Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Barry Bonds - These have been some of the greatest names ever to arrive at the baseball stage. Can you find anything common among them? Yes they all have broken several records in the world of baseball but what distinct them from other baseball players is that all of them have accused of using steroids in baseball. The Balco Scandal and Mitchell Report are two such evidences supporting the accusations on these "admired" and icon baseball players.

Before we go any further, let us know about the Mitchell Report that brought truth to the light and was prepared by the former Senator of the United States, George J. Mitchell. According to this report, also known as the Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball, there were as many as 89 Major Baseball League (MLB) players making use of anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs such as Human growth hormone. Along with revealing the names of tainted baseball players, this report also made specific recommendations in context to past illegal drug use and future prevention practices.

Ken Caminiti, an American third baseman in Major League Baseball, admitted that he won the 1996 National League Most Valuable Player while on steroids. Mark McGwire, an icon player, admitted in January 2010 that he did used steroids for almost a decade and even when he created the home run record for a single season. Alex Rodriguez also admitted that he was on steroids when he was recognized as the Most Valuable Player in 2003.

If that was not all for you, you will be surprised to know that some of the world's most respected of all baseball players including Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Ivan Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, and Jason Giambi were accused of using steroids by Jose Conseco in his book, Juiced.

The First Highlighted Scandal

The first highlighted scandal about steroid use in baseball was the BALCO (Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative) scandal. In this scandal, role of BALCO in a drug sports scandal was brought to notice of the world by journalists Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada. The journalists pointed that a then-undetected performance enhancer "tetrahydrogestrinone" was marketed by the company and many high profile sports stars including baseball players were supplied with the human growth hormone for many years. The founder and owner of BALCO, Victor Conte was named as the source of this steroid.

This previously-undetected steroid was sent to the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory where Don Catlin, now head of the Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization Anti-Doping Research, identified tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) and was awarded by the Chicago Tribune as Sportsman of the Year.

The BALCO scandal named many steroid users in sports - Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield, Bill Romanowski, Tyrone Wheatley, Barrett Robbins, Jeremy Giambi, Bobby Estalella, and Armando Rios to name a few.

Despite anti-doping agencies getting on top of the tainted baseball players, the use of steroids and performance enhancing drugs still continues in baseball.

We hope that this informative article on steroid use in baseball helped you stay closer to facts.