Ken Caminiti fell off baseball’s Hall of Fame ballot after just one year, largely due to admitted steroid use in a 2002 Sports Illustrated story. He reportedly had cocaine and opiates in his system when he died in 2004 at 41 years old. He played just four of his 15 years in the majors in San Diego.
Yet two teammates do not hesitate: He belongs in the Padres Hall of Fame.
Caminiti was just that beloved in the clubhouse, his contributions just that impactful here.
“He was a warrior,” said Mark Sweeney, a teammate of Caminiti’s from 1997 to 1998.