by Juan Leer

Created on: January 27, 2007   Last Updated: May 30, 2011

Barry Bonds has been in the news so many times over the past few years, that it seems like absolutely everyone has an opinion on him and the validity of his accomplishments. And for any question surrounding Barry Bonds, the biggest debate is whether or not he should be allowed into the Hall of Fame. Ever since he retired from the San Francisco Giants, he has become the hotspot for this debate, with Pete Rose the only other person in baseball with a candidacy so debated. As Cooperstown is a very hallowed place for baseball fans, it evokes strong emotions on both side of the argument. So, should Barry Bonds be allowed into the Hall of Fame? In my opinion, he should.

Even before any of the steroid allegations came up he was a no doubt Hall of Famer. Bonds was the best player in the 1990s... the best combination of power and speed and the history of baseball. He is the only player in MLB history with over 500 HR and over 500 SBs... heck, he's the only guy in MLB history with at least 400 HR and 400 SBs. While some of the power numbers are certainly by steroid usage, he is still the best combination of power and speed that baseball has ever seen. His physical tools on the baseball field are simply amazing, and they were quite a sight to see.

At the plate he had a great batting eye, knowing the difference between a ball and strike like few ever have. He was also a very good power hitter even before the steroid allegations. Another factor is that during the time period he is accused of taking steroids, they were not even illegal in the MLB. Some could potentially argue that he wasn't even really doing anything wrong. But even so, steroids will not turn a bad player into a good player. Steroids did not make Barry Bonds a great player. He already was a great player and a surefire Hall of Famer well before he is ever accused of taking steroids.

Add it all up, and Barry Bonds is one of the greatest players to ever play in the MLB, steroid allegations or not. He absolutely belongs in the Hall of Fame. If you want to take away the home run record, I would listen to an argument for that, because the steroids did have an impact on how many homeruns that he hit. But the steroids did not make him a great player, did not make him the greatest combination of size and speed in the history of baseball... he already had all of those things even before he was ever accused of doing things illegally.

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