Notorious players who have been accused of steroid use after retirement include Jose Canseco, Roger Clemens, and of course; Barry Bonds. These players were accused and taken to trial after retirement because there was not a drug policy in place that tested players randomly during the season. 

Steroids are a sticky subject, especially in professional sports. Steroids can decrease body fat, increase muscle strength and power, and improve endurance and durability of muscles, which can be essential to a professional athlete. Steroid use was, and still is prominent in Major League Baseball. Since 2005, at least one player has been suspended every year, with some years having multiple suspensions, such as 2005, when there were eleven. The most recent steroid accusation falls on New York Mets second baseman, Robinson Cano in November of 2020. It was his second offense which comes with a 162 game suspension which will cause him to miss all of the 2021 season. 2021 could’ve been a big year for Cano as he has a case for the Baseball Hall of Fame. For Barry Bonds though, there is a strong case that shows why steroids do not define him as a player.

Barry Bonds: Pre-Steroids

Before admitted steroid use, Barry Bonds was still a phenom. From 1986-1997 he had a slash line of .288/.408/.551 (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage). Bonds racked up three MVP awards, seven National League silver slugger awards, seven gold gloves in the outfield, seven all-star appearances, and three National League Championship Series appearances, although the Pirates didn’t win one.

Barry Bonds before admitted steroid use

1986-1997, 11 year span, age 21-32 season

As the chart above shows, Bonds was still an extremely productive player even without steroid use. Bonds almost hit 400 home runs, drove in over 1000 runs, and still drew walks at an extremely high rate. His 260 intentional walks in eleven seasons would put him at 5th all time, tied with Willie McCovey, which shows at the time Bonds was still one of the most feared hitters in all of baseball. 

Barry Bonds: Steroid Use

During his use of steroids (as far as we know), Barry Bonds was the biggest name in baseball by a country mile. Bonds was easily the most feared hitter on the planet as he racked up 428 intentional walks in that nine year span (which by itself would be the most of all-time), and could launch a ball into orbit at any time, and any place. His slash line of .314/.496/.697 is one of the most ridiculous of all-time. Bonds would also collect four more MVP awards, another seven all-star appearances, five more National League silver slugger awards, one more Gold Glove, and two National League batting titles.

Bonds’ stats after admitted steroid use

1998-2007, 9 year span, age 33-42 season

This nine year stretch from Bonds might be the best ever. This span of course included his illustrious 2001 season in which he hit 73 home runs, the most ever in a single season. Through this span he also had an OPS above 1.278 four times, which is good for 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 8th all-time in OPS for a single season.

Barry Bonds: Full Career

Barry Bonds of course holds the record for most home runs in a career with 762, walks with 2,558, and intentional walks with 688. Through his entire 21 year career with the Pirates and Giants, Bonds put up a slash line of .298/.444/.607, and racked up seven MVP awards (most all-time), twelve National League silver slugger awards (most all-time), fourteen all-star appearances, eight gold gloves, and two National League batting titles. 

Total

1986-2007, 21 year span, age 21-42 career

                                *most of                           *most of       *most of

                                               all-time                             all-time         all-time

Barry Bonds: Hall of Fame Case

Many Hall of Fame voters say that Bonds should not be allowed in based on the fact that he used steroids, and that it enhanced his play, meaning he cheated and was not on a level playing field with everyone else. A very good counter to this though, is that Bonds still could have made the Hall of Fame without steroid use. Bonds admitted to using steroids beginning in the 1998 season, and as shown earlier, his stats before steroid use were still very good. 

Bonds’ stats before admitted steroid use

1986-1997, 11 year span, age 21-32 season

Steroids do prolong playing careers, so say you cut off three or four years off of Bonds’ playing career and he played six or seven more years. If he played seven more years without steroids, he would easily reach 400 home runs; possibly even 500. 

There are currently fifty-seven players to hit 400 or more homeruns, thirty-one of which are in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Seventeen of the fifty-seven are either still on the Hall of Fame ballot or not in the Hall of Fame, and nine of those fifty-seven players have not been on the ballot yet. Hitting 400 HRs alone gives you a 54% chance of making the Hall of Fame, and assuming Miguel Cabrera, Adrian Beltre, Albert Pujols, and David Ortiz make it in, that would make it a 61% chance. 

There are currently twenty-seven players who have hit 500 or more homeruns, 18 of which are in the Hall of Fame. There are six players who have hit 500 homeruns who are either not in the Hall of Fame, or are still on the ballot, and there are three players who have not been on the ballot yet. That alone gives a 500 homerun hitter a 67% chance to make the Hall of Fame. Assuming Albert Pujols and David Ortiz make it, that goes up to a 74% chance, and if Miguel Cabrera hits thirteen more home runs and breaks the 500 threshold and makes the hall of fame, that number goes up to 78%.

Barry Bonds, despite the steroid use, is still a Hall of Famer. There is not a doubt that barring any injuries, Barry Bonds would have reached at least the 400 home run mark in another seven years of playing, and possibly could have reached 500. It is a shame that Bonds will always be remembered for cheating because he was one of the best baseball players ever. Other than his record of 762 home runs, seven MVP awards, and twelve National League silver slugger awards, he also has the highest OPS in a single season, has the fourth-highest WAR of all-time (second-highest by a position player), and holds the record for intentional walks in a career by 376 walks, with Albert Pujols in second place at 312 and counting. 

All in all, whether Barry Bonds makes it into the Hall of Fame or not, he should be recognized as one of the best baseball players of all-time regardless of steroid usage. Bonds put up phenomenal numbers before steroids, and there’s no doubt that he would have kept up the same thing without them. Steroids do not define the career of Barry Bonds.

*all stats taken from

• https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bondsba01.shtml
• https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/WAR_career.shtml
• https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/IBB_career.shtml
• https://www.baseball-almanac.com/hitting/hiops2.shtml