The Top Five MLB Players Who Are Not on Steroids.....Hopefully.

Over the last decade baseball has undergone, a transformation. The events surrounding this so-called steroid era has caused even the most naive of fan to become cynical. Bonds, McGuire, Sosa, Palmiero, Clemens, A-Rod, Giambi, and Manny, were all players who once stood as goliaths of baseball.

These were the type of players whom fathers would take their sons to the ball park just to watch their heros take batting practice. The spectacle of watching majestic blast after majestic blast was worth the price of admission alone.

But now we know it was all a great farce. These chemically enhanced freaks hijacked the game and when they were done with it, stripped it of most of its integrity. Players such as Albert Pujols and Raul Ibanez are having all-world seasons this year and as much as we want to believe there success has come naturally, most fans do not want to be duped AGAIN. As the saying goes, fool me once shame on you; Fool me twice, shame on me.

So that leaves us all with the question of who is it safe to root for. What players can a father tell his son to look up to and not have his faith in that player betrayed somewhere down the road? As infested as the game may have become with steroids, there must certainly be players out there who are achieving their success the right way.  But who are they?

I am going to put myself out their and take a stab at five players I believe to be clean. Granted I have no proof that they are clean, as all my assertions will be based off of circumstantial evidence, and just my gut feeling. I could very well be wrong about one or all of them. But the fan inside, who wants to again trust in the sanctity and integrity of the game, implores me to take that chance and root whole heartily for these players.

No. 5: Mariano Rivera

The great Yankee closer has been one of the most consistent pitchers of his era. He may have the most devastating pitch of the last 25 years with his cutter.  Despite the effectiveness of his pitches, he also weighs only 170 pounds.

Rivera is now 39 years old and during his career he has maintained relatively the same weight and physique. He did not develop shoulders resembling the Incredible Hulk, like Clemens neither did, nor did he increase the effectiveness and arsenal of his pitches in the twilight of his career.

He is to this day is a great closer who may has a step but the greatness of his career can not be denied, especially if he did it all by himself, which I believe he did.

No. 4L Hanley Ramirez

This young star possesses something that many great sluggers, clean or not, don’t have: Supreme athletic ability. You could put Ramirez on a basketball court or a football field and he would probably be the best player at any local pick up game around the neighborhood.

Ramirez is fully capable of achieving 30 HR, 100 RBI, and 50 SB seasons. He has a lot of pop in his bat to go along with his blazing speed. He is 6’3” and weighs 200 pounds.

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