These 6 2024 Hall of Fame candidates killed the Cubs over the years

In a few short weeks, the Baseball Writer's Association of America (BBWAA) will announce the results of this year's Hall of Fame voting. There are no prominent Cubs on the ballot this time around, but several guys with Cooperstown aspirations were a constant thorn in the side of Chicago during their respective careers.

Let's start with longtime Colorado staple Todd Helton, who narrowly missed out on enshrinement last year. In 92 career games against the Cubs, Helton put up a .932 OPS, racking up 104 hits - including 27 doubles and 16 homers. It's worth noting, though, he performed better against Chicago at Coors Field than at Wrigley.

Astros fireman Billy Wagner slammed the door with ease against the Cubs in his career, working to a 1.47 ERA, 0.836 WHIP and 10.5 K/9 in 48 appearances - but that falls pretty in line with what he did any time he had the ball. A seven-time All-Star, the left-hander is one of the game's best closers - and seems likely to punch his ticket at some point.

Cubs pitchers had nightmares about these Hall of Fame candidates

Shifting now to a mix of heavy-hitting outfielders, we're going to look at the bodies of work for Gary Sheffield, Carlos Beltran, Matt Holliday and Bobby Abreu - all of whom feasted on Cubs pitching.

Sheffield, who is in his 10th and final year on the ballot, received 55% of the vote last time around and, no doubt, has suffered from PED allegations that have derailed a once-promising Hall of Fame bid. Regardless, he hammered Cubs pitching, throwing up a 1.028 OPS in 94 career matchups against Chicago - his fourth-best OPS against a single opponent.

Beltran, meanwhile, is in his second year on the ballot - and the thing to watch here is how voters assess his candidacy given his involvement in the Astros' sign-stealing scandal. Whether or not that keeps him out of Cooperstown remians to be seen. In 83 matchups against the Cubs, Beltran posted a .950 OPS - including a .409 OBP - and that OPS was his third-highest against any opponent.

Keeping on this trend of outfielders who were a constant pain for the Cubs, Bobby Abreu no doubt kept plenty of Chicago skippers awake at night. He hit Cubs arms harder than any other team he squared off against, with a 1.069 OPS that was buoyed by 38 extra-base hits in just 66 games. Abreu hasn't gotten a ton of support in the first few years of his candidacy, but he definitely did some things on the field worth remembering.

Last, but certainly not least, we tip our cap to longtime Cardinals staple - and former Rockies slugger - Matt Holliday. He saw a lot of the Cubs playing in St. Louis for 8 years, and he made the most of it with a .921 OPS in 124 contests.

Of course, the last prominent Cubs induction into Cooperstown came in the form of Ford C Frick Award winner Pat Hughes - and the last player who earned enshrinement who spent time with Chicago was first baseman Fred McGriff (although it was just a cup of coffee on the North Side). Prior to that, closer Lee Smith punched his ticket back in 2019 and donned the Cubs cap on his plaque.