Andy Pettitte – 1st year on ballot
Of any first year player on the ballot, Andy Pettitte’s candidacy is the most fascinating.
Just a look at his resume would lead one to consider him a borderline Hall of Famer. He was only a three time All Star, but he was a key part of the Yankees dominance in their most recent Golden Age, winning five championships. Pettitte was remarkably consistent, winning 15 or more games eight times in his career. Overall, he posted a solid 256-153 record, with a 3.85 ERA and a 1.351 WHiP. While he was not a great strikeout pitcher, he did notch 2448 strikeouts against just 1031 walks in 3316 innings.
The biggest problem with his candidacy comes back to his PED usage. Pettitte admitted to using Human Growth Hormone after being named in the Mitchell Report, saying that he used it to recuperate from an elbow injury in 2002, and later admitted to further usage when coming back from a tendon injury in 2004.
Pettitte is one of the select few players who were popped for PED usage that had their guilt forgotten about. In those discussions about steroid or HGH users, his name never comes up, perhaps due to his admittance and subsequent apology. Yet, while Pettitte is forgiven in the court of public opinion, he may not be when it comes to his candidacy for the MLB Hall of Fame.
Andy Pettitte has a relatively solid case for enshrinement. His HGH usage, however, may say otherwise.