The Hall of Fame Case For Shoeless Joe And Pete Rose
Shoeless Joe Jackson is absolutely turning over in his grave. The infamous player on the Chicago Black Sox scandal was banned from baseball in what was the 1919 World Series conspiracy where many believed the White Sox team rigged it to lose.
Joe Jackson was one of eight total players permanently banned, although evidence against him actually participating in any sports betting or rigging of the game was not certain. Jackson himself led the White Sox team and the opposition Cincinnati Reds in several offensive categories. Jackson had 12 base hits, which set a World Series record, and the only home run of the series.
With that, Jackson’s role in the scandal has been heavily and fiercely debated.
It came only in 2025, 101-years since the 1919 World Series that Jackson was removed from the MLB’s permanently ineligible list. The removal lifted the ban, and made him once again eligible for the hall of fame. Jackson of course was already deceased at the time of the reinstatement, having passed away in 1951 at the age of 64.
Shoeless Joe was made even more famous and a mainstay in many DVD players when Ray Liotta played as Jackson in the 1989 film Field of Dreams.
Now, in the modern day of the roaring 2020s, Major League and Minor League Baseball hold games at the Field of Dreams site. More recently in 2026, BetMGM sponsorship lines the Field of Dreams site outfield walls and players are sponsored by gambling apps – but they still can’t bet!
Sports betting has taken over TV commercials and every day ads.
In late 2026, MLB superstar Ronald Acuna Jr., partnered with online prediction market Kalshi, becoming the first MLB player to promote a prediction market. Before partnering with Acuna, Kalshi already had existing partnerships with five MLB teams (Dodgers, Padres, Giants, Red Sox, and Acuna’s own Braves).
It seems like a slap in the face for all the MLB players – and heck just any athlete in general who was or is suspended/banned for sports betting.
Just a season prior in 2025, Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase was put under a microscope for sports betting. Clase and former teammate Luis Ortiz were indicted on charges including wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery and money laundering conspiracy. Clase would later be arrested at JFK Airport by the FBI on November 13th, 2025.
Clase’s case is more severe than a normal gambling suspension and violation overall. Nonetheless, the MLB continues to promote sports betting and allows players to ink their names to partnerships with companies, all while not allowing said players to bet themselves.
When it comes to Shoeless Joe, his case for the hall of fame should be locked, as he had always been regarded as one of the best hitters of the 1910s. Jackson notched a 61.5 WAR and accounted for 1,722 hits in 4,981 at-bats for a .356 career batting average. 1912 and ‘13 saw Jackson combine for 423 hits – which was unheard of at that time. Jackson also smashed 54 career home runs, which is a lot considering all of those came during the dead-ball era.
Pete Rose is the latest hall of fame caliber player to have to wait for his induction. Rose was banned from baseball in August of 1989 for placing bets on his own team of the Cincinnati Reds, while serving as their player-manager. Rose would pass away in 2024, with an announcement made of his ban lifted in early 2025, making him newly eligible for Hall of Fame consideration.
Rose accounted for an all-time record of 4,256 hits in his Major League career, for a .303 batting average. Rose was a 17-time All-Star and 3-time World Series Champion, which saw him win World Series MVP in 1975. Rose also accounted for 412 wins as manager of the Reds, which ranks seventh in Reds’ managerial history out of 64 managers to ever be on the top step on the Cin’ dugout.
Both Pete Rose and Joe Jackson could potentially be voted and inducted for the 2028 class, with committee review scheduled for December of 2027.
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