Pete Rose Needs To Be In The HOF

While some still feel he should be left out of baseballs biggest honor, the time has come for Rose to be ushered in.

March 8, 2022

Source: Time & Google Images

The time has come to put baseballs "Hit King" in the Hall of Fame. The first argument for his admittance, naturally, are his stats.

​Average	​.303
​Hits	4,256
HR	160
RBI	1,314
WAR	79.6

Every single one of these statistics, sans maybe his Home Run total, is exemplary of a Hall of Fame caliber player. In my opinion, Rose as the all-time hits leader in baseball history should be allowed in for his hit total alone. This has especially been proven true lately, where the Baseball writers have admitted players hovering around 2,500 hits such as Larry Walker; this is a far cry from what many used to perceive as a 3,000 hit benchmark to even be considered for nomination. In terms of statistics, Rose passes the eye test with flying colors.

Adding to his impressive stat line are his career accolades. These are shown below.

​All-Star Appearances	17
World Series Championships	3
Batting Titles	3
Gold Gloves	2

Again, Rose passes the eye test with ease. His stats plus these accolades are indicative of a fringe Top 5 player in Major League Baseball history. Rose played the game itself hard, doing so the right way.

Here is where the argument for keeping Rose out of the Hall begins to creep in. Once you look past the stats, it can be hard to argue Rose's following his actions pertaining to gambling illegally as a player and manager. However, here is why he should still be in.

1) Unlike proven Steroid users like Barry Bonds, Rose's actions did not impact his statistics. While what Rose did by gambling on Cincinatti Reds games a both a player and manager is arguably a character flaw and immoral, his on-field stats and accolades remain pure. The same can not be said for Bonds, whose body drasticallly changed over the course of his career due to his repeated substance use and directly impacted his performance on the field via padded stats.

2) The times have changed.

At the time when Rose was first banned, his exile came at the hands of a commissioner, Bartlett Giamatti, who hated him. Thus, Rose had zero chance at getting in and was the victim of one persons personal opinion. Why, under Rob Manfred currently and all the commissioners that have come in between Giamatti and Manfred, should Rose continue to be excluded? I think that it is more than fair to say that he has served fair punishment.

3) Again, the times have changed.

When Pete Rose bet, it came at a time in America where sports betting was all but illegal across the board. In recent years, the thinking and general perception on sports betting has shifted as the activity carries less judgment than it used to. Currently, in 2022, there are around 30 states that have legalized sports betting. Just like the laws have been updated and revised, so should Roses' HOF case.

4) The 2022 HOF class.

In their final year of eligibility, while they still missed obtaining the 75% of the vote needed to enter the Hall steroid users Bonds (66%) and Roger Clemens (65.2%) came very close to being enshrined. These percentages are a far cry from the ones these players received in their first years of eligibility and are strikingly different even being compared to last year. This further shows, as aforementioned, the loosening standards of the baseball writers which benefits Rose's case.

While I recognize that there are solid points to be made on both fronts, I m a staunch supporter of Rose finally getting in. Furthermore, he needs to get in before he dies. Baseball would be making a big mistake to continue prohibiting Rose from entering the hall, and it would be a disgrace to see him in baseball purgatory forever.