January 25, 2018

Cubs.com, Wood, Zambrano off HOF ballot; Sosa drops https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/sammy-sosa-kerry-wood-short-of-hall-of-fame/c-265247296

Cubs.com, Baby Baez! Javier, girlfriend are expecting https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/javier-baez-girlfriend-expecting-first-baby/c-265240932

NBC Sports Chicago, Mixed news for former Cubs on Hall of Fame ballot http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/mixed-news-former-cubs-hall-fame-ballot-sosa-kerry-wood-carlos-zambrano

NBC Sports Chicago, How Cubs plan to fix 'diseased' bullpen in 2018 http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/how-cubs-plan-fix-diseased-bullpen-2018-justin-wilson-edwards-strop-morrow-duensing-epstein-hickey

Chicago Tribune, Will Cubs' biggest offseason addition be a 35-year-old catcher who lures Yu Darvish? http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-yu-darvish-chris-gimenez-haugh-020180124-story.html

Chicago Sun-Times, Man who tripped on stairs at Wrigley Field sues Cubs over injuries from fall https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/man-who-tripped-on-stairs-at-wrigley-field-sues-cubs-for-injuries-from-fall/

Chicago Sun-Times, IBWAA votes Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds into Hall of Fame, Sammy Sosa left out https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/ibwaa-votes-roger-clemens-barry-bonds-into-hall-of-fame-sammy-sosa-left-off/

Chicago Sun-Times, Former Sox slugger Jim Thome in 2018 Hall of Fame class; Sammy Sosa denied again https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/white-sox-jim-thome-2018-baseball-hall-of-fame-sammy-sosa/

The Athletic, Same old story for Sammy Sosa; Kerry Wood and Big Z are one-and-done in Hall of Fame voting https://theathletic.com/221269/2018/01/24/same-old-story-for-sammy-sosa-kerry-wood-and-big-z-are-one-and-done-in-hall-of-fame-voting/

The Athletic, Once a phenom, former major leaguer Ryan Kalish has traveled the globe hoping to keep his dream alive https://theathletic.com/220906/2018/01/24/once-a-phenom-former-major-leaguer-ryan-kalish-has-traveled-the-globe-hoping-to-keep-his-baseball-dreams-alive/

-- Cubs.com Wood, Zambrano off HOF ballot; Sosa drops By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- Kerry Wood and Carlos Zambrano had great seasons with the Cubs, but the two pitchers did not garner enough votes from the Baseball Writers' Association of America to remain on the Hall of Fame ballot. Sammy Sosa, who was on the ballot for the sixth time, received 33 votes (7.8 percent), a slight drop from the 8.6 percent he received last year. The Hall of Fame announced Wednesday that four players were elected into Cooperstown: Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman. Wood, on the ballot for the first time with Zambrano, received two votes from BBWAA members. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Wood's stellar May 6, 1998, start at Wrigley Field, when he fanned a Major League-record 20 batters and gave up one hit in a 2-0 win over the Astros. Wood was named the National League Rookie of the Year that season. Now involved in the Wood Family Foundation, the former pitcher told the Chicago Tribune earlier this month that if he got one BBWAA vote, he'd have a big party. "I'm going to call the guy who voted for me, whoever voted for me, and apologize," said Wood, 40. "If they voted for me, they're probably losing their credential." Zambrano, now 36, was one of six players who did not receive a single vote from the BBWAA. He pitched for the Cubs from 2001-2011, and spent one season with the Marlins in '12 before retiring. He finished 132-91 with a 3.66 ERA in 354 games (302 starts), which included a no-hitter on Sept. 14, 2008, against the Astros at Miller Park in a game relocated because of hurricane damage in Houston. Sosa, 49, played for the White Sox, Cubs, Orioles and Rangers, hitting 609 home runs in 18 seasons. He posted three seasons with at least 60 home runs, and won the NL Most Valuable Player Award in 1998, when he belted 66 homers and drove in a league-leading 158 runs. In Sosa's first year on the ballot in 2013, he received 12.5 percent of the vote, and his support had dipped to 7.2 percent in '14, 6.6 percent in '15, 7 percent in 2016 and 8.6 percent last year. Players need to appear on 75 percent of the ballots cast to earn election into the Hall. -- Cubs.com Baby Baez! Javier, girlfriend are expecting By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- Cubs infielder Javier Baez announced a new addition on Wednesday with the news that he and longtime girlfriend Irmarie Marquez are expecting a baby.

