It is inevitable that any MLB player who had surprisingly impressive stats or had a good season in the past two decades will be under suspicion in the mind of the public. In the steroid era, we have seen some of the best ever baseball stats in the history of the game. During that time, back when most of the public was clueless about performance-enhancing drugs, record after record were being broken and everyone was awed and amazed. After the steroid scandal exploded, however, people were amazed no longer.

While not all players who had a better-than-average every succeeding season are automatically guilty of using steroids or performance enhancing drugs, it can’t be helped that many baseball fans as well as the media will presume that these players are guilty. It is especially anomalous if statistical aberrations that have never been seen before show up particularly during that era.

Take for example Baltimore outfielder, Brady Anderson. During that time, home run totals incredulously exceeded the all-time high 40, with many sluggers totaling 50. In 1996, Anderson hit 50 homeruns. Considering that he was 32 years old, that his previous career high was 21, that he hit 18 the following season, and that his second-highest total would be 24—the statistical aberration is very suspicious indeed. Still, this does not prove Anderson’s guilt. There is no evidence or testimony that Anderson used steroids or performance enhancers. However, the mere fact that his best stats were played while the steroid era reached its peak, his 1996 season is under suspicion, and therefore his stats.

In the recent years, drug testing in MLB has improved considering that it was a big joke in the first few years of its existence. Before strict drug tests were implemented, homerun records were being pushed to 60! But by 2008, only two players reached 40. Philadelphia’s first baseman, Ryan Howard, incidentally a huge guy, reached 48, while Adam Dunn who is now with Washington was able to hit 40. Both players are extra-large in size and 20-homer seasons are thus relatively reasonable.

What a stark contrast to a few years earlier when a 33-year old outfielder Luis Gonzalez, a player who has never exceeded 32 homeruns in a season, was able to hit 57! In the seasons that followed, he was never able to hit more than 28 homers. If that is not ground for suspicion, what is? Even if it was just one season and even if he was a great guy, it is hugely possible that he was caught up in the pressures of the game and was tempted to enhance his performance through synthetic means. One can’t help but wonder when faced with these inconsistent statistics.

These players are just the tip of the iceberg. More baseball players have suspicious stats, which when compared to stats before the steroid era, has never been seen before. These patterns tell us something, even if we are not experts. That is the legacy that the steroid era has left and tainted the game with, and the shame of it all.

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