Jimmy Sez

Recently, we reviewed the Hall of Fame cases of some former Yankees whose careers will always be intertwined with steroid use. There are four other former Yankees  on the ballot  - all outfielders - who managed to steer clear of the steroid conversation in baseball while they played. However, their candidacy will be hotly contested nonetheless. First-timer Carlos Beltran has a Hall of Fame résumé that on the surface makes him an obvious candidate for election. Confounding his case is his prominent role in the Houston Astros cheating scandal that rocked the baseball world in 2019. Thus far, voters seem undecided on how to handle the situation. Two veterans on the ballot - Bobby Abreu and Andruw Jones - find themselves in the middle of what will be a long stay on the ballot. One of them may get the writers' blessing for Cooperstown before his run is through, while the other certainly will not. We'll round out this group with Jacoby Ellsbury, a player who jumped to the Yan...

It's a new year, and Hall of Fame season is really starting to ramp up. For the first time in ten years the BBWAA ballot isn't weighed down by the two biggest stars of the Steroid Era in Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds. While it's nice to have a repreive from the tired arguments on both sides of their cases, there's still no shortage of steriod controversy with this year's crop of candidates. In fact, three of them were active Yankee players when their steroid use - alleged or confirmed - took place. When it comes to their legacies as a Yankee, Andy Pettitte and Gary Sheffield couldn't be more different. When it comes to their chances for Hall of Fame induction, they're on eerily similar trajectories. With just two years of eligibility left, Sheffield's time is running out. Pettitte has another six years to run the BBWAA gauntlet, but his fate seems no different. Meanwhile, Alex Rodriguez will make his second appearance on the ballot as the most fascinati...