Pete Rose: Should Charlie Hustle Be in the Hall of Fame?

Ten days before he died at the age of 83 on Sept. 30, 2024,  Pete Rose said he believed "that I'll make the Hall of Fame after I die."

On February 28, 2025, President Donald Trump said he would issue a posthumous pardon to Rose, saying "shouldn't have been gambling on baseball, but only bet on HIS TEAM WINNING." The President then said he would issue the pardon in the next few weeks. 

Assuming he gets pardoned, will Major League Baseball ever accept Rose into its glorious Hall of Fame fraternity? 

Rose The Baseball Player

Rose had an extraordinary 24-year Major League Baseball career primarily with the Cincinnati Reds, along with stints with the Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos.
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Rose holds numerous MLB records, most notably as the all-time leader in hits (4,256), games played (3,562), and at-bats (14,053). A versatile player, he played multiple positions including second base, outfield, third base, and first base. Rose was a 17-time All-Star, three-time World Series champion (1975, 1976, 1980), three-time batting champion, and the 1973 National League MVP.

After his playing career, Rose managed the Cincinnati Reds from 1984 to 1989. His career took a dramatic turn in 1989 when he was banned from baseball for life after an investigation concluded he had bet on games while playing for and managing the Reds. As a result of this ban, Rose remains ineligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame despite his remarkable statistical achievements.
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Despite multiple appeals and applications for reinstatement over the decades, Rose's ban has remained in place. In 2004, after years of denials, Rose admitted to betting on baseball games, including Reds games, in his autobiography My Prison Without Bars.

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Bid For Reinstatement

In December 2022, Rose wrote a letter to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred requesting reinstatement, arguing that his punishment was disproportionate compared to players involved in the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal and players who used performance-enhancing drugs. However, this appeal was not successful.

The Baseball Hall of Fame has a rule that anyone on MLB's permanently ineligible list cannot be considered for induction, which has prevented Rose from appearing on the ballot despite his record-breaking statistics.
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To my knowledge, there hasn't been any successful or significantly new Hall of Fame bid from Rose since then. The potential Trump pardon will shake things up significantly. 

Rose Should Be In

Pete is no longer with us to state his case, but in my opinion, he's stated it multiple times previously. The facts are all out there. 

It's strange to say this out loud, but society has evolved. Values and morals have changed. What Pete did seems somewhat pedestrian today given the behavior of many professional athletes. 

Pete Rose was one of the greatest baseball players ever to live; baseball needs to recognize that. 

For an incredible biography on Rose, check out Keith O'Brien's book, Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and The Last Glory Days of Baseball. 

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