Baez posted a photo of him with Marquez holding a child-sized Baez jersey on Twitter: "Una Bendicion Mas De Dios! Baby Baez is Coming!!! What do you think [it] will be? Boy or Girl? deja tu opinion ..." The post included some emojis, including happy faces and a baby bottle. Baez knows all about gender reveals. He took part in one at the Cubs Convention for a Houston family, joining teammates Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber in pulling confetti poppers on stage. It's been a busy offseason for Baez, 25, who spends part of his offseason in Puerto Rico and part of it in Jacksonville, Fla., where he's in the process of purchasing a ranch. "I'm really excited to have that and have the space," Baez told MLB.com at the Cubs Convention. Baez currently owns one horse and hopes to buy more. "That's where I grew up in Jacksonville," Baez said of the ranch, which includes a home gym setup. "I grew up on that farm, and I told [the owners] I want to [buy it], and they told me when they were ready to move out, they'd let me know." The Cubs' social media team visited Baez on the ranch in December and posted video of him feeding the chickens and horses. "I love doing it," Baez said about taking care of the livestock. "It's peaceful." -- NBC Sports Chicago Mixed news for former Cubs on Hall of Fame ballot By Tony Andracki While four deserving stars will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this summer, no Cubs will be among the crowd. It was a mixed bag for former North Siders on the ballot this winter. Neither Kerry Wood nor Carlos Zambrano received enough votes (5 percent) to remain on the ballot. In fact, Zambrano did not receive even one vote from any of the 422 Baseball Writers Association of America voters. Wood had two votes, good for 0.5 percent. Sammy Sosa, however, received just enough votes to remain on the ballot for 2019, as 33 writers included him among their possible entrants into baseball's most prestigious honor. That represents a slight dip for Sosa, who had 38 votes on 2017's ballot. In the years he's been on the ballot, Sosa has had to sweat it out each time, narrowly hanging on: 2013 - 71 votes (12.5 percent) 2014 - 41 votes (7.2 percent) 2015 - 36 votes (6.6 percent) 2016 - 31 votes (7 percent) 2017 - 38 votes (8.6 percent) 2018 - 33 votes (7.8 percent)

Sosa has 609 career homers and is one of the greatest sluggers in baseball history. While his numbers are surely Hall-worthy, the issue dragging Sosa down in the voters eyes is his alleged link to PEDs. Sosa also has not been allowed back at Cubs Convention until he comes clean about his past transgressions. Meanwhile, Wood and Zambrano falling off the ballot don't come as much of a surprise. Wood pitched 14 years in the big leagues, but his career was marred by injury, as he made 30 starts in only two seasons and spent the last half of his career as a reliever. He won the Rookie of the Year in 1998 but never finished among the top finalists for the Cy Young. He was an All-Star twice and led baseball in strikeouts in 2003. Those aren't exactly HOF numbers, but at least he has an awesome sense of humor about it: Phil Rogers

✔ @philgrogers Kerry Wood on being on the HOF ballot: "If I get one vote, we’re having a blowout party. I’m going to call the guy who voted for me, whoever voted for me, and apologize. It they voted me they’re probably losing their credential.” From @_phil_thompson feature. Zambrano pitched 12 years in the majors, almost all as a starting pitcher. He won 132 games and pitched 1,959 innings, but only led the league twice in any major category — wins in 2006 (16) and HR/9 in 2003 (0.4). "Big Z" was a three-time All-Star and finished fifth in NL Cy Young Voting three times (2004, 2006, 2007) and even found his way among MVP finalists (28th) in 2004 when he went 16-8 with a 2.75 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 188 strikeouts in 209.2 innings. Zambrano also won four Silver Slugger Awards, smashing 24 homers in 693 career at-bats. -- NBC Sports Chicago How Cubs plan to fix 'diseased' bullpen in 2018 By Tony Andracki We have officially reached a Bullpen Revolution. Never before in baseball history have relievers carried so much weight and importance as starting pitchers are being pulled earlier and earlier in games. We see it in the slow winter, where even guys who aren't being signed as closers are still earning $7 or $8 million a season and being inked to multiyear deals. Meanwhile, the largest contract given out to a starting pitcher (as of this writing) is still the Cubs' three-year, $38 million pact with Tyler Chatwood.

