Joe Morgan asks voters to keep steroid users out of Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame vice chairman Joe Morgan spoke up on behalf of some of his fellow inductees Tuesday, asking Baseball Writers' Association of America voters responsible for helping select the 2018 class to keep steroid users out of Cooperstown.

The second baseman and two-time National League MVP, who was inducted in 1990, sent an email to writers, including ESPN's Howard Bryant.

In his email, Morgan admits he isn't speaking for every Hall of Famer, but argues that "players who failed drug tests, admitted using steroids, or were identified as users in the Major League Baseball's investigation into steroid use, known as the Mitchell Report, should not get in."

Among the Hall of Fame candidates named in the Mitchell Report are Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Gary Sheffield. Other candidates such as Manny Ramirez and Sammy Sosa allegedly tested positive for performance-enhancing drug use during their careers.

"By cheating, they put up huge numbers, and they made great players who didn't cheat look smaller in comparison, taking away from their achievements and consideration for the Hall of Fame. That's not right," Morgan wrote of steroid users.

Some other Hall of Famers are saying they won't attend induction ceremonies or other Cooperstown events if steroid users get in, Morgan added.

Morgan, who retired from baseball after the 1984 season, believes former teammate and MLB hits king Pete Rose should be on the ballot.

Rose was denied entry into the Hall because he was declared permanently ineligible from MLB in 1989. He admitted in 2004 he gambled on the sport and the Reds.

"I think if you're going to allow guys with PEDs on the ballot, then we have to allow him to be on the ballot," Morgan told USA Today's Bob Nightengale in 2013. "Let's face it, he's been punished for 24 years. I think they have to take a second look at Pete now that this has come out."