Can Anyone Be Trusted? Looking at the Steroid Era

1998 is regarded as one of the most memorable and important seasons in MLB history. It was the year of the home run record chase, a season where Mark McGwire hit 70 and Sammy Sosa hit 66 home runs. Few could expect what would happen in the 10 seasons following that great season, including another record chase from Barry Bonds.

If we look at the seasons leading up to 1998, the power numbers when compared to 2008 really show some obvious strong evidence of the steroid era. Last season, two players hit 40 homes runs or higher, while in 1998, 13 players hit the same mark. Many of the names are quite surprising when you look at them today.

The most obvious great power hitter to remain clear of steroid allegations is Ken Griffey Jr. But even he, just based on his numbers and the era, will probably be doubted by many. If Griffey retires clean, does it really speak to just how much more impressive of a player he was, or does it speak to the sign of the times? It's unfair to Griffey, but even he probably understands the doubts at this point.

If you're trying to pick out a season to label as the beginning of the "steroid era," 1996 isn't a bad place to start. After a 1995 season where four players hit 40 home runs, the number jumped to an astonishing 17, with another boatload of players hitting over 30 bombs. Some of the names are names you think about when talking steroids: McGwire with 52, Sosa with 40, Bonds with 42, Ken Caminiti with 40. But what about the names not talked about much: Vinny Castilla with 40, Jay Buhner with 44, Todd Hundley with 41, the list goes on and on. Do we assume they were dirty as well?

And then there was Brady Anderson, who hit 50 home runs in 1996, a season after hitting 16, and a season before hitting 18. What about the Colorado Rockies, who had Larry Walker, Andres Galarraga, Vinny Castilla, and Ellis Burks putting up huge power numbers, mostly attributed to Coors Field?

Then there are some bigger name players who put up their best numbers around this era which can be debated. What about Albert Belle? Mo Vaughn? Juan Gonzalez? Mike Piazza?

And then there's Griffey, who could, because of never being linked to steroids, be argued as the best player of that era. But there will still always be a shadow of doubt on Griffey, just based on the time and the numbers. For now, I give him a pass, as it's hard for me to convict someone based only on their numbers and the actions of others.

And now that Manny Ramirez has been popped for using performance enhancers, there is nothing that can happen that would surprise baseball fans. Just the fact that Ramirez would allegedly use performance enhancers at this time in baseball history is unreal. It shows the gamble that a player is still willing to take in order to put up huge numbers. Being a free agent again at the end of this season probably made the risk worth taking for Manny.

But we will never come close to knowing the full extent of how many players cheated. All we can do is base an opinion on the numbers we look back at. Now we can wait for the next big name to fall, because as long as millions of dollars are on the line, there will always be a player willing to cheat.