The Commissioner of Baseball, Bud Selig, could potentially have a public relations problem on his hands. You see, out in San Francisco, there is a player leading the league in batting average, and that player is poised to win his first batting title. Exciting stuff, right? Here’s the problem, that player is Melky Cabrera.

On August 15, Melky Cabrera was suspended by Major League baseball as he tested positive for a performance enhancing drug. The positive test carried a 50-game suspension as a penalty. At the time of suspension, Cabrera led the league in batting average. Since August 15, no one has caught Cabrera in this statistical category.

I’m not going to debate the use of PEDs in sport. Nor am I going to talk about players named in the Mitchell report, Congressional hearings, disgraced MLB superstars or the impact on Hall of Fame Careers. Major League Baseball is trying to put the era of juiced statistics and enlarged craniums in the rear view mirror; here is a great opportunity to cement its position on the topic of PEDs in baseball.

The start of 2005 MLB season marked the introduction of baseball’s PED suspension policy. The policy set out minimum suspension periods up to a lifetime ban for a third offence. Since 2005, there hasn’t been a player suspended while leading the league in a statistical category; till now.

This could be a blessing in disguise for MLB, as it represents a chance for Bud Selig to take a definitive stance on PED users and further distance MLB from the steroid years. Selig needs to get tough on this issue, appease the fans who demand a cleaner sport.
Here’s what the office of the Commissioner must do. Immediately enact an amendment to the existing PED policy that would state: once a positive test has been upheld or non-disputed by the player, the games played, salary earned, statistics accrued and awards and/or honors earned are stricken from the baseball record books.

This is not a revolutionary approach in sport. Tour de France has no problem stepping in and removing titles from cyclists. Olympic athletes must forfeit medals and vacate the associated race times or records. Why can’t baseball players be held to a similar standard?

It is a complete farce to think that a player suspended for taking performance-enhancing drugs should be in any way recognized for their exemplary performance. Melky Cabrera doesn’t deserve to have his name in the baseball archives as a batting champion, nor does he deserve his all-star nomination or his all-star MVP award.

Bud Selig, step in here and do the right thing. Send a clear message that this practise of using PEDs is not acceptable. Rule Cabrera ineligible for the season batting title and award it to the deserving second-place finisher, Andrew McCutchen. Baseball fans everywhere will applaud you.