Cubs Legends Sammy Sosa, Derrek Lee Presented With Hall of Fame Blue Jackets

Sosa’s appearance at Cubs Convention in January represented a thawing of the relationship between Sosa and the franchise, which became estranged near the end of his time with the franchise.

As part of that thawing, Sosa participated in spring training with the Cubs as a special coach and was at a Cubs game in June for the first time in 21 years.

He became iconic during his time with the Cubs, most notably during the 1998 season when he and St. Louis star Mark McGwire captured the imagination of the country with their single-season home run chase, which McGwire won with 70 home runs that year. Sosa finished with 66. Sosa, however, was the National League MVP that year and finished his Chicago career with a franchise-record 545 home runs.

In 13 years with Chicago, he won six Silver Sluggers, claimed seven All-Star Game berths and hit 60 or more home runs three times. He also had 296 doubles, 1,414 RBIs, 1,245 runs scored, 1,985 hits, 181 stolen bases, 798 walks and 3,980 total bases in 1,811 games.

Sosa played in 18 MLB seasons and finished with 609 career home runs. He is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame as the era he played in, the famed “Steroid Era,” has kept him from getting the votes he needs to get in.

Sosa reportedly tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003, as disclosed by the New York Times (subscription required) when MLB was testing for the first time and it didn't lead to penalties. That report, and his ensuing testimony in Washington D.C. that year in which he denied involvement, kept him out of the good graces until he made a public apology through a statement earlier this year.

Derrek Lee’s Cubs Hall of Fame Career

Lee played with the Cubs from 2004-2010 and was already an established star when he joined the franchise from the Florida Marlins (now Miami Marlins). He made his only two All-Star Game appearances with the Cubs and was named a two-time Gold Glove fielder and a Silver Slugger at first base. He was third in NL MVP voting in 2005 as he won the batting title with a .335/.418/.662 slash. He led the NL with 199 hits and 50 doubles, along with 46 home runs and 107 RBI.

For his Cubs career he slashed .298/.378/.524 with 179 home runs and 574 RBI. For his 16-year MLB career which ended in 2001, he slashed .281/.365/.495 with 331 home runs and 1,078 RBI.