Manny Ramirez was regarded by some of his peers as perhaps the best right-handed hitter of his generation, with what they saw as an incredible understanding of how and when opposing pitchers would throw breaking pitches. He had seven seasons during his career in which his slugging percentage was over .600, 11 times he posted an on-base percentage of over .400 -- including 2002, when his OBP was .450. He had 1,329 walks in addition to 2,574 hits, and he accumulated 1,122 extra-base hits.

Because of this, Ramirez is on Michael Silverman's ballot and about 32 percent of other ballots already accounted for.

But Ramirez's history is beyond complicated. He is the only superstar player busted multiple times for performance-enhancing drug use, and his playing career ended in suspension in the spring of 2011. Those offenses seem quaint in comparison to his actions during the 2008 season: Ramirez, seeking a new contract, appeared to significantly reduce his effort in an attempt to force his way out of Boston, including not swinging in a pinch-hit at-bat against Mariano Rivera -- perhaps the final act of defiance that led to his trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Baseball writers have asked for guidance in the past from the Hall of Fame about how to handle steroid-era candidates, and Ramirez is perhaps the best example of why: His performance on the field is beyond worthy, but if past steroid use is a disqualifier, well, then Ramirez wouldn’t get in.

The Hall of Fame has not given any additional guidance beyond the standard criteria for election, bestowing no specific words about players suspended for PED use.

As written here a couple of years ago, I think Major League Baseball and the Hall long ago provided a path for the writers to follow in how they should regard the candidacy of someone in Ramirez’s situation -- or Roger Clemens, or Barry Bonds or any player for that matter.

Pete Rose is a pivotal figure. He was given a lifetime suspension by Major League Baseball in 1989, and despite years of questions and flirtations about reinstatement, Rose is still banned. He is not a member in good standing in the eyes of MLB, and the Hall of Fame followed MLB's lead: Rose has never appeared on a Hall of Fame ballot either for the baseball writers or for any veterans committee. His sin -- gambling on baseball -- was deemed so great that since 1989, he has never been eligible for any full-time job within baseball, nor for Hall of Fame induction.

The circumstances for Manny Ramirez, however, are very different.

Since retiring, he was hired by the Chicago Cubs and worked with hitters in the minor leagues and major leagues. As far as MLB is concerned, Ramirez – unlike Pete Rose -- is a member in good standing. As far as the Hall of Fame is concerned, apparently, Ramirez is a member in good standing.

For any writer in need of guidance about what to do about Ramirez, Bonds, Clemens or Sammy Sosa, deferring to the judgment of MLB and the Hall would seem to be a safe play.

I wish the Hall of Fame would include any established PED-related information on the plaques, written in neutral language, as context for patrons to consider for themselves. In addition to all of Ramirez’s remarkable statistical achievements, there could also be a note that he was twice suspended. Those visiting the Hall of Fame could decide for themselves what importance to attach to that information.

I would never expect the Hall to take this step, any more than it would mention Mickey Mantle's off-field issues, or Gaylord Perry's acknowledgment of throwing illegal pitches; it would create a slippery slope, for sure.

Another sign of the evolution of voters' thoughts on players from the steroids era are the candidacies of Jeff Bagwell and Tim Raines. Almost 30 percent of the Hall of Fame ballots are accounted for by Ryan Thibodoux, and it appears that Bagwell and Raines will gain induction with overwhelming numbers.

Bagwell currently stands at 92.8 percent, and Raines is at 90.4 percent; while it’s not really a surprise that both will gain election this year, those percentages are staggering relative to past years. Think about it: Through the voting of 2015, Bagwell had never polled higher than 59.6 percent, and that was in 2013; his percentage actually went down in 2014 and 2015. Now it appears he could receive something in the neighborhood of what Ted Williams received (93.4 percent) in the year he was inducted, and more than what Joe DiMaggio got in his third and successful run on the ballot (88.8 percent).

Raines's journey is even more remarkable, with a historical doppelganger in Luis Aparicio. In Raines’s first year on the ballot in 2008, he received 24.3 percent of the vote, and he didn’t reach 50 percent until his sixth year of eligibility. He then dropped to 46.1 percent in his seventh year. Now he’s polling at higher numbers than Mickey Mantle (88.2 percent) or Al Kaline (88.3 percent).

Aparicio first became eligible in 1979 and received 27.8 percent, but those numbers steadily climbed, until he was finally chosen in his sixth year on the ballot, with 84.6 percent.