Roger Clemens: A Case for His Hall of Fame Bid

In the world of baseball, there is no clear-cut way to handle players who have been accused of, but not proven guilty of using performance enhancing drugs. In 2013, the Baseball Hall of Fame will host quite the sampling of players from the steroid era whose names have been muddied with steroid accusations, and in some cases, confessions.

Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire (assuming he is not voted in in 2012), Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens will all be on the same ballot. This makes up a 1990's baseball fantasy team, yet none of these players may ever see their names enshrined in Cooperstown.

But what if there was a way?

What if Major League Baseball found a way to allow for these players to be eligible based solely on the years in which they played "clean" and had the rest of their accomplishments wiped from the record books. In that fantasy land, a case could still be made for Clemens.

The Rocket That Fell to Earth

In his 2009 book titled The Rocket That Fell To Earth: Roger Clemens and the Rage for Baseball Immortality, Jeff Pearlman took an in-depth look at just what went wrong with Roger Clemens and when.  

Pearlman chronicles the differences between Clemens and Jose Canseco, who became teammates in Boston during the 1995 and 1996 seasons, as players from an outside perspective they appeared worlds apart, but how inside the clubhouse it seemed that the two were baseball soul mates.

Clemens was witnessing declining numbers while in his last couple of seasons with the Boston Red Sox, 1995 and 1996.  Each season he would win just 10 games, nothing comparable to his earlier years that saw him win 20 or more games with relative ease.

While Canseco spoke freely of steroid use in the Red Sox clubhouse, Clemens would start to gain interest over time. Pearlman makes the case that when then-Red Sox General Manager Dan Duquette decided not to bring Roger back after the 1996 season, fearing that his ace had lost his stuff, it was the tipping point for Clemens to call up his friend Canseco, and get his edge back.

While there is no way to confirm the timeframe here of alleged use, what is absolutely true is that Jose Canseco did not join the Boston Red Sox until 1995. Therefore, for the case I will make will not include either season that Canseco played in Boston.

1984: Rookie Year

In 1984 Clemens appeared in 21 games, starting 20 of them. In that time frame he pitched 133.1 innings and managed to pitch five complete games and one shutout.

He posted a 9-4 record with an ERA of 4.32 while striking out 126 batters and offering a WHIP of 1.313.

In other words, Clemens was pretty good right from the start. He would finish sixth overall in American League Rookie of the Year voting that season, behind Alvin Davis, Mark Langston, Kirby Puckett, Tim Teufel and Mike Young.

1985: Injuries Slowed the Rocket

After a promising start to his career in 1984, Roger would only take the mound 15 times in 1985. Clemens would battle with injuries, yet still managed to post a winning record of 7-5.

His ERA was considerably better than his rookie year, posting a 3.29 with an improved WHIP of 1.220.

In his 15 games, Clemens would pitch three complete games with one shutout and managed to strike out 74 batters in the process. While hurt, he still left Boston with a lot of hope moving forward and with a lot of high expectations.

1986: UNTOUCHABLE

In 1986, a healthy Clemens came roaring back with a vengeance. He led the league in winning percentage with a .857, posting a 24-4 record on the back of a league leading 2.48 ERA.

Clemens started 33 games that season with 10 complete and one shutout under his belt. 1986 would also prove Clemens to be a work horse, racking up 254 innings pitched, striking out 238 batters along the way. On top of that, his accuracy was the best it would be in his entire 24-year career, posting a league best, career best, 0.969 WHIP.

1986 would mark Roger's first All-Star selection, American League Cy Young award and American League MVP award.

In short, Clemens was dominant.

1987: Curtain Call

Following up his career year with another equally impressive outing seemed like a daunting task, however, Clemens managed to do just that.

While he did not win 24 games in 1987, he did manage to win 20 and drop nine, posting a 2.97 ERA with a WHIP of 1.175.

He appeared in 36 games, increasing his work load to 281.2 innings pitched, striking out 256 batters. Clemens led the league with an incredible 18 complete games and seven shutouts.

Clemens did not make the All-Star team in 1987, however, he did manage to rack up his second consecutive American League Cy Young award. Up to this point, Clemens would be only the second pitcher to accomplish that feat, behind Jim Palmer in 1975 and 1976 for the Baltimore Orioles.

1988: Back to Earth... a Little Bit

While Clemens would make his second All-Star team in 1988, he would not win the MVP and placed sixth in Cy Young voting.  

Don't be mistaken, Clemens still put up incredible numbers, posting a record of 18-12 while posting his second lowest career ERA to date, 2.93 as well as his second lowest WHIP to date, 1.057 in 35 games for the Red Sox.

Clemens would once again lead the league in complete games (14) and shutouts (8) as well as strikeouts (291), while putting in 264 innings of service.

1989: What? No Awards?

In what would prove to be his least impressive season to date, Clemens managed to only post a 17-11 record with a 3.13 ERA and a 1.216 WHIP in 35 games for the Sox.

Clemens would only pitch eight complete games with three shutouts in 253.1 innings while only striking out 237 batters that season.

