Controversial Cubs legend absent from list of greatest MLB players

In a recent ranking of the greatest Major League Baseball players of the modern era, a Chicago Cubs legend has been left off the list.

Baseball icon Sammy Sosa was not included in BleacherReport's ranking of the Top 50 MLB players of the modern era. This is despite collecting numerous accolades, including being named the National League MVP (1998), a seven-time All-Star , and a six-time Silver Slugger.

That being said, Sosa was included in the Honorable Mentions section:

"The '98 home run race is often credited with bringing baseball back from the '94 strike, and Sosa was at the center of it alongside fellow Steroid Era slugger Mark McGwire," the staff at BleacherReport said. "He is the only player in baseball history with three 60-homer seasons, and his 609 career-long balls are good for ninth on the all-time list. He hit 292 of those homers during a five-year span from 1998 through 2002."

Despite this, it looks like his steroid use and infamous corked bat incident have left him off the main list , something the introduction of the article mentions the authors took into account. Still, Sosa's home run rival Mark McGwire was included in the ranking at No. 37.

Sosa wasn't the only Cubs player to not make the cut. Rafael Palmeiro, who began his career at Wrigley Field, was also excluded from the main ranking, likely for similar reasons as Sosa.

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