Billy Goats be damned: the North Siders are still proudly flying the W that broke that 108-year-old curse. Holy Cow, indeed!
The 2016 season may have allowed Steve Bartman to move on, but the Chicago Cubs have always held a special place in baseball. You’ve got Wrigley Field and the best 7th-inning stretch (thank you, Harry Caray) at any ballpark. And some pretty legendary ball players, too.
Manager: Joe Maddon
Maddon opted out of his contract with the Tampa Bay Rays following the 2014 season, signed on to be Chicago’s new manager and helped the Cubs rise to prominence. After winning just 73 games in 2014, the Cubs won 97 games and reached the National League Championship Series in their first year under Maddon in 2015. And the next year, they won 103 games, reached the World Series and overcame a 3-1 series deficit to win the franchise’s first championship in 108 years. Maddon spent five seasons in the dugout for Chicago (2015-19), with his 58.1% winning percentage third among managers in franchise history and his 471 wins ranking fifth.
(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Starting pitcher: Fergie Jenkins
The Cubs acquired Jenkins from the Philadelphia Phillies during the 1966 season, and it became highway robbery. In his first complete season with the Cubs (1967), Jenkins led the NL with 20 complete games, which he would do two more times for Chicago. Jenkins, who pitched deep into games and kept runners off the basepaths, posted a combined 3.11 ERA across his first stint with the Cubs (1967-73), was a three-time All-Star and won the 1971 NL Cy Young Award. The 6-foot-5 right-hander came back to pitch the final two seasons of his career in Chicago (1982-83). Jenkins is first among Cubs pitchers with both a 52.9 WAR and 2,038 strikeouts, third with 2,673.2 innings pitched, fourth with 29 shutouts and fifth with 167 wins.
(Photo by MLB via Getty Images)
Reliever/closer: Lee Smith
Smith spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Cubs (1980-87), with whom he was a staple in the back end of the bullpen. While Smith was the team’s primary closer, he also provided a reasonable amount of length out of the bullpen, pitching 681.1 innings over 458 appearances. Smith recorded a combined 2.92 ERA and earned two All-Star nods with the Cubs, with the Hall of Fame reliever standing first in franchise history with 180 saves.
(Photo by Ron Vesely/Getty Images)
Catcher: Gabby Hartnett
Hartnett spent all but one season of his 20-year, Hall of Fame career with the Cubs (1922-40). The catcher became more productive with age, as he totaled a career-high with both 37 home runs and 122 RBIs in 1930, earned six consecutive All-Star nods from 1933-38 and was the 1935 NL MVP. Hartnett, one of the best all-around catchers in the history of the sport, is sixth in Cubs history with both 1,153 RBIs and 391 doubles and eighth with both 231 home runs and a 54.5 WAR.
1B: Cap Anson
One of the first players to partake in an MLB game, Anson also stands as one of the best players to ever take the field. After one season with the Rockford Forest Citys and four seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics, Anson joined Chicago in 1876 and went on to be a terror for opposing pitchers. Spending the next 22 seasons with the Cubs, Anson won four batting titles, led the NL in RBIs eight times and rarely struck out. In fact, Anson recorded just 330 strikeouts. The pure-hitting Anson is first in franchise history with 3,012 hits, 1,880 RBIs, 1,722 runs scored, 529 doubles and an 84.9 WAR, second with 124 triples, tied for third with a .331 batting average, is sixth with a .396 on-base percentage and 10th with 247 stolen bases. Anson is seventh in MLB history with 3,435 career hits. By the way, Anson also served as Chicago’s manager from 1879-97, with the team winning five NL pennants.
2B: Ryne Sandberg
Sandberg came up with the Phillies in 1981, but he was then traded to the Cubs, with whom he spent the next 15 seasons and went on to have a Hall of Fame career. Sandberg was a tremendous player, as he hit for both contact and power, seldom struck out, had blazing speed and was a stabilizing force at second base. At the plate, Sandberg, a seven-time Silver Slugger, led the NL with both 19 triples and 114 runs scored in 1984, which became one of 10 straight All-Star seasons for the middle infielder. Sandberg, who was a nine-time Gold Glover and had a career .385/.457/.641 postseason slash line, is third in Cubs history with 1,316 runs scored and a 68.1 WAR, fourth with 2,385 hits, 344 stolen bases and 403 doubles and fifth with 282 home runs.
(Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images)
3B: Ron Santo
Santo mashed from start to finish of his 15-year career (1960-73 with the Cubs, 1974 with the Chicago White Sox). The corner infielder did a little bit of everything in the batter’s box. He led the NL in walks four times, led the NL with 13 triples in 1964 and averaged 25 home runs and 96 RBIs per season from 1961-73. A five-time Gold Glover and nine-time All-Star, Santo is second in Cubs history with a 72.1 WAR, fourth with 337 home runs, fifth with 1,290 RBIs, seventh with 2,171 hits, eighth with 1,109 runs scored and ninth with 353 doubles.
(Photo by James Drake /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X14963)
SS: Ernie Banks
Banks was a superstar. The right-handed-hitting infielder was a formidable force from the right side of the plate who was pound-for-pound as good as any hitter of his generation. Banks, a two-time NL MVP Award winner and 14-time All-Star, began his career at shortstop in 1953 and was moved to first base in 1962. Banks, who spent his entire 19-year career with the Cubs (1953-71), is first in franchise history with 4,706 total bases, second with 512 home runs, 2,583 hits and 1,636 RBIs, third with 407 doubles, fourth with a 67.7 WAR, fifth with 1,305 runs scored and ninth with a .500 slugging percentage.
(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
OF: Billy Williams
Billy Dee Williams first shined as “Lando Calrissian” in 1980’s “Empire Strikes Back.” But before “A New Hope,” the first movie of the original “Star Wars” trilogy, was even released, Billy Williams was shining bright for the Cubs. After becoming an everyday player in 1961, Williams was one of the best all-around hitters in the sport, slugging at a high rate and putting the ball in play with frequency. A six-time All-Star, Williams spent the first 16 seasons of his career in Chicago (1959-74). Williams is second in Cubs history with 4,262 total bases, third with both 2,510 hits and 392 home runs, fourth with both 1,353 RBIs and 1,306 runs scored and fifth with a 61.7 WAR.
(Photo by John F. Jaqua /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X15895 TK1 )
OF: Andre Dawson
After a decorated, 11-year career with the Montreal Expos, Dawson landed in the Windy City in 1987 and won the NL MVP Award in his first season with the team, totaling 49 home runs and 137 RBIs, which each led the NL. Across his six seasons with the Cubs (1987-92), Dawson was as imposing as any hitter in the game, earning five All-Star nods, two Gold Gloves and averaging 30 home runs and 99 RBIs per season. Dawson, who held down right field in Chicago, is seventh in Cubs history with a .507 slugging percentage.
(Photo by: Bernstein Associates/Getty Images)
OF: Sammy Sosa
One can’t tell the history of the Cubs without mentioning Sammy Sosa, who joined the Cubs for the 1992 season and proceeded to become one of the most intimidating hitters in MLB history. Already possessing a vibrant bat, Sosa’s production reached historic heights, as he hit 63-plus home runs in three of four seasons and 50-plus homers in four consecutive seasons from 1998-2001. Sosa, a six-time Silver Slugger and seven-time All-Star, is first in Cubs history with 545 home runs, second with a .569 slugging percentage, third with 1,414 RBIs, fourth with 3,980 total bases, sixth with both 1,245 runs scored and a 58.8 WAR and ninth with 1,985 hits. Furthermore, Sosa, who played for the Cubs from 1992-2004, is ninth in MLB history with 609 career home runs.
(Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images)
DH: Mark Grace
Grace spent the first 13 seasons of his career in Chicago (1988-2000), with whom he was one of the top first basemen in the sport. The left-handed hitter was difficult to strike out, possessed notable power and slugged at a plausible rate, highlighted by totaling an NL-high 51 doubles in 1995. In the 1989 playoffs (his first full MLB season), Grace went an absurd 11 for 17 at the plate, with a .647/.682/1.118 slash line. Grace, a four-time Gold Glover and three-time All-Star, is second in Cubs history with 456 doubles, fifth with 2,201 hits, eighth with 1,004 RBIs, ninth with 1,057 runs scored and tied for 10th with a .386 on-base percentage.
Honorable Mentions:
- Cap Anson (manager)
- Frank Chance (manager)
- Mordecai Brown (starting pitcher)
- Greg Maddux (starting pitcher)
- Hippo Vaughn (starting pitcher)
- Jon Lester (starting pitcher)
- Bruce Sutter (reliever/closer)
- Jody Davis (catcher)
- Anthony Rizzo (1B)
- Stan Hack (3B)
- Riggs Stephenson (OF)
- Hack Wilson (OF)
- Andy Pafko (OF)
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