Cub Tracks’ lucky rabbit’s foot

It’s going to be a big day... or perhaps a not-so-big day for the 2022 Hall of Fame candidates. Later today (Tuesday, January 25) the tallied votes will be revealed, and we will find out who (if anyone) has made it into this year’s class of the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame.

This is Cubs-worthy primarily because it’s Sammy Sosa’s final year on the ballot and it seems distinctly unlikely he’s going to make the cut (though he can still be elected later by the Eras Committee).

Based on the collected public ballots (which you can track here), with under 50% of known votes there are three candidates with a solid shot at getting in this year. First ballot contender, David Ortiz; superstar slugger Barry Bonds; and pitcher Roger Clemens. This is by no means a sure-bet list of who will gain entry, but those are the three players currently trending over 75%. We’ll know for sure by tonight!

Let’s take a quick look at Cubs social media, shall we?

Several former players were thinking back on the 2015 passing of Ernie Banks.

• While we’re on the topic of the Hall of Fame, Matt Kelly looks at a few players who were finally elected on their final year on the ballot.
• David Schoenfield tries to follow the known ballot numbers to determine who will (and who might not) make the cut.
• The Sports Illustrated staff take a stab at determining who will make it in.
• Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma spotlight the Cubs’ offseason program for prospects. (The Athletic subscription required)

Cubs birthdays: Jimmy Adair, Mel Roach, Jose Macias, Dan Serafini

Food for Thought:

And a very cool, in-depth look at how clever the song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Disney’s Encanto is, from a musical perspective.

Thanks for reading. Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the opinions of writers whose work is linked in this series of articles. We try to present a balanced view, and let the facts speak for themselves.