Chicago Cubs: Cooperstown will eventually welcome Sammy Sosa

Purgatory for the famed slugger

After he left the final game of the 2004 season early, Sosa’s time with the Cubs drew to an emotional close. Coupled with the PED allegations, his reputation with many fans – and the organization – suffered a great deal.

He played just two more seasons: 2005 with Baltimore and 2007 with the Texas Rangers, the team he debuted with back in 1989 as a skinny Dominican outfielder without the slightest sign of power. Since then, Sosa has all but guaranteed he remains in exile with a number of strange interviews and self-centered comments in the media. 

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These mark, outside of his purported connections to performance-enhancing substances, perhaps his biggest hurdle to Cooperstown. Between these – and the dominance of more sabermetric-focused voters in the BBWAA that look way past home runs and RBI, he may be facing an uphill battle.

But given what he meant to the Cubs, the game and his prominent place in its history, someday, we’ll see him looking down from the walls of the Hall. Or, we should. Time will tell.