As the years continue to go by, it’s becoming clear that Sammy Sosa’s road to enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame won’t become a reality.
Sosa missed induction into the Hall of Fame for the ninth time on Tuesday, getting just 17% of this year’s vote, his highest total since going on the ballot in 2013. No candidate on this year’s ballot received the required 75% of the vote to be inducted.
The Cubs’ legend is among several players who have had their candidacy tarnished due to their link to performance-enhancing drugs during the 1990s and early 2000s. But unlike others like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Gary Sheffield, Sosa has never received even 20% of the BBWAA vote.
Sosa hit 609 home runs during his 18-year career, which ranks ninth all-time. 545 of those blasts came during his 13-year tenure with the Cubs.
Next year’s Hall of Fame ballot will have as much intrigue as any in several years as Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz will both be eligible for the first time. It will also be Sosa’s 10th and final year on the ballot.
Former Cub and three-time All-Star Aramis Ramirez was on the ballot for the first time, but failed to reach the required 5% of the vote and will fall off the ballot. Ramirez slashed .294/.356/.531 with 239 homers in his nine-season with the Cubs.
