As the Cubs Convention gets underway in downtown Chicago, the North Siders have revealed that the club's Hall of Fame will grow by two members.
Sammy Sosa, who has recently been welcomed back into the organization after a 20-year absence, and former star first baseman Derrek Lee will join the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame, the club announced.
Sosa, a former National League MVP who was one of the centerpieces of the 1998 home run chase, played 13 seasons for the Cubs, becoming the club's all-time home run leader in the process.
Playing for the Cubs from 1992-2004, Sosa totaled 545 home runs, 1,414 RBI, 181 stolen bases and a .284/.358/.569 batting line in his time with the Cubs, becoming the only player in MLB history to hit 60 or more home runs in three different seasons, accomplishing the feat in 1998, 1999 and 2001.
Sosa was named to seven All-Star teams during his Cubs tenure, winning six Silver Slugger awards and finishing in the top 10 in NL MVP voting seven times.
Joining Sosa is his teammate of one season, Derrek Lee, who had an illustrious Cubs career over the course of seven seasons from 2004-2010.
A power-hitting first baseman who joined the Cubs just one season after dashing fans hopes in 2003 as a member of the Florida Marlins, Lee immediately became a focal point of the North Siders' lineup.
Lee's tenure with the Cubs included 179 home runs, a .298/.378/.524 batting line and 1,046 hits. The first baseman was named to two All-Star games, won two Gold Gloves and one Silver Slugger during his time in Chicago.
His peak as a Cub inarguably came in 2005, when Lee led MLB in doubles, batting average, slugging percentage and OPS, hitting 46 home runs and driving in 107 runs, posting an otherworldly 1.080 OPS.
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The results netted Lee a third-place NL MVP finish for a Cubs team that finished below .500 and well out of the playoff race.