"The money is shifting to the bullpen and teams are building super-bullpens," president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said at the Cubs Convention inside the Sheraton Grand Chicago earlier this month. "A lot of organizations are not expecting their starters to go deep into games anymore. "The pendulum swang a little bit too far in that direction, because if you're constantly pulling your starter before tehy face the order a third time, it puts a tremendous burden on your bullpen throughout the course of the regular season." The Cubs saw that last fall, when their relievers experienced a prolonged drought of inconsistency and instability. From the morning of Sept. 1 through the end of the postseason, the Cubs bullpen ranked 17th in baseball with a 4.38 ERA. Among playoff teams, only the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers had worse marks and keep in mind, those numbers are skewed because both World Series teams saw bullpen implosions constantly throughout the seven-game Fall Classic. Yet in the first half of the season, the Cubs posted the fourth-best bullpen ERA in baseball (3.26 ERA), second to only the Dodgers (2.99) among National League teams. "Our bullpen, I think, got a bit over maligned by the end of the year," Cubs GM Jed Hoyer said. "I think they were [out of gas]. Throughout the year, we could not throw enough strikes. That was almost like a disease that ran through our bullpen. "Guys had their career worst strike-throwing years. But overall, I think our bullpen was better than it looked at the end of the year. We have a lot of really good relievers in that bullpen that are gonna throw well for us." In that same stretch from Sept. 1 onward, the Cubs were second only to the woeful Cincinnati Reds bullpen in walks per nine innings. On the season as a whole, Cubs relievers tied with the New York Mets for the second-highest BB/9 mark. Hoyer is right: The Cubs featured a bunch of guys with their worst walk rates ever. Wade Davis, Carl Edwards Jr., Mike Montgomery, Pedro Strop, Hector Rondon, Justin Grimm, Koji Uehara and Justin Wilson all either approached or set new career highs in BB/9. The only relief pitcher who turned in a quality strike-throwing season was Brian Duensing, which is part of the reason why the Cubs re-signed the veteran southpaw to a two-year deal last week. So how do the Cubs fix that issue? For one, they're hoping the change in pitching coaches — from Chris Bosio to Jim Hickey — will do the trick. Bosio is one of the most highly-respected pitching coaches in the game, but for whatever reason, oversaw that alarming increase in relief walks. A new voice and message could be enough to effect change. Beyond that, the Cubs placed an emphasis on strike-throwing as they remade their bullpen this winter. Gone are Davis, Rondon and Uehara and in their stead are Brandon Morrow and Steve Cishek, two veterans who are adept at throwing strikes. Morrow ranked 18th in baseball last season in BB/9 (1.85) among relievers who threw at least 40 innings. That's a big part of the reason why the Cubs are so

confident in Morrow's ability to close, even though he has just 18 career saves only two of which have come in this decade. The Cubs are counting on a return to form from Justin Wilson, who walked just 37 batters in 119.2 innings from 2015-16 before doling out 19 free passes in 18.1 innings in a Cubs uniform last year. Last season, manager Joe Maddon felt Edwards was getting too fine at points and trying to nibble to avoid getting hit hard, which led to an uptick in walks. But because the young flamethrower has such dynamic stuff, even if he lives in the strike zone, he should still find — Edwards has allowed just 44 hits in 102.1 innings the last two seasons. The Cubs are also woke to the importance of keeping relievers fresh down the stretch. The proof was in the pudding last postseason when all bullpens were "fried," Epstein said, especially by the time the World Series rolled around. "We need to strike a balance," Epstein said. "We as an organization still put a lot of value on starting pitchers and starters' abilities to get through the order a third time because it really works in the long run — it allows your bullpen to stay fresher throughout the six months of the season." The Cubs don't intend to wear out any pitcher, whether it's a reliever with a checkered injury history (Morrow), a starter getting up there in age (Jon Lester) or anybody else who takes the hill for the team in 2018. The idea is to have the entire pitching staff strong and hitting their stride as October approaches. But even with the weight placed on bullpens — especially in October — the Cubs know they still need more starting pitching depth because bullpens are so volatile. "There's definitely a shifting dynamic in the game where there's increased importance on the 'pen and slightly less on the rotation because more innings are shifting to the bullpen," Epstein said at the MLB Winter Meetings last month. "But there's a contradictory dynamic which is relievers are a lot less predictable than starters. "So if you react to the first dynamic that I described and put all your resources into the 'pen and then you end up becoming the victim of unpredictability, then you're in a really tough spot." -- Chicago Tribune Will Cubs' biggest offseason addition be a 35-year-old catcher who lures Yu Darvish? By David Haugh When star Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish finished his first career shutout with the Rangers on June 11, 2014, Chris Gimenez greeted him at the mound to celebrate after catching all 117 pitches. When Darvish faced live hitters May 1, 2016, for the first time in 22 months after Tommy John surgery, Gimenez guided the right-hander through two scoreless innings in a rehab start for the Rangers’ Double-A affiliate in Frisco, Texas.

