Who are the best all time Chicago Cubs, by position?
By position, I mean the symbols shared by almost all baseball scorekeeping systems. Scorekeeping systems involve designating a player by the player’s position, regardless of his uniform number or actual name.
I have two rules when choosing the best all time players by position: 1) the player must be in his prime when playing for the team, and, 2) he played for the team at least five years. For example, I could put center fielder Willie Mays, who played for the Mets at the tail-end of his career, as the greatest Met center fielder. But Willie played for the Mets for only a short period, and was in his 40s and way past his prime when he was on the team.
Some symbols and abbreviations are shared by nearly all scorekeeping systems. For example, the position of each player is indicated by a number. According to Wikipedia, here are the numbers for each baseball position:
1. Pitcher 2. Catcher 3. First base 4. Second Base 5. Third Base 6. Shortstop 7. Left Field 8. Center Field 9. Right Field
Over the years, the Cubs fielded outstanding players. Too bad, for the most part, these players had careers in different eras. If the Cubs were to assemble a team with