Joe Jackson Reinstatement: Will MLB Really Let Shoeless Joe Back In?

Joe Jackson reinstatement rumors reveal the MLB commissioner is about to make an announcement. Shoeless Joe Jackson was banned from baseball by former commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis for his participation in throwing the 1919 World Series. A report from Yahoo! Sports states that the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum submitted a petition to Major League Baseball to reinstate the former outfielder and make him eligible to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

This is making national news because Manfred is issuing a letter on Tuesday (September 1) in response to the petition and request. As the new commissioner, he has the right to lift a ban on any player, meaning he as almost complete autonomy in this decision. Many baseball historians will be watching closely to see whether Manfred overrules the decisions that Landis made or whether he sticks to the policy set forth with the banishment of those eight White Sox players many years ago.

Shoeless Joe Jackson reinstatement rumors have been around for years, mostly because he was one of the best hitters in baseball history. It also helps that so many people still believe that he had nothing to do with throwing the World Series, even though his hitting statistics in games the players were paid to throw could foster an argument against Jackson. It sets up an interesting scenario that the new MLB commissioner has to deal with.

Over 13 MLB seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Indians, and Chicago White Sox, Shoeless Joe posted a.356 career batting average, an on-base percentage of.423, and an OPS of.940. Those numbers rank him among the best hitters to ever play the game, with his career batting average the third best in history. Despite being banned, he twice received votes on Hall of Fame ballots from voters feeling he should still be inducted.

It doesn’t seem very likely that new MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is going to overturn the ban that Kenesaw Mountain Landis put in place following the 1920 season. The player in question died in 1951, never fully revealing his part in the whole ordeal publicly. It leaves baseball fans and historians to debate just how much he participated in throwing the 1919 World Series. In regard to Shoeless Joe Jackson’s reinstatement, that official answer is going to come down on Tuesday. It’s safe to assume that Pete Rose and his supporters are paying very close attention.

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