9) 2008 Second Half: Manny hits .396 – After his trade to LA, Manny hit .396 for the Dodgers, lifting them to the playoffs and a first round win. This almost won him the NL MVP despite only playing 53 games. WITHOUT STEROIDS: Manny would have only hit about .315, because he still is a good hitter (ability and eye contact wise). Dodgers could have used that momentum to make the playoffs in the weak NL West, but would’ve lost in the first round to the Cubs, and not swept.

8 ) 1997 World Series - Manny and the Indians made the World Series but lost in seven games to the Marlins. Manny was a big bat in the lineup, but other power hitters took control of the middle of that lineup. WITHOUT STEROIDS: I doubt he was on steroids then, but if he was, he would have been similar to the same player. He was still getting better but was good enough to survive in the majors for sure.

7) 2000 Offseason: Signs with Boston – At the time, this was the richest contract in MLB history (topped by A-Rod soon after – steroids?). Manny left Cleveland where he built himself up to be one of the game’s premier players. WITHOUT STEROIDS: Manny would have still been signed by someone because he was good and young. The contract would have been like 6-years $50 instead of 8-years $160M.

6) 2008 Offseason: Manny re-signs with Dodgers – Manny scored a HUGE contract for only two years at about 45 million dollars over those two. Despite being 36, he knew he would get a contract from the desperate Dodgers. WITHOUT STEROIDS: Manny would have been signed by another desperate team looking for a washed up athlete. He probably would have been signed by the Giants…ha.

5) 2007 World Series – Boston won their second World Series in four years by sweeping the Rockies. Manny was a monster in that lineup but getting older. WITHOUT STEROIDS: Manny would have been a struggling old guy, but could have still helped them win since they had good pitching.

4) July 2008: Dodgers acquire Manny – Manny was acquired in a three-way deal with the Red Sox, Dodgers, and Pirates. His impact on LA was without question the biggest move they’ve made in the last 25 years. WITHOUT STEROIDS: Assuming Manny was still a good player, it would have been a pretty big deal for him to be traded, but not as a HUGE impact player.

3) 2004 World Series MVP – Manny helped the Red Sox win their first World Series since 1918 and won the MVP of the series against St. Louis. In the sweep, he hit .412 with 1 HR and 4 RBI. WITHOUT STEROIDS: The Red Sox had a pretty good team, so they could have made the World Series and won, but without steroids Manny probably wouldn’t have had such a big play in the outcome, and wouldn’t have won MVP.

2) 500th Homerun – Manny homered for the 500th time against the Orioles in 2008. He solidified his Hall of Fame resume by reaching the huge number of 500. WITHOUT STEROIDS: Manny would have only hit about 400 homeruns since he would have been more of an average hitter, by average I mean batting average. He would still have above average power, but not quite where he is at now.

1) October 2009 – Will anyone care what happens in the future when the Dodgers make the playoffs? Or will the Dodgers even make the playoffs now? Well, yeah, I’m sure they will, but if they didn’t it would be because of a complete drop of moral from the team and Manny specifically.