Pete Rose Case Might Have Just Boosted Chances For A Miami Marlins Hall Of Famer

You are correct - Pete Rose never played or managed for or against the Miami Marlins.

However, that doesn't mean that the "Hit King" didn't just possibly move the Marlins into scoring position when it comes to checking off one of the few noteworthy things they haven't accomplished as a franchise.

Have a player inducted into the Hall of Fame representing them.

The Marlins have two World Series championships, six no-hitters, and even an MVP and a Cy Young winner. Yet, after 33 seasons, Miami has never had a player chosen to represent the franchise in baseball immortality. Unfortunately for the Marlins, at the current pace, it could be another 33 years before that changes.

Or at least that was the case until Rob Manfred suddenly decided that Pete Rose and the rest of baseball's permanent ineligibles were no longer banned from being considered for the Hall of Fame.

Why? Because about the only thing this decision does do for certain is set a massive precedent that is going to be considered and interpreted in every election to come.

Every election, active ballot and otherwise.

And therein lies the rub. Last year, Gary Sheffield fell just short of enshrinement, finishing with 63.9% of the vote. While some suggest he has a “too many teams” problem, the main issue has been the PED allegations that have followed him since the BALCO and Mitchell reports.

But what if the Hall of Fame is about to change their stance on this? What if the commuting of sentences for Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and others is the first step in MLB actually starting to treat the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum the way a museum should be used? As a way to educate people by telling the good and the bad?

That seems like a distinct possibility. If not right away, then certainly at some point in the not too distant future.

Understandably, performance enhancers are a very different animal from placing bets. Also those tarred with the stigma of performance enhancer use are all very much alive. Another key difference from the group just given a fighting chance at enshrinement.

However, Sheffield’s case has always been viewed differently from those of Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and others. While those players are seen as clearly guilty, Sheffield has long been perceived as only somewhat guilty — just guilty enough, depending on how you see it.

Doesn't that sort of seem like the kind of player that could be admitted as a first step by a future veteran's committee, if tempers do continue to soften as it relates to Cooperstown? Even after losing out last year, I speculated on Sheffield remaining the best bet for first Marlin in Cooperstown on account of a future committee taking a more generous view than the writers.

After last week's announcement though? I'm prepared to double down.

Ultimately, this decision is only the slipperiest of slippery slopes that is going make for years of excellent baseball debate fodder. From barstools to broadcast booths to everything in between. To be honest, I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it.

But I do know this. The path to Gary Sheffield entering the Hall of Fame seems more real than ever, and he's as close to a sure thing as the Marlins will ever likely have at a player sporting a Marlins cap when they do so.