be inducted?" Sammy might be calmly waiting for that call from the Hall of Fame for a long time.
6. Gary Sheffield
Position(s): RF, 3B, SS
Stats: .292 BA 2689 H 509 HR 1676 RBI
Career: 1988-2009
Team(s): Brewers, Padres, Marlins, Dodgers, Braves, Yankees, Tigers, Mets
Accomplishments: 9x All-Star, 5x Silver Slugger, 1x Champion
Sheff's violent batting stance put fear into opposing pitchers' hearts for many years. He either hit the ball hard or not at all and never bit his tongue, right or wrong. Gary was one of those guys no one suspected of using (at the time) because he wasn't putting up crazy numbers nor did he resemble a giant form of human. His cover was blown when his name was in the Mitchell Report linking him to the BALCO scandal as Barry Bond's main man. According to Gary, "It was basically Barry (saying), 'Trust me. Do what I do.'" He said that Barry's trainer, Greg Anderson applied a cream laced with steroids to Sheff's surgically repaired knee. He denies that it helped his career til this very day. Sheffield is on a list that includes Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, Frank Robinson, Reggie Jackson and Alex Rodriguez as the only players with 500 HRs, 2,500 hits, 1,500 RBIs and 200 stolen bases.
5. Manny Ramirez
Position(s): RF, LF
Stats: .312 BA 2574 H 555 HR 1831 RBI
Career: 1993-2011
Team(s): Indians, Red Sox, Dodgers, White Sox, Rays
Accomplishments: 12x All-Star, 9x Silver Slugger, 2x Champion
As far as we were concerned, Manny was one of the last real ones left. During his heyday he was to hitting as Kevin Durant is to scoring. Manny hit for average, power and was clutch; he could not be stopped. He helped the Indians reach the World Series twice and brought the Red Sox two titles after an 86-year drought. Many felt that he was the greatest hitter of his era. But that was until 2009 when Ramirez tested positive for unusually high testosterone level and was suspended for 50 games as a member of the Dodgers. He quickly blamed it on a woman's fertility drug that his doctor supposedly prescribed to him—a drug that's commonly taken by steroid users when they're coming off of a cycle. Later on that year it came out that his name was among the 104 players that tested positive in a 2003 drug test. In 2011, he tested positive again for a banned substance and instead of serving a 100-game suspension he decided to retire. But hey, that's just Manny being Manny.
4. Rafael Palmeiro
Position(s): 1B
Stats: .288 BA 3020 H 569 HR 1834 RBI
Career: 1986-2005
Team(s): Cubs, Rangers, Orioles
Accomplishments: 4x All-Star, 3x Gold Glove, 2x Silver Slugger
Rafael Palmeiro quietly averaged 33 HRs and was one of the best fielding first basemen over the course of his twenty year career. That was until Canseco said he personally injected Palmeiro with steroids. That led to Palmeiro being called to testify at the 2005 Congressional hearings on PEDs. There Rafael blatantly lied to the American people. He sat in front of Congress and millions of viewers and said, while pointing, "Let me start by telling you this: I have never used steroids, period." Later that year, he tested positive for Stanozolo, was suspended for 10 days, and took Miguel Tejada down with him. Palmeiro said he failed the test due to a tainted B-12 shot Tejada allegedly gave him. Congress decided not to charge him with perjury due to lack of evidence. Rafael Palmeiro joins a list that includes Willie Mays, Eddie Murray and Hank Aaron as the only players in history to have 3,000 hits and 500 home runs.
