The Formulation For Success in Baseball

Performance-enhancing drug use by MLB players enhances their performance but doesn’t give their team an advantage of succeeding more than other teams. Statistics such as Batting Average, Homeruns, and Slugging Percentage are phenomenal accreditations to a player’s performance. However, players enhanced output doesn’t exclusively correlate to their team’s success. Subjectively, success is in the eye of the beholder, or in this case, by the ownership in which they will attempt to make their fans happy. However, objective success is about winning, making the playoffs, and ultimately winning the World Series. 

It’s easy to see the enhanced performance of baseball players when analyzing The Natural, a comprehensive study done on PEDs and their effects on offensive production in baseball. Runs Created per 27 outs, Homeruns, and Stole Bases saw anywhere from 5-60% jumps due to anabolic steroid use, according to the authors’ Brian Schmotzer and co-authors Patrick D. Kilgo and Jeff Switchenko. At face value, we can see that most, but not all, performance-enhancing drugs will positively boost a player’s performance.

Human growth hormone is the rare banned performance-enhancing drug that doesn’t give baseball players a noticeable performance boost. The Natural examined the effects of HGH on Runs Created per 27 outs, and there was no evidence to show that human growth hormone was associated with increased performance. There were even some instances where human growth hormone hurt offensive performance.

One of the most significant accomplishments for personal success in the MLB is winning a yearly award. Whether it’s the Most Valuable Player, CY Young, or Silver Slugger, winning a prestigious award such as these cements a player into the history books forever. Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, and Jose Canseco have all received unfair ridicule for enhancing their performance. Barry Bonds won seven national league MVP awards, Alex Rodriguez won three MVP awards, and Jose Canseco won one MVP and four Silver Slugger awards. These three players had long, illustrious careers, but their success didn’t guarantee their team’s success.

In 2001, when Barry Bonds set the record for single-season home runs with 73, the San Fransico Giants didn’t even make the playoffs. In fact, during his tenure with the Giants from 1993 to 2007, they didn’t achieve the ultimate success of winning a World Series. Alex Rodriguez played an astounding 22 years in the MLB and only won one world series with the Yankees in 2009. Jose Canseco played 17 seasons, in which he won two world series. Between the 61 seasons combined between these three players, the collective could only bring three world series rings to their teams.

Correlation does not equal causation regarding PED use and a team’s success in baseball, let alone personal success. The Mitchell Report listed 89 people who used PEDs, but their use didn’t guarantee them a successful career. Jack Cust only sported a .242 career batting average and 105 home runs. Todd Pratt is another player whose steroids added little substance to his offensive numbers. A measly 49 home runs in 14 seasons is not a statistic that will have front offices jumping for a player to sign. Howie Clark sported an abysmal three home runs and 26 RBIs in his short six-year season. For those who saw a significant uptick in offensive performance, such as Barry Bonds, they’re the exception, not the rule.

A lot of the focus on steroid use revolves around batters and offensive performance. That is because the Mitchell Report named only two pitchers for using steroids to enhance their performance. Roger Clemens and Eric Gange are the only pitchers who have ever received notoriety for using performance-enhancing drugs. Both pitchers had illustrious careers. Clemens won seven Cy Young awards, given to the best pitcher in each league, during his 24-year career. While Eric Gange played Major League Baseball for ten seasons, won a CY Young award, and set a single-season to save record in 2003 with 55.

However, these pitchers’ success and phenomenal performance did not guarantee that their team won a world series. Between the two players, they played in the MLB for 34 seasons and only won four World Series. That’s an 11% win rate for their teams while they played in Major League Baseball. When considering the effect a player’s performance has on a team’s success, whether pitcher or batter, we can’t discount the fact that baseball is a team sport.

Simply stating that teams with players who use performance-enhancing drugs will have tremendous success undermines the actuality that baseball is a team sport. When we look at successful players who use PEDs, like Curt Schilling and Alex Rodriguez, we also have to examine the teammates that surround them. Curt Schilling won his titles with great players such as David Ortiz, Jon Lester, and Dustin Pedroia. Alex Rodriguez played with Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, who have resided in the Baseball Hall of Fame for a few years.

Steroids need to be better managed, that’s without a doubt, but it’s different from how we think. We all immediately want to demonize players and teams for using and having players using steroids. However, there’s no guarantee that steroid-using players will find an individual or team success during their tenure in the league. For that reason, the policies that limit many players from using PEDs need major revamping. Players shouldn’t have to cower in fear for wanting to be the best version of themselves. They should be given a safe and practical guide to do so if they so choose.

The outlook on steroid use is changing within the public, and Major League Baseball needs to follow suit. After many long years of being cast out, Curt Schilling and Barry Bonds are nominated to the Baseball Hall of Fame, serving as the changing tide on the viewpoint of steroid use in baseball. Players who used steroids and had successful careers despite their steroid use should be revered, as they are today. The fact that individual success isn’t guaranteed, and team success isn’t guaranteed is all the more reason to celebrate these players for their historical accomplishments.

References

Alex Rodriguez Stats, Fantasy & News. (n.d.). MLB.com. https://www.mlb.com/player/alex-rodriguez-121347

Barry Bonds Stats, Fantasy & News. (2018). MLB.com. https://www.mlb.com/player/barry-bonds-111188

Bonds, Clemens on Contemporary Era HOF ballot. (2022, November 7). ESPN.com. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34972498/barry-bonds-roger-clemens-contemporary-era-hof-ballot

Eric Gagne Stats, Fantasy & News. (n.d.). MLB.com. Retrieved November 8, 2022, from https://www.mlb.com/player/eric-gagne-150378

Jose Canseco Stats, Fantasy & News. (n.d.). MLB.com. Retrieved November 8, 2022, from https://www.mlb.com/player/jose-canseco-111962

Mitchell, G. (2007). REPORT TO THE COMMISSIONER OF BASEBALL OF AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION INTO THE ILLEGAL USE OF STEROIDS AND OTHER PERFORMANCE ENHANCING SUBSTANCES BY PLAYERS IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL. https://files.mlb.com/mitchrpt.pdf

Schmotzer, B., Kilgo, P. D., & Switchenko, J. (2009). ‘The natural’? the effect of steroids on offensive performance in baseball. Chance, 22(2), 21-32. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00144-009-0016-z