Should Sammy Sosa be in the Hall of Fame?

👋 Hi, Justin here. Red Sox slugger David Ortiz will enter the Hall of Fame this year after a legendary career, the only MLB player voted in.

• But his numbers are very similar to another player who has now officially been kept out: Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa.

Why it matters: After 10 years of eligibility, the window has closed on Sosa making the Hall of Fame.

• Sosa garnered just 18.5% of the vote from baseball writers, falling shy of the 75% threshold for entry. He will now rely on the Today's Game committee, voted on by the Hall of Fame's board of directors, to get in.

Context: Sosa is one of many players being shunned from the HOF because of alleged use of performance enhancing drugs.

• His name was on a leaked list of players who tested positive for PEDs in 2003, alongside Ortiz, but he wasn't named in the Mitchell Report and denied using PEDs while testifying in front of Congress in 2005.

Yes, but: As the internet surges in support of Barry Bonds and others, Sosa is left behind. Why?

• Cheating: Sosa's firm denial of steroid use left a sour taste in fan's mouths. He also got caught with a corked bat in 2003.
• Personality: Sosa has been cast as a bad teammate, from leaving Wrigley before games ended to playing loud music in the locker room.
• Stats: His final year in Chicago was lousy enough to get him booed at Wrigley Field.

The bottom line: Last year, the Cubs unveiled their own Hall of Fame. Sosa was not one of the 56 inductees.

💭 Justin's thought bubble: Fans would skip bathroom breaks or beer runs when Sosa was due up, even before the 1998 home run chase. He brought magic — and a lot of money — back to the Friendly Confines.

🗳 So Cubs fans: What did I miss? Should Sammy Sosa be in the Hall of Fame? Vote here.