3. Alex Rodriguez
Position(s): 3B, SS
Stats: .301 BA 2844 H 641 HR 1926 RBI
Career: 1994-Present
Team(s): Mariners, Rangers, Yankees
Accomplishments: 14x All-Star, 10x Silver Slugger, 3x MVP, 2x Gold Glove, 1x Champion
Before he admitted to using steroids, Alex was considered to be top five dead or alive. He hit for average, power, had speed and was great defensively. He was damn near the second coming. He joined the 40/40 club in 1998 as a member of the Mariners. It all came crashing down when Jose Canseco mentioned him in his second book, Vindicated. Canseco wrote that Alex was on 'roids and that he even set up a deal with a distributor for Rodriguez. Of course A-Rod denied this until it came out in 2009 that he tested positive for PEDs in a 2003 test while with the Rangers. Alex finally came clean and confessed to juicing between 2001-2003 in order to live up to his record-breaking contract with the Rangers. A-Rod put most of the blame on the culture, saying, "it was such a loosey-goosey era." During the time of his admission, Alex was linked to his cousin, Yuri Sucart, who supplied Alex with PEDs in Texas and with Canadian doctor, Anthony Galea, who was under investigation by the feds. For all we know Alex has been using his whole career.
2. Roger Clemens
Position(s): P
Stats: 354 W 3.12 ERA 4672 SO
Career: 1984-2007
Team(s): Red Sox, Blue Jays,Yankees, Astros
Accomplishments: 11x All-Star, 7x Cy Young, 2x Champion, 1x MVP
Roger just recently got off, but we still think he did 'roids. No one in history has pitched that good at that age. He was going around raping organizations for 1-year deals. After the 2003 season, Clemens retired at 40 from the game after going 17-9 with a 3.91 ERA, a World Series appearance and his legacy in tact. He then made his return a year later after his best bud, Andy Pettitte signed to the Astros. Clemens signed a modest 1-year/$5 million deal with Houston and had a historical year. At 42, he became the oldest player to ever win a Cy Young, which was his seventh, another record. Clemens then signed another 1-year deal at $18 million making him the highest paid pitcher in MLB history for the 2005 season. He didn't disappoint even with Canseco mentioning him in his book as an "expert on steroids" earlier in the year. At this point people weren't taking Jose seriously. So, life went on and Roger Clemens posted a 1.87 ERA, a personal best, and the lowest ERA since 1995 (Greg Maddux) helping the Astros make their first World Series trip. Based on that performance the Astros gave Roger a 1-year/$22 million contract to play the 2006 season. He wasn't as effective and retired once again only to return to the Evil Empire after signing a 1-year/$18 million contract with the Yankees.
Everything was fine and dandy until his name popped up in the Mitchell Report 82 times. Clemens' longtime trainer, Brian McNamee, admitted to injecting Roger numerous times, but had no concrete evidence. Only the May 2012 testimony of his best friend, Andy Pettitte, saying that Roger took HGH. Roger Clemens has always been one of baseball's top pitchers, but was his success during the twilight of his career due to PEDs or was it due to his mythical training regiment? The Rocket seems like the type of guy that'll take something like that to his grave.
1. Barry Bonds
Position(s): LF
Stats: .298 BA 2935 H 762 HR 1996 RBI
Career: 1986-2007
Team(s): Pirates, Giants
Accomplishments: 7x MVP, 14x All-Star, 8x Gold Glove, 12x Silver Slugger, All-Time Leader in HRs (762), Most HRs in a Single Season (73)
Let's get one thing clear. Before Barry was suspected of using steroids he was already headed for Cooperstown. He hit 30 or more home runs in thirteen consecutive seasons from 1992-2004, joined the 40/40 club in 1996 and was the second best player in baseball in the early part of that run behind only Ken Griffey Jr. He was flying under the radar until he started looking like Mr. Met and the BALCO scandal erupted in everyone's face. Barry was never caught red-handed and hasn't admitted to being a user yet, but anybody with a brain could tell he was using.
In 2002, he became the oldest player to win a batting title at 37 and he repeated the feat at 39. Mainly because every pitcher was scared shitless to pitch to him and felt it was safer to walk him. When most players start to break down in their mid-30s, Bonds was averaging 40 HRs a year. In 2007, he broke Hank Aaron's all-time HR record when he hit #756 on August 7. The founder of this here magazine bought the ball for 750 stacks, branded it with an asterisk and donated it to Cooperstown. All speculation aside, Barry should be allowed in the Hall. If baseball tries to erase his numbers, they would have to do the same for the pitchers that threw to him. Everyone knows the controversy surrounding him and that should be enough shame.