When considering whether the Cubs improved their chances to land Darvish by signing the smart, colorful complement of a catcher to a minor-league deal this week, remember those milestones. Those moments helped establish a trust Darvish values and explain a rapport with Gimenez nobody should diminish. We can assume Cubs President Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer didn’t. The fact Gimenez became known as Darvish’s personal catcher with the Rangers after being behind the plate for 12 of his starts hardly guarantees anything about a dormant free-agent market that’s getting more mysterious by the day. But it sure can’t hurt the Cubs’ cause to add the catcher Darvish preferred so much that he reportedly once requested the Rangers recall Gimenez from Triple A before one of Darvish’s scheduled starts. Everything is bigger in Texas, but one baseball source said the Darvish-Gimenez connection is no exaggeration. The subtle but significant move of signing Gimenez suggests the Cubs realize how badly they need Darvish, whose presence would restore them as a legitimate World Series contender. So would re-signing Jake Arrieta but, according to reports, Darvish seems more willing than Arrieta to discuss the four- or five-year contract the Cubs favor. Blame agent Scott Boras if the bearded one departs. If terms were equal, Darvish still seems like a safer investment. Five teams remain in the Darvish derby: the Cubs, Dodgers, Twins, Rangers and Brewers. At least one of those teams has offered Darvish a five-year deal, reports say. The Cubs were engaged in active discussions with Darvish as late as Tuesday, the Associated Press reported. Citing a source, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi on Wednesday tweeted that Darvish “is increasingly likely to sign” with a team this week. Suspense builds around baseball but especially on Chicago’s North Side. With pitchers and catchers scheduled to report to Mesa, Ariz., three weeks from Thursday, an increasing urgency settles in around the Cubs organization — especially if the Brewers stay as active as rumors imply. Free-agent starting pitcher Alex Cobb still exists as an 11th-hour alternative for the Cubs, and he also worked with Gimenez during the catcher’s 46-game stint with the Rays from 2012-13 under manager Joe Maddon. Not surprisingly, Maddon’s personality clicked with Gimenez, too, by the way. The Cubs still could sign Cobb, a more affordable arm with a solid 48-35 career record, and believe they are good enough to win the National League Central next season. Or they could sign Darvish, a potential ace, and become a team good enough to win it all for the second time in three years. Signing neither Cobb, Darvish nor Arrieta and entering spring training with pitcher Tyler Chatwood as the only addition to the rotation would qualify as a disappointment. How could anyone put a positive spin on the Cubs entering the season without having replaced Arrieta or closer Wade Davis? The toughest thing about establishing championship standards can be meeting them. A 2018 rotation of Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester, Jose Quintana, Chatwood and Mike Montgomery would fail to meet them. Adding Darvish as a No. 1 would allow Montgomery to return to the utility role he grudgingly accepts but in which he thrives. Montgomery dividing his time between spot starts and relief stints gives the Cubs versatility in a bullpen Epstein and Hoyer made deeper overall despite not signing a proven 35-save closer.

The importance of Darvish to the Cubs underscores why the team shouldn’t rule out offering a five-year contract, even for a pitcher who will be 32 in August — and why adding Gimenez raised eyebrows. Gimenez’s sense of humor could be seen in how he responded to a tweet this week asking him if it was cool being called “Grandpa,’’ as former backup catcher David Ross famously was. “Maybe great uncle?” Gimenez replied. The Twins’ persistent interest in Darvish caused the pitcher to call his old buddy, Gimenez, who spent last season in Minneapolis. According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Darvish reached out to Gimenez with questions about Twins coaches, players and team rules. One must wonder if Gimenez has spoken with Darvish since reaching an agreement with the Cubs. What’s that goofy Maddon really like? Did he dye his hair in Tampa? A better question: Could the Cubs’ biggest offseason acquisition be a fun-loving, 35-year-old father of three who has changed major-league organizations eight times and played 884 minor-league games? It all depends on Yu. -- Chicago Sun-Times Man who tripped on stairs at Wrigley Field sues Cubs over injuries from fall By Jacob Wittich A man who tripped on a step underneath his seat at Wrigley Field is suing the Chicago Cubs over injuries he suffered from a subsequent fall. Erik R. Ludwig was at the July 5, 2017, Cubs game sitting in Seat 1 of the first row of Section 242 when he stood up from his seat, slipped off the step located underneath the seat and fell to the ground, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Cook County Circuit Court. The lawsuit alleges that the stairway was placed in a dangerous proximity to the seat, causing Ludwig to fall. Ludwig said he suffered “severe and permanent” injuries from the incident, and had to pay large sums of money for treatment. The lawsuit, which seeks more than $50,000 in damages, accuses the Chicago Cubs of negligence in allowing the stairway to be constructed so close to the seat. A representative for the Chicago Cubs did not immediately respond to a request for comment. -- Chicago Sun-Times IBWAA votes Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds into Hall of Fame, Sammy Sosa left out By Madeline Kenney The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) released its 2018 class for its digital Hall of Fame Wednesday.

Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, who have both been accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, made the list, but Sammy Sosa was left in the dust. Chipper Jones topped IBWAA’s list collecting 98.82 percent of the votes. Other inductees include Jim Thome, Mike Mussina and Trevor Hoffman. Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) is set to release their 2018 Hall of Fame class Wednesday at 5 p.m. on MLB Network. This year’s voting has become increasingly more interesting than years past due to the number of players on the ballot who have been accused of using steroids or were proven users. Hall of Fame second baseman and Hall vice chairman Joe Morgan sent a lengthy letter in November to BBWAA members before they voted to encourage them not to elect a player with a suspect history of steroid abuse. Howard Cole, the founding director of IBWAA, said in recent years that some of the voters have spoken out against electing players into the Hall of Fame from baseball’s steroid era. “With the exception of guys like Vladimir Guerrero, who we elected last year, and Edgar Martinez in 2016, our ballot is the same as the BBWAA’s,” Cole wrote in an email to the Sun-Times. “Voters add comments to their e-ballots, which run the gamut, but there’s been widespread support for PED-types the last couple of years. Bonds and Clemens are in the digital Hall, which speaks volumes.” Bonds and Clemens could make the cut, but not Sosa. Why is it that the former Cubs star can’t catch a break? Cole doesn’t have the exact answer. “Well, Sosa got 27.65 percent in our election, which was more than double the official number, but he was at 32.85 percent last year, so it doesn’t look good,” Cole said. “I don’t know what’s in our vote’s minds, but my guess is, all things considered, they just don’t think he qualifies as a Hall of Famer. “I’m not anti-Sammy or pro-Sammy, and even if I had strong feelings about it, I’m just one man with one vote. I can’t speak for the IBWAA, much less the IBWAA and the BBWAA.” Sosa, a seven-time All-Star and six-time Silver Slugger, played 18 seasons in the major league, hitting a career .273 batting average with 609 total home runs. From 1998 to 2001, Sosa had four consecutive seasons where he hit more than 50 home runs. Sosa has always denied using steroids during his career, despite reports that he failed a drug test in 2003. During the Cubs Convention earlier this month, Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts railed Sosa and said the team won’t welcome him back until he comes clean. He also added that he thinks Sosa “owes us a little bit of honesty.” Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young winner and 11-time All-Star, was accused of using steroids during his late career. But he denied the allegations under oath before the United States Congress. Bonds, a 14-time All-Star, came clean about his steroid use in 2011. --

