Sammy Sosa, Derrek Lee Among Chicago Baseball Players on 2017 Hall of Fame Ballot

The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced its 34-player ballot for induction into the hallowed institution next year, and the list is dotted with players from both the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox.

Only one player among the 34 played for both teams in his career, and that is slugger Sammy Sosa. Known primarily for his time with the Cubs, Sosa also briefly played for the White Sox in the early 1990’s.

Although steroid allegations have kept Sosa out of the Hall, he still has some of the best numbers imaginable as he racked up 609 home runs and 1667 RBI in his career.

Another player with connections to both teams is Manny Ramirez, who had a brief stint with the White Sox and has recently been working with the Cubs as a Triple-A coach, helping out youngsters like Javier Baez as they’ve made their way through the system.

Steroid allegations have also dogged Ramirez (he also was suspended because of performance enhancing drugs during his career), so it’s unclear how Hall voters will react to him as he appears on the ballot for the first time.

Several other players with Cubs ties include Derrek Lee, who won the National League batting title as a member of the Cubs in 2005 and helped lead them to consecutive playoff appearances in 2007 and 2008. Fred McGriff, Matt Stairs, and Lee Smith also played with the Cubs during their big league careers, and are all on the Hall of Fame ballot this year.

As for the White Sox, their connections to the list include shortstop Orlando Cabrera, who led the team to the 2008 postseason, and outfielder Magglio Ordonez, who was a four-time All-Star while playing for the Sox.

Here is the full list of nominees for the Hall of Fame:

Jeff Bagwell, Casey Blake, Barry Bonds, Pat Burrell, Orlando Cabrera, Mike Cameron, Roger Clemens, JD Drew, Vladimir Guerrero, Carlos Guillen, Trevor Hoffman, Jeff Kent, Derrek Lee, Edgar Martinez, Fred McGriff, Melvin Mora, Mike Mussina, Magglio Ordonez, Jorge Posada, Tim Raines, Manny Ramirez, Edgar Renteria, Arthur Rhodes, Ivan Rodriguez, Freddy Sanchez, Curt Schilling, Gary Sheffield, Lee Smith, Sammy Sosa, Matt Stairs, Jason Varitek, Billy Wagner, Tim Wakefield, Larry Walker

The Hall of Fame voting results will be announced on Jan. 18, and all players that receive 75 percent or more of the ballots cast will be inducted into the Hall in July 2017. Several players, including Jeff Bagwell, Trevor Hoffman, and Tim Raines, came achingly close last year, and could potentially reach the magic 75 percent plateau this time around.

The situation for Raines is especially tenuous, as 2017 will mark his final year of eligibility for election into the Hall. There has been a strong push to get him in, and with very few surefire options this time around, it could be a perfect time for him to hit the 75 percent plateau and gain entrance into the exclusive ranks of the Hall of Fame.

Lee Smith will also be making his final appearance on the ballot, and the former Cubs closer will have some serious work to do to get into the Hall. He only received 34.1 percent of the vote, meaning that he would have to make up a ton of ground to get in this time around.

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