Jose Canseco once expressed disbelief at Jeff Bagwell's Hall of Fame induction over several iconic sluggers from the steroid era
In January 2017, Jose Canseco was vocal in his disapproval of the year's Hall of Fame inductees. Canseco felt it was unfair that Jeff Bagwell, who was accused of steroid usage, was enshrined into the HOF, while his former Oakland A's teammate Mark McGwire was denied the honor.
"How the f*** is Jeff Bagwell being inducted into the Hall of Fame and Mark McGwire's not? That is disgusting," read one of Jose Canseco's tweets posted on Jan 19, 2017.
How the f*** is Jeff Bagwell being inducted into the Hall of Fame and Mark mcgwire's not that is disgusting
Bagwell was suspected of using PEDs primarily because he played in the "steroid era", but there was never any evidence against him. Additionally, he was not named in the 2007 Mitchell Report, an investigation into the illegal use of PEDS in MLB.
Mark McGwire, meanwhile, confessed to using steroids in 2010, stating that he took the help of PEDs to break the HR record in 1998. McGwire had been eligible for election to the Hall of Fame for 10 years, but he never received more than 25% of the vote. In his last attempt, he only got 12.3%.
In a separate tweet, Canseco claimed it was an injustice that former players such as Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens, and Rafael Palmeiro, who were all linked to using performance-enhancing drugs, were not included in the 2017 Hall of Fame class.
How it's not Mark McGwire Sammy Sosa Roger Clemens Rafael palmeiro not in the Hall of Fame that is a travesty
Canseco further stressed that the home-run king and former SF Giants star Barry Bonds undeniably deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame.
And definitely bonds should be in the Hall of Fame are you kidding me that is disgusting
In 2017, Jeff Bagwell, Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, and Tim Raines were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Bagwell was the top vote-getter with 86.2% of the votes. Rodriguez earned 76%, while Raines received 86%. The HOF induction ceremony was held in Cooperstown, New York, on July 30, 2017.
Jose Canseco's detested HOF candidate Jeff Bagwell got enshrined into Cooperstown after several tries
Former Houston Astros star Jeff Bagwell gained entry into the National Baseball Hall of Fame after being on the ballot for seven years.
"I don't even know how I'm supposed to react," Bagwell said. "It's been a whirlwind. It's been fun and exciting. My family is very, very excited for this thing. ... I could not be more excited. It's a weird thing to be a Hall of Famer. I wrote it on a ball tonight, and it was kind of crazy. So it was cool."
In his initial year in 2011, he received 41.7% of the votes, which was below the 75% needed to be inducted. He gradually gained more and more votes each year until he finally got 86.2% of the votes in 2017, allowing him to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.