Chicago Sun-Times Former Sox slugger Jim Thome in 2018 Hall of Fame class; Sammy Sosa denied again By Steve Greenberg Jim Thome had to know he’d be back, didn’t he? On an off day in late August of 2008, Thome, playing for the White Sox, visited the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, for the first time. He had his dad with him, along with the ball he’d blasted for home run No. 500 not quite a year before in Chicago. Thome had to know he’d be back at the Hall, though it wasn’t a subject he readily addressed as he neared the end of an extraordinary 22-year career. But now? Now it is a done deal. The call from the Hall came Wednesday, with the 47-year-old Peoria native, who last played in 2012, getting in on the first ballot with a vote percentage of 89.8. “Every Midwest kid can dream of a day like this,” Thome said, “and I’m living it today.” Also in the class of 2018, which will be inducted July 29 in Cooperstown: iconic Braves third baseman Chipper Jones, Expos and Angels right fielder Vladimir Guerrero and longtime Padres closer Trevor Hoffman. Like Thome, Jones — at a whopping 97.2 percent of the vote — made it in his first time on the ballot. Pitcher Jack Morris and shortstop Alan Trammell also are in, having been elected in December by the Hall’s Modern Era committee. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, the greatest hitter and pitcher of the steroid era, each received over 50 percent of the vote, suggesting their time may be coming. Former Cubs superstar Sammy Sosa, on the other hand, came in at less than eight percent. Maybe next year? Maybe never, Sammy. Sox fans won’t ever forget the site of Thome after his 500th home run — a walk-off shot to center to beat the Angels at what was then called U.S. Cellular Field — being carried on the shoulders of teammates Jermaine Dye and Bobby Jenks. An even bigger, perhaps more memorable homer came a year later, on the final day of September 2008. Thome sent a monstrous solo blast over the center-field wall — and a stadium packed with Sox fans into an utter frenzy — for the only run in a one-game playoff against the Twins. Thome belted 134 long balls in a Sox uniform and 612 in a career spent with six teams, most notably the Indians. His 13 walk-off homers are the most by any player in history. He claims his career on-base percentage of .402 is his favorite personal statistic. His 1,747 bases on balls are the seventh-most of all time. But it is those home runs — the long and majestic, and the clutch and magical — that still leap so quickly to the fronts of our minds. The bat pointing toward the bleachers in right field. The stance open. The uppercut swing. Blastoff. Thome ranks eighth on the all-time home run list — with three more than Sosa, 29 more than Mark McGwire, 43 more then Rafael Palmeiro and 57 more than Manny Ramirez. Those ahead of him include Alex Rodriguez, by 85, and, of course, Bonds, by 150. On that list, Thome stands out as the one mighty bopper from the steroid era whose name never was linked to performance-enhancing drugs. “The strongest thing I put into my body is steak and eggs,” he told Sports Illustrated in 2005, amid the worst season of his career in Philadelphia. “I just eat. I’m not a supplement guy. I try to get in shape, get ready to go. Steroids are not even a thought.”

Anyone who consumed the sport back then heard a lot of players issue a lot of denials. Hopefully, some of them were even telling the truth. It would be lovely to think of Thome as one of them, especially given his reputation as one of the true nice guys of baseball. Thome made his big-league debut eight days after his 21st birthday, a third baseman who would spend his first 13 seasons in Cleveland. He made a permanent switch to first base roughly halfway through his time with the Indians and took on a regular designated hitter role in 2006, the first of his four years with the Sox. Thome is the only member of the 600 club who never was an MVP. Despite reaching the postseason 10 times, he never won a World Series. Yet what an impact he made. He won two Marvin Miller Man of the Year Awards, a Roberto Clemente Award and a Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, all in recognition of his community service, sportsmanship and character. The Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley was on the Sox beat during the Thome years and calls him “as good a guy as I have ever covered.” “The best thing I can say about Jim Thome,” Cowley said, “is every time you were done talking to him — interview or just BSing — you walked away realizing how much more room you still had to be a better person.” -- The Athletic Same old story for Sammy Sosa; Kerry Wood and Big Z are one-and-done in Hall of Fame voting By Patrick Mooney Sammy Sosa — once one of the greatest showmen to ever play at Wrigley Field — now only comes out in the dead of winter. And it’s in name only — the annual Cubs Convention question to ownership and his shrunken numbers in the Hall of Fame voting. But where some segments of the fanbase and the Chicago media disagree with Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts — who wants some honesty about the steroid era before welcoming Slammin’ Sammy back to throw out a first pitch and do the seventh-inning stretch or get a Manny Ramirez hitting-consultant job — the Baseball Writers’ Association of America doesn’t have a mixed reaction to Sosa. That embrace-debate philosophy is probably good for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and MLB Network, which broadcast Wednesday night’s reveal and got some unique programming amid a very quiet offseason for free-agent buzz and trade rumors. The 2018 Cooperstown class will include Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman. Where Roger Clemens (57.3) and Barry Bonds (56.4) continue to make progress toward the 75 percent threshold needed for induction, Sosa (7.8) barely stayed above the 5 percent requirement for remaining on the ballot another year. Despite his 609 career homers, 1998 National League MVP award and seven All-Star selections, Sosa’s percentage peaked during his first year up for consideration (12.5 in 2013) and has hovered in the single digits ever since.

Hall of Fame voters aren't ready to forgive Sammy Sosa. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) That Hall of Fame snub and cold war with the Cubs can be explained, in part, by Sosa’s unconvincing appearance in front of Congress in 2005 and a New York Times report that he tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug during what was supposed to be an anonymous 2003 survey. === This will make you feel old: Kerry Wood and Carlos Zambrano are one-and-done names on the Hall of Fame ballot. Kid K — who is still affiliated with the Cubs as a special assistant — received two votes on the 422 ballots submitted. “If I get one vote, we’re having a blowout party,” Wood recently told the Chicago Tribune. “I’m going to call the guy who voted for me, whoever voted for me, and apologize. If they voted (for) me, they’re probably losing their credential.” Big Z got shut out. But even Zambrano, unlike Sosa, has been able to reconnect with the organization, showing up occasionally at Wrigley Field, doing some broadcasting work around the team and attending this month’s Cubs Convention. Looking ahead, the late Roy Halladay, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Todd Helton are among the first-time names that will be on the 2019 Hall of Fame ballot, when the reclusive Sosa will be analyzed again. -- The Athletic Once a phenom, former major leaguer Ryan Kalish has traveled the globe hoping to keep his dream alive By Peter Gammons Sometime this week Ryan Kalish will get back to the Cubs minor league complex in Mesa, Arizona. His Toyota Forerunner has been parked there since he left for Canberra, Australia, in the fall, and serves as a traveling home of sorts for the pilgrim outfielder. “All my earthly possessions are in that Toyota,” says Kalish, possessions from a pro baseball career that began in the June heat in Fort Myers, Fla., in 2006, and has taken him from Boston to Sioux City to Hawaii to Israel to Canberra to Puerto Rico. Those possessions include World Series rings from the 2013 Red Sox and the 2016 Cubs. He got released last week from his team in Puerto Rico, where a proud league is trying to function with conditions that are barely tolerable, and he is headed to reconnect with the Forerunner. “She’s going on another adventure,” says Kalish, a journey that will probably last past his 30th birthday in late March. He’ll head to California to help sell his friend Lars Anderson’s bats, continue his two years of rehabilitation from a complex knee reconstruction, then drive the Forerunner across the country to wherever he gets an independent league job. This will be Kalish’s 13th season since he signed with the Red Sox out of high school in Red Bank, N.J., instead of going to the University of Virginia to be a football safety. He’s had 13 operations on various body parts—his knee, both shoulders, wrist, and on and on. “I feel good for the first time in years,” he says. “Hey, every day I think about Ryan Westmoreland.” Westmoreland was robbed of a potential superstar career when in the spring of 2010 he was diagnosed with a cavernous malformation at the stem of his brain and required two surgeries. He officially retired in 2013.

“Ryan Westmoreland would (like) to be me right now because I can still play baseball,” says Kalish. “You know what—I don’t have cancer. I have taken care of my money. I have hope, and as long as I have hope, I’m not giving up.” Theo Epstein believes Westmoreland was the best potential player drafted in his decade with Boston. But Kalish wasn’t far behind. In the summer of 2010, Pawtucket manager Tory Lovullo said Kalish “is as close as any player I’ve ever seen to a superstar.” It may be apocryphal, but folks in Red Bank, plus Red Sox scout Ray Fagnant, claimed he never swung and missed at a pitch in his senior year in high school. Even though he was considered impossible to sign because of his quarterback/safety prowess and his ticket to Virginia, Epstein knew the Red Sox had a shot. Both of Kalish’s parents were from Boston (one went to high school with one of Epstein’s relatives), and when the Red Sox drafted him in the ninth round and gave him second-round money, he signed and headed off on his journey. “The most important thing I’ve learned from all this is that you can’t play baseball with a crazy football mentality,” says Kalish. “Diving everywhere, running into walls, running into catchers…it caught up to me.” As it did Darin Erstad and Grady Sizemore. In 2007, his first full professional season, Kalish was playing for Lowell in the New York-Penn League, hitting .368 with a .471 on-base and .540 slugging percentage when he was hit by a pitch and broke the hamate bone in his right wrist. That injury affected him in 2008 and into the 2009 season, but in the second half he broke out, had a .947 OPS in high A ball. In 2010, after his former roommate Westmoreland was stricken, he moved through the organization, from Portland to Pawtucket and finally to Boston. Epstein was trying to make a deal at the deadline, but when it fell through, he brought Kalish up from Pawtucket. “When Ryan walked into that clubhouse this morning, it was as if we’d traded for a star player,” Epstein said. “The veteran players, the coaches and Tito (Francona) love and respect him. He walked in and the whole clubhouse responded.” The rest of the season he played with his typical abandon, crashing into Indians rookie catcher Carlos Santana at the plate and sending him to the hospital. He made acrobatic catches in center and right field, most memorable one in the Tampa Dome in which he turned a somersault to end a diving catch. He made a spectacular diving, rolling catch against the Yankees in late September. A crowd favorite was seemingly born, but the following spring the Red Sox had an excess of outfielders. Kalish led the team in several offensive categories that March, but with Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford, J.D. Drew and Mike Cameron, the Sox decided to send him back to Pawtucket to play every day. In late April, Kalish crashed full-speed into a wall. His season essentially was over. He had not recovered fully in 2012 and spent more than half that season in Pawtucket. In January 2013, he had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder for a torn labrum, then later required another cervical fusion surgery for a disc in his neck. He was technically on the roster and got the World Series ring, which means he, Jon Lester, John Lackey and David Ross all have rings for their 2013 and 2016 championships. Kalish had 121 at-bats with the Cubs in 2014, spent parts of the next two seasons playing in Puerto Rico, then re-appeared in the majors with the Cubs in 2016. On May 7, he got a game-winning hit against the Nationals. Ultimately, he got sent down to Triple A. “When I got back to Iowa,” says Kalish, “my knee was so bad I knew I had to have it taken care of, for once and for all.” That sent him to Vail, Colorado, and the Steadman Clinic, for the fourth operation on his right knee in 2 ½ seasons, a complex procedure called OATS and Osteotomy. “I had no idea whether or not I could play again,” he says. “It wasn’t promising, to say the least. I clung to hope. Honestly, I thought about so many guys I played with who had bad luck. I kept thinking that if I had hope, there’s a chance I could play.”

