Commissioner Rob Manfred suggests innocent until proven guilty for Hall of Fame candidates

Commissioner Rob Manfred is in the news again, but he’s not talking defensive shifts or putting an expansion team on the moon. This time, he’s advocating common sense and openly suggesting that Hall of Fame voters stop pretending like they can tell who did or didn’t use steroids.

Not that the voters have to listen to him. But it’s about damned time someone in baseball said this out loud. In an interview with ESPN reporters, here’s what Manfred said:

“I think it’s unfair,” Manfred said, in answer to a follow-up question, “for people to surmise that Player A did X, Y or Z, absent a positive test, or proof that we produced in an investigation, or whatever. I just think it runs contrary to a very fundamental notion in our society, that you’re innocent until somebody proves you’re guilty.”

If you think Player X did A, he’s clearly a bastard and should be treated as such, but if you think Player A did X, Y, or Z ... back off. Manfred didn’t name specific players like Jeff Bagwell and Mike Piazza, but he was talking about Jeff Bagwell and Mike Piazza. When asked about Barry Bonds, Manfred said ...

“I think you get to the point, on any individual player -- I’m talking about just as a general proposition, not necessarily talking about Barry Bonds,” the commissioner said. “You get to a point where there’s a quantum of credible evidence out there that you can make a judgment that he did something.”

He was necessarily talking about Barry Bonds. But, yeah, I can understand that one. There are mountains of evidence against Bonds in addition to the eyeball test and anecdotes. If you’re of the mind that taking steroids is an ethical lapse and an unfair advantage over players who weren’t willing to risk their health, fine. I disagree, but at least it’s an ethos.

With Mike Piazza, though, you have back acne as the main evidence against him. That’s about it, even though adults get acne, too. Heck, here I am on television yesterday:

It happens. When it happens in conjunction with greying hair, it’s like something that the Greek gods use to punish you because you stole the secret of radio, but it happens.

So I don’t care about what Mike Piazza’s back looked like, or how unlikely it was for a 62nd-round pick to succeed in the majors, or how muscled and strong he was, or if he played between the years of 1986 and 2007. He has 7,745 plate appearances that suggest he should be in the Hall of Fame, and amateur dermatologists and logicians suggesting he shouldn’t. It’s gross. Kudos to the commissioner for suggesting as much.

The correct order of gross Hall of Fame voters, from grossest to least gross:

1. Voters who won’t vote for anyone from the Steroid Era at all because they don’t want to think too hard

2. Voters who use their eyes and assorted whispers to decide who did or didn’t use

3. Voters who won’t vote for likely/proven steroid users

4. Voters who will consider players with Hall of Fame careers before the steroids

5. Hamsterdam voters

I’m in Hamsterdam, baby, but I respectfully disagree with the two factions ahead of me. The other two are human boils, and it’s good to see Commissioner Manfred openly speak up against one of them. It probably won’t make a difference -- you can’t extinguish the hot take of a Hall of Fame-voting baseball writer, son -- but it’s still refreshing.

And then, on February 6, the commissioner said, “Hey, nincompoops, have you ever thought of not using sketchy, flimsy, circumstantial evidence to decide who should or shouldn’t get into the Hall of Fame?” It was a welcome change. Use the Mitchell Report. Use BALCO. Use Biogenesis. Use Federal investigations. Don’t use your eyes and your drug-sniffing nose. It’s simple enough. And now your commissioner suggests it. Listen to him.

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