Last Updated: September 7th, 2026 by Michael Griffin
There is such a contrast of extremes when it comes to viewing the steroid era. In one way, it helped to bring back popularity to the game of baseball and give it a sense of passion that was sort of lost for a time. On the other hand, obviously, it was completely against the rules, and executives at the top turned a blind eye to it for so long.
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What has remained is the amount of respect that we have for the players who were never factually linked to any of the steroid scandals. Let's go over some of the most prominent and talk about what made them so good against such strong opponents.
12. Ken Griffey Jr.: That Swing? Pure, Unadulterated Joy (and Dad’s Genes).
The Kid had it in his blood. Ken Griffey Jr. was raised in clubhouses and trained to be a baseball superstar. That's exactly what he became. There was no better swing to watch than Griffey's, as he just seemed to glide the bat through the zone with such grace.
The game came so naturally to him that there were no opponents who could intimidate or faze him. Instead, he would flip his cap backward and belt long balls to the delight of baseball fans around the world.
11. Frank Thomas: The Big Hurt on Pitchers, Not His Conscience.
The Big Hurt was just an awe-inspiring slugger who brought an amazing work ethic to his power game. Thomas was outspoken from the jump about his opposition to the use of steroids, and his reputation remained clean throughout his 19-year career.
He crushed 521 home runs in his career and blasted any questions about the use of steroids in the sport. The Big Hurt was just a big athlete who always seemed to swing a big bat.
10. Jim Thome: Country Strong, Not Syringe Strong.
Jim Thome brought a kind of power that was evident back in the early days of baseball. Just that natural strength that comes from working at the farm and having a simple approach to playing a national pastime.
Thome belted 612 home runs in his career, and there was never a question about how he was doing it. His big frame brought great torque on every swing, as it seemed like he wanted to send every pitch over the wall.
9. Greg Maddux: Outsmarting Batters, Not Pharmacists.
There is a saying from Greg Maddux that I've always remembered in life: "When you feel like your pitches aren't fast enough, pitch slower." That also happens to be a perfect philosophy for combating any steroid allegations. Maddux never wanted to overpower.
He wanted to outsmart with his pitch selection and pitch location. From 1994 to 2007, Maddux held Barry Bonds to a .167 batting average. It's amazing proof of his philosophy.
8. Randy Johnson: Intimidating with Fastballs, Not Forbidden Fruit.
The Big Unit overpowered opponents with his length more than his strength. His 100mph fastballs seemed even faster when his release point was inches closer to the plate than any other pitcher in the league. Johnson also wasn't only relying on his fastball.
Many will say that his best pitch was his sweeping slider that seemed to cross from one batter's box to the other. That effect was mostly due to his arm angle being almost completely sidearm and horizontal to the ground. Bigger muscles from steroids would just get in the way of that whipping motion.
7. Pedro Martinez: Dominating with Heart, Not Horse Steroids.
Pedro Martinez was the perfect combination of power and finesse on the mound. I understand that the motivation to get bigger with illegal help was there when he was called too skinny early on in his career. But he remained pretty slender throughout his Hall of Fame career and used that to his advantage.
Martinez's best pitch was his changeup. It looked just like his fastball for a brief moment, then would simply die as it got to the plate. Any more muscle and that changeup would be too straight and easier to hit.
6. Chipper Jones: Sweet Swings from Both Sides, Authentically.
Chipper Jones had such an all-around game that it wasn't even possible to tag him as a premier slugger, even though he hit 468 home runs in his illustrious career. He was just a consistent force every single day. He hit for a good average with his .303 career batting average. He stayed patient at the plate, working 1,512 walks to just 1,409 strikeouts in his career.
He also didn't have any crazy peaks in his career. In fact, his MVP season in 1999 was one where he didn't lead the league in any statistical category. In fact, he wasn't even an All-Star that season. He was just a great captain and a consistent player who played the game at an elite level.
5. Derek Jeter: The Captain’s Clean Sheet (and Jump Throws).
Speaking of great captains who played at an elite level, Derek Jeter fits that bill perfectly. It's kind of funny that one of the icons of an era when steroids were evident in the sport was actually a skinny shortstop who liked to slap pitches the other way for singles.
He brought the intangibles as well, being the captain of the premier franchise in baseball and leading them to World Series titles throughout his Hall of Fame career. Jeter was never considered perfect. In fact, there were always shortcomings that critics would point out that he could have easily fixed with some steroids. Luckily, for the sport, he didn't.
4. Mariano Rivera: Cutting Through Lineups, Not Corners.
There will only ever be one man who can lay claim to being the first unanimous Hall of Fame inductee. Mariano Rivera can also say that with the confidence that he was never even questioned about being a user of steroids.
That cutter was all he needed for 19 years and 652 saves. His elite ability to remain at the top of his game, even when he was 43 years old, is just proof of his training and the way he carried himself day in and day out.
3. Tony Gwynn: Hitting Science, Not Chemical Experiments.
Tony Gwynn just wanted to hit the ball. There was no pride in him trying to crush it over the wall time and time again. He knew that his job was to get on base and not strike out. He did that better than anyone else in his era. Gwynn won the batting title eight times in his 20-year career.
One of the many reasons for steroid use in baseball is that it could help improve bat speed. What's funny in the case of Tony Gwynn is that a lot of his hits came from his bat actually slowing down as he tried to just wave at a ball and poke it the other way. It almost seemed like his bat was a magic wand he waved to send the ball to open field for a hit.
2. Cal Ripken Jr.: The Iron Man Was Forged, Not Injected.
Okay, I get it. For those who get bronchitis or have bad infections, a doctor can prescribe a form of steroids as medication. Not even those needed to enter the body of Cal Ripken Jr., because he was seemingly made of iron throughout his record-breaking game streak.
There is a certain kind of durability that includes flexibility and quickness that was required of Ripken when he played the left side of the infield. That only makes his record during the steroid era that much more impressive. The Iron Man sure was an inspiration to many as a pure baseball player who just wanted to show up to work every single day.
1. Vladimir Guerrero Sr.: Bad Pitches His Only Vice, Not Bad Needles.
There is something about the violence in the swing of Vladimir Guerrero Sr. That swayed any suspicion right away. The free-swinging Hall of Famer just loved to play the game of baseball. He had a style that used his entire body in every skill that he tried to execute on the field.
For the number of fans who considered him a slugger, he was actually more of a pure hitter, as he kept a lofty .318 batting average, leading the league in hits once while never leading in home runs.