Then again, 1988 Cy Young winner Frank Viola was just nasty that year. He won 24 games for the Minnesota Twins with a 2.64 ERA striking out 193 batters.  

1990: Back to Form

After having a less than Clemens like year in 1989, he would come roaring back to start the new decade off right.  

Clemens would once again win more than 20 games, posting a 21-6 record with a league leading and career best ERA of 1.93 (as of this point.  He would post later post a 1.87 ERA for the Houston Astros in 2005.)

In 31 games, Clemens would pitch seven complete games and lead the league with four shutouts. In 228.1 innings he would strike out 209 batters and post a WHIP of 1.082.

While his numbers were impressive enough to earn him his third All-Star nomination, Clemens would fall short for his third Cy Young bid, placing second behind the Oakland A's 27-game winner, Bob Welch. He would also fall short in another MVP bid, placing third in the voting.

1991: Blast off

In 1991, Clemens would not win 20 games. He would go on to post a record of 18-10 with some pretty impressive stats to back that record up.

He lead the league in games started with 35, pitching a league leading 271.1 innings. In that time he would post a league-best 2.62 ERA, throwing 13 complete games and four shutouts with a WHIP of 1.047, to this point his second best WHIP posted.

Clemens would strike out a league leading 241 batters on the way to his fourth All-Star game appearance and third American League Cy Young award.

This Cy Young award would tie Clemens with Sandy Koufax, Tom Seaver and Jim Palmer for second most awards behind Steve Carlton's four.

1992: Last Great Year in Boston

Clemens would finish up a fantastic three-year stretch of pitching in Boston with a record of 18-11 appearing in 32 games for the Sox.

He would lead the league in ERA (2.41) and WHIP (1.074) in 246.2 innings of work. Clemens would throw for 11 complete games and a league best 5 shutouts, striking out 208 batters.

Once again, Clemens would be in the Cy Young conversation, finishing third that year for the award, while making his fifth and final All-Star appearance as a member of the Boston Red Sox.

1993: Back to Earth

In 1993, Roger would have his only losing season in a Boston Red Sox uniform, posting an 11-14 record with a career high 4.46 ERA while managing a 1.263 WHIP.

Clemens would put up career lows in complete games with just two, adding just one shutout. He would only manage to strike out 160 batters in 191.2 innings of service.

1994: The Rocket Has Landed

For the final year of my sample size, Clemens would rebound slightly from his abysmal 1993 campaign. His season would be slightly marred by injuries, appearing in just 24 games for the Red Sox. He would, however, post a winning record of 9-7.

His ERA would be significantly better than 1993, at 2.85, while his WHIP also improved to 1.143.

Clemens would manage 170.2 innings and throw three complete games and one shutout. He would strike out 168 batters, a far cry from the 291 strikeouts he posted in 1988.

So How Does Clemens Stack Up?

Oddly enough, even though his numbers would be based on a 10-year span in Boston, his numbers are Hall of Fame-worthy, matching up fairly closely to that of Sandy Koufax.

While Koufax played for 12 seasons, he played in 397 games, posting a record of 165-87, with a winning percentage of .655 in 2,324.1 innings of service.

Koufax had a career ERA of 2.76 with a 1.106 WHIP. He would have 137 complete games and 40 shutouts on his resume as well.

His list of awards is considerable:

1963 NL Babe Ruth Award 
1963 ML WS MVP 
1963 NL TSN Pitcher of the Year 
1963 NL Triple Crown 
1963 NL MVP 
1963 ML Major League Player of the Year 
1963 ML Cy Young 
1964 NL TSN Pitcher of the Year 
1965 NL Babe Ruth Award 
1965 NL TSN Pitcher of the Year 
1965 ML WS MVP 
1965 NL Triple Crown 
1965 ML Cy Young 
1965 ML Major League Player of the Year 
1966 NL Triple Crown 
1966 ML Cy Young 
1966 NL TSN Pitcher of the Year 
1966 ML Hutch Award

His 10-Year Stats

From 1984 to 1994, Clemens would appear in 302 games and post a record of 163-86, with a .654 winning percentage in 2,222.2 innings pitched.

His career ERA as of that point would be 3.05 with a career WHIP of 1.141. Clemens would have 91 complete games and 35 shutouts on his resume.

Clemens would be a five-time All-Star with an impressive list of awards of his own:

1986 ML AS MVP 
1986 AL TSN Pitcher of the Year 
1986 AL MVP 
1986 ML Major League Player of the Year 
1986 AL Cy Young 
1987 AL Cy Young 
1991 AL TSN Pitcher of the Year 
1991 AL Cy Young 

Is He In?

I guess what it all boils down to is the question of, would Clemens ever stand a shot of being enshrined in Cooperstown?

While over the course of his 24-year career, his stats implicate a sure thing, his accused misconduct to the game leaves us out on a limb.

While on the one hand, the man is largely considered to be the greatest pitcher to ever have played the game, his numbers, in majority, are questioned, which is why I ask, can the man be elected based on achievements based on the years before alleged steroid use?

Will Roger ever be in the Hall of Fame?

Do he even deserve to be?