The Contemporary Era Committee elected Jeff Kent to the Baseball Hall of Fame, leaving out Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, Carlos Delgado, Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valenzuela. 

Bonds, Clemens, Sheffield, and Valenzuela received less than five votes, meaning they are ineligible to be on the ballot in the next three-year cycle. When Bonds and the others do appear again, they’ll need to receive at least five votes to remain eligible, if they don’t, they will no longer be eligible for future ballot consideration.

Over 22 seasons with the Pirates and Giants, Bonds compiled a resume that few players in history can match. He hit 762 career home runs, breaking Hank Aaron’s record of 755, and set the single-season mark with 73 in 2001. Bonds won seven MVP awards, earned 14 All-Star selections, and finished with a career 1.051 OPS and 162.8 WAR, the highest ever for a position player.

Yet, Bonds’ connection to the BALCO scandal and allegations of steroid use have kept him from Cooperstown. Though he never failed an official MLB drug test, leaked testimony and circumstantial evidence tied him to PEDs, making him the face of baseball’s steroid era. 

The decision on Bonds underscores the divide over how the Hall of Fame should treat players from the steroid era. Bonds’ numbers are undeniable, but his legacy remains complicated. For now, the halls at Cooperstown will remain off-limits to one of the game’s most polarizing figures.