With this year’s Hall of Fame class announced, which former Chicago Cubs players could be following to get the call?
Which Former Chicago Cubs Are Next Up for the Hall of Fame?
This year’s Hall of Fame class should be encouraging to those who used to play at Wrigley Field. Although Adrian Beltre and Joe Mauer were great players, very few would consider them all-time greats. Add the sixth attempt by Todd Helton, and we have a nice class, but not a great one. This should be good news to some former Cubs hoping to gain enshrinement. Among other reasons, it signifies that advanced metrics may be more at work than in the past.
Although Beltre played for 21 years, no small feat, this allowed him to stack up numbers that make him one of the top statistical third basemen of all time. However, despite his third-highest WAR for third baseman, Beltre is usually not considered one of the best third basemen ever. Similarly, Mauer was a solid catcher for a decade for the Twins. He did win an MVP in 2009, but overall, his selection in his first year of eligibility did surprise some.
So why is this good for former Cubs? Many of those who will become eligible soon also fit into this category. Let’s look at three players who could be the next former Cubs to be enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame:
Cole Hamels
Although most of his stellar statistics were accumulated as a member of the Phillies, Hamels did spend two quality years with the Cubs. During that time, he had an ERA of 3.30 and a solid, if not spectacular, K/BB ratio of 2.75. During his 15-year career, Hamels collected 163 wins. He also forged an ERA of 3.43 and a career WAR of 58.0. Once again, compared to the greats, this is not a typical resume for a future Hall of Fame inductee.
However, he did line up statistically with some greats during his career. According to Baseball Reference, Hamels is most similar to Felix Hernandez and had seasons similar to John Smoltz and Madison Bumgarner. Given these comps, Hamels certainly warrants consideration. His first year that he is eligible to be elected is in 2026.
Jon Lester
This will test how much value the writers put into post-season play. Lester has always been known as a big-game pitcher. He was the first big move to announce the Cubs were going after a championship when he was signed before the 2015 season. Although his career WAR is below Hamels at 43.5, and he only has 200 wins, no one wanted to ball more in a big game or the postseason than Lester. He was the ace of three World Series-winning teams. His 1.77 ERA combined in the Fall Classic ranks him as one of the top 10 pitchers who have thrown at least 30 innings.
Lester was the stopper in the postseason for two franchises that had a championship drought longer than most lifetimes. If you consider these factors, Lester would be a shoo-in for enshrinement. What dogs Lester is his rather pedestrian regular season statistics. Because of this, many voters could opt to pass on Lester. His first year eligible on the ballot is 2027.
Sammy Sosa
Now comes the accurate lightning rod of a topic. Like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and many others from the 1990s and 2000s, Sosa has the stench of the steroid era hanging over him. On statistics alone, Sosa is a first-ballot inductee. He has 609 career home runs. In addition, Sosa owns the third, fifth, and sixth-highest single-season home run totals in MLB history.
However, because of his association with performance-enhancing drugs, Sosa’s only way into the Hall would be through a veteran’s committee election. Given how polarizing this era of players is to those on that committee, it may be a long shot for Sosa to be elected. Consequently, Swingin’ Sammy might be the longest shot of this threesome.
Main Photo Credits: Robert Hanashiro via Imagn Content Services, LLC
