Alex Rodriguez Nominated in the Hall of Fame Ballot Despite His 2014 Suspension; Columnist Says He Won't Vote For Baseball Star

Alex Rodriguez's 22-season baseball career could reach an all-time high if he gets inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on July 24.

According to reports, Rodriguez is just one of the 12 other first-timers to have been nominated in the Hall of Fame ballot. David Ortiz, Ryan Howard, Justin Morneau, Jimmy Rollins, Jake Peavy, Carl Crawford, Tim Lincecum, and more made the cut.

Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens made their 10th and final appearance on the ballot. Seventeen returning athletes are also on the ballot.

BBWA's deadline to cast votes announced

According to ESPN, members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWA) with ten or more consecutive years of membership could vote for whoever they want to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

All ballots should be submitted by Dec. 31, and the final results will be announced on Jan. 25. The induction of players will take place months later.

Alex Rodriguez accused of lying, cheating

Rodriguez's nomination is receiving mixed reactions from the public, especially since he was previously suspended for the 2014 season for violating the MLB's drug policy.

At the time, Rodriguez denied using performance-enhancing drugs (PED), and he also lied about his links with the Biogenesis clinic that operated in weight loss and hormone replacement therapy.

Years earlier, Rodriguez was also accused of testing positive for banned substances between 2001 and 2003. He vehemently denied the claims before admitting to using PEDs.

His admission resulted in his suspension from Aug. 8, 2013, until the end of the season in 2014, according to Republic World.

Mike Vaccaro won't vote for Alex Rodriguez

Columnist and BBWA member Mike Vaccaro said that he wouldn't vote for Rodriguez to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Vaccaro acknowledged that Rodriguez was one of the best players of his time. He also said that the former athlete did everything right on the field. However, his lies were what caused him to lose respect for Rodriguez.

"And if he'd merely left the drugs alone after coming clean in 2009 - two years after he lied in Katie Couric's face, and in America's, swearing he'd never touched them - this could be an entirely different conversation. There still might be Draconian voters for whom that would be an unforgivable sin. But he might have a shot at changing their minds," Vaccaro wrote for the New York Post.

Vaccaro also said that even if he thinks Rodriguez deserves his nomination following his 22-season baseball stint, he still couldn't get over the fact that he knowingly skirted the laws of the sport.

The columnist added that he could change his mind later because this is his prerogative, but for now, he doesn't have plans to vote for Rodriguez.

Yahoo! News also called Rodriguez one of the most divisive players in the game due to his involvement in the Biogenesis PED scandal. But the publication acknowledged that Rodriguez had turned his image around in recent years.

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Alex rodriguez, Suspension