On paper, Ryan Braun and Alex Rodriguez's legacies should be that of baseball superstars. Braun is a five-time All-Star and NL MVP Award winner who has 211 home runs, 681 RBI and 1,156 hits before his 30th birthday. Rodriguez has 14 All-Star appearances, three AL MVP Awards, five AL home run crowns, 647 home runs, 1,950 RBI and 2,901 hits.
Off paper, both will never get the appreciation those statistics deserve. Both are currently among a loaded group of MLB players involved in the ongoing Biogenesis Scandal. Braun has already been suspended for the remainder of this season. Rodriguez, who admitted to steroid use once in 2009, has an apparent punishment looming.
Braun and Rodriguez can shift their names from Hall of Fame ballots to another list. The duo can be found on the MLB All-PED Team.
The following is ThePostGame's 25-man roster of the best stars to use PEDs. To qualify, players must have either admitted to PED use or been suspended for violating MLB's policy against performance-enhancing drug use. Many of the names linked to this issue like Roger Clemens cannot be included on this team, based on that criteria.
MLB's All-PED Team Slideshow
Ryan Braun, OF
Two years after denying PED use, Braun has succumbed to the All-PED team. At 29, Braun has 211 home runs, 681 RBI, 1,156 hits and 130 stolen bases. Before his suspension for his involvement in the Biogenesis Scandal, Braun's numbers may have had a path to the Hall of Famer. Now, "Fraun," the 2011 NL MVP, has a spot on the All-PED roster.
Barry Bonds, OF
Perhaps the most obvious detail of Bonds' PED use can be seen from his MVP awards. Bonds won seven NL MVPs. He won the first three in 1990, 1992 and 1993. He was 25, 27 and 28 on Opening Day in those three years. Bonds' other four MVP Awards came from 2001-2004, when he started the season ages 36-39. With the help of the BALCO lab, Bonds hit 73 home runs in 2001, batted .370 in 2002 and had an on-base percentage of .609 with 232 walks in 2004.
Manny Ramirez, OF
The 12-time All-Star's legacy dropped from Hall of Famer to doper when Ramirez was suspended 50 games in 2009 for taking human chorionic gonadotropin, a women's fertility drug. In 2011, Ramirez received a 100-game suspension for a second PED violation. "Manny Being Manny," the outfielder and his 555 home runs are currently in the Texas Rangers organization with a possible MLB return on the horizon.
Ken Caminiti, 3B
Caminiti was one of the first stars to admit steroid use. In 2002, one year after his retirement, the 1996 NL MVP admitted using PEDs during his MVP season and following seasons. Caminiti had 40 home runs and 130 RBI in his 1996 campaign. He never had more than 29 home runs and 94 RBI in any other season. Caminiti died of a drug overdose (cocaine and opiates) in 2004.
Alex Rodriguez, SS
Groomed in the 90s as the posterboy for Major League Baseball, A-Rod instead cast a black cloud over the sport he loves. In a 2007 interview with Katie Couric, he denied steroid use. Two years later, Selena Roberts and David Epstein of Sports Illustrated cornered Rodriguez into an admission. Rodriguez said he used steroids during his three years as a Texas Ranger, buying them with his "cousin," later identified as acquaintance Yuri Sucart. "I was young, I was stupid, I was naïve. And I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time," Rodriguez, who signed a 10-year $252 million contract in 2001, explained. In the last few weeks, A-Rod is back under the PED microscope, believed to be part of the Biogenesis Scandal. It appears his 647 home runs, 1,950 RBI and 2,901 hits are bound to have an eternal asterisk next to them.
Chuck Knoblauch, 2B
Although second base may not be a power position, Knoblauch, a four-time All-Star and four-time World Series champion, has admitted using HGH. However, he says, "It didn't help me out. It didn't make me any better. I had the worst years of my career from a batting average standpoint. And I got hurt. So there was no good that came out of it for me -- it was not performance-enhancing for me." Knoblauch never hit more than 18 home runs in a season.
Mark McGwire, 1B
Like Bonds, McGwire's best numbers came in the back end of his career. His two best power years, 1998 (70 home runs, 147 RBI) and 1999 (65 home runs, 147 RBI), came at ages 34 and 35. In 2010, McGwire admitted to using steroids throughout his career, including the 1998 season when he broke Roger Maris' single-season home run record. McGwire claims to have used them to recover from injuries. "Big Mac" had 583 home runs and 1,626 hits, meaning 35.9 percent of his hits left the yard.
Benito Santiago, C
The five-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger Award winner only played three years in San Francisco. Those years happened to be 2001-2003, at the heart of the BALCO Scandal. In his testimony at BALCO grand jury, Santiago said he took "undetected BALCO drugs," Winstrol and HGH.
Jose Canseco, DH
The self-marketed face of the Steroid Era deserves a spot as a starter. The fellow "Bash Brother" of McGwire wrote about his steroid use in his 2005 book, "Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big." In the book, Canseco also spoke of other steroid users in MLB, some accusations of which have been confirmed and others firmly denied. Canseco is a six-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion, two-time AL home run champion and the 1988 AL MVP.
Rafael Palmeiro, Bench
Like Braun, Rodriguez and McGwire's case, a firm deny of PED use by Palmeiro was negated soon after. In March 2005, Palmeiro said at a congressional hearing, "Let me start by telling you this: I have never used steroids, period. I don't know how to say it any more clearly than that. Never." In August 2005, Palmeiro was suspended 10 games after testing positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol. The Orioles cancelled Rafael Palmeiro Appreciation Day, which was scheduled for August 14. The 2005 season was Palmeiro's last, as he finished his career with 569 home runs and 3,020 hits.
Jason Giambi, Bench
The Game of Shadows co-coverboy with Bonds, Giambi admitted in front of a grand jury in 2003 to using steroids from 2001 to 2003. The five-time All-Star and 2000 AL MVP was part of the BALCO Scandal. Giambi's younger brother, Jeremy, admitted to using steroids and was named in the Mitchell Report.
Gary Sheffield, Bench
Sheffield claims to have taken a cream containing steroids while working out with Bonds in 2001. The outfielder says he took the cream to heal stiches from knee surgery and did not know the substance contained steroids. Sheffield recounted all this in his book, "Inside Power," which was published in April 2007. According to the Mitchell Report, in September 2003, federal agents used a FedEx receipt from Sheffield to BALCO as evidence of probable cause to attain a search warrant for Greg Anderson's condominium. Sheffield retired in 2009 with 509 career home runs.
Mike Cameron, Bench
Cameron tested positive for banned stimulants twice, giving him a 25-game suspension in 2008. The one-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove Award winner could be used as a defensive sub in late innings for the All-PED team.
Neifi Perez, Bench
Perez gets a roster spot more for his stardom in banned substance use, rather than on the field. In July 2007, Perez tested positive for the second time for amphetamines, resulting in a 25-game suspension. One month later, Perez tested positive a third time and was given an 80-game suspension. The 2000 Gold Glove winner could be a defensive sub in the infield.
Paul Lo Duca, Bench
Lo Duca hit only 80 home runs in his 11-year career, but he did make four All-Star teams. Over five years after being named in the Mitchell Report, Lo Duca admitted his PED use in January 2013, but he downplayed the power of the drugs. "I took PEDs and I'm not proud of it., but people that think you can take a shot or a pill and play like the legends on that ballot need help," he once tweeted.
Andy Pettitte, SP
Although still considered one of the good guys in baseball, Pettitte admitted to using HGH on multiple occasions in 2002 to help repair an elbow injury. Pettitte admitted his use to the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Oversight and Governmental Reform in 2008. Pettitte is a three-time All-Star, five-time World Series champion and the Yankees' all-time strikeouts leader.
Bartolo Colón, SP
The wild career of Bartolo Colón appeared to have reached its final chapter when the pitcher was suspended 50 games last August after testing positive for synthetic testosterone. This season, he is an All-Star with a 13-3 record and a 2.52 ERA. Colón has three total All-Star Game appearances and won the AL Cy Young Award in 2005.
Edinson Volquez, SP
In 2008, Volquez went 17-6 with a 3.21 ERA and 206 strikeouts. He earned an All-Star appearance and looked poised for a superstar career. In 2009, Volquez missed the entire second half of the season to undergo Tommy John Surgery. Early in 2010, Volquez was suspended 50 games for the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Yusaku Iriki, SP
Iriki was an All-Star in Japan and mapped out his career to head to the United States. In 2003, Iriki was traded from the Yomiuri Giants to the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and negotiated his contract to make sure he could head overseas by 2006. In his first season with the New York Mets, 2006, Iriki was suspended 50 games for a violating MLB's policy against performance-enhancing drug use. He spent the entire season in the Mets' farm system and pitched in the Blue Jays' farm system in 2007. In 2008, Iriki headed back from Japan without throwing a Major League pitch.
Paul Byrd, SP
Byrd admitted taking HGH in 2007, but claims to have used the drug to fight a tumor on his pituitary gland. The pitcher was still named in the Mitchell Report and one of the medical professionals Byrd received a prescription from was a Florida dentist who had his dental license suspended for fraud and incompetence. The 1999 All-Star gets the nod as the All-PED fifth starter.
Eric Gagne, RP
The easy choice for closer, Gagné admitted to using HGH in 2010, saying he used the drug while recovering from a knee injury. From 2002-2004, Gagné converted 84 consecutive save attempts (MLB record). He converted 51 straight at home (MLB record) and saved 55 games in 2003 (tied for NL record with John Smoltz). The three-time All-Star and 2003 NL Cy Young Award winner was named in the Mitchell Report.
John Rocker, RP
One of the most controversial baseball players of all-time, Rocker admitted in 2011 to using steroids in a New York Baseball Digest article. "Yeah, of course I was [using steroids]. I mean who wasn't? Let’s be honest here, who wasn't?" he said. Rocker could be a good left-handed setup man for the All-PED Team.
Ryan Franklin, RP
Before he was an All-Star in 2009, Franklin was suspended for 10 days for steroid use in 2005. He was only the eighth Major Leaguer to be suspended for a positive PED test. Franklin was a starting pitcher at the time, but he has since found his niche as a reliever.
J.C. Romero, RP
With Mike Stanton still in denial, J.C. Romero gets the call as the All-PED lefty specialist. The 2008 World Series champion was suspended 50 games for testing positive for androstenedione in 2009. The failed test took place in August 2008, but Romero took the case to arbitration. He was allowed to pitch in the postseason before the suspension was confirmed during the offseason.
Jason Grimsley, RP
Grimsley was far from a star, but Major League Baseball and the IRS (which was heading an investigation of their own) used him as a key to finding crucial details about baseball's Steroid Era. After Grimsley's home was raided by federal officials in 2006 and the pitcher was suspended 50 games, he gave the MLB some dirt. He admitted to using HGH, amphetamines and steroids, and he named Pettitte and Roger Clemens, Miguel Tejada, Jay Gibbons and Brian Roberts as PED users. Pettitte, Roberts and Gibbons eventually came clean (Gibbons was suspended for PED use in 2007), but Clemens and Tejada deny Grimsley's allegations.
Lineup Card:
1. Braun
2. Rodriguez
3. Bonds
4. McGwire
5. Ramirez
6. Canseco
7. Caminiti
8. Santiago
9. Knoblauch
-- Follow Jeffrey Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband.