In April 2017, the Cubs signed him to a minor league contract, technically rehabbing from Iowa in Mesa. “Theo was incredible to me because he let me work out at the complex and try to get back,” says Kalish. “It was a long, hard process. Frustrating. There were dark times when there didn’t seem to be hope. But gradually I did feel better. “I’ve always stayed in close contact with Lars (Anderson), who is probably my closest friend. He played in an independent league in Japan—with Manny Ramirez—but stayed in touch. He’s got his Birdman Bats, he writes his blog, he’s helped me think out a lot about the game. He’s been responsible for a lot of my growth. I really don’t know if I’d be in the place I’m in right now without him.” Anderson was headed to Australia for the winter to play for the Sydney Blue Socks in the professional league. Then Kalish got his job Down Under. And his somersault catch became a Youtube sensation. Then he heard the Puerto Rican League was going to try a one-month winter season despite the hurricane devastation, and his former minor league coach Carmelo Martinez offered him a job to play in Caguas. The clubhouse had at one time been under 50 feet of water, the batting cages and most of the infrastructure destroyed, but Kalish told himself that he had to play. He did not have an easy time. Ryan admitted he was not playing very well but he also knew that this was just the beginning of the climb after 17 months on the sidelines. “Hey, these two leagues gave me a chance to get 70 at-bats. That’s a start. I feel good. I think I can make it back. So I’m not giving up now, no way,” he says. No way I’d give up.” He’s reached out to teams such as the Cubs and the Diamondbacks to let them know he’d appreciate a minor league spring training opportunity, but at this point, most rosters are set. “That’s fine,” Kalish says. “I’ll go to independent ball. Rich Hill did it, and look at how he turned out. I worked out with him one winter, and he was another guy who always held onto hope.” Many baseball people believed he’d be a mix of Erstad, Sizemore and Trot Nixon. When the Red Sox traded Josh Reddick to Oakland for Andrew Bailey, the Athletics wanted either Reddick or Kalish. “Josh has turned into a really good player,” says one Red Sox official, “but there is no way anyone who was here then would have traded Kalish. He was going to be a cornerstone player for years, and his personality made him one of those rare natural leaders every team longs to have in its clubhouse.” And yet here he is, soon to be reunited with the Toyota Forerunner and looking forward to driving to Somerset or Worcester or any place he can play baseball. What is remarkable is that there are no excuses. He doesn’t ask for sympathy, he asks for opportunity. He thinks about Westmoreland and Rocco Baldelli, superstar talents who might have been $200 million players but for the most unusual of illnesses. He thinks about Daniel Bard, and how after establishing himself as a star reliever with the Red Sox couldn’t throw strikes and yet always had the courage to endure frustration and embarrassment to make it back, a trait friends like Andrew Miller, Rob Woodard and Kalish hold with the deepest of respect. How many among us could be robbed of a career, money, fame, glory, and not be bitter? In some ways, like Rick Ankiel, there is much to appreciate in the humble acceptance of fate. “I’ve got hope,” says Kalish, “so I have something not everyone in this country has. I’m getting healthy, so I’ll get opportunity, another thing not everyone in this country has. I’m going to be fine. I know where all my earthly possessions are stored, in that Toyota, and soon we’ll be out on the road holding onto hope that sooner or later I’ll be back playing baseball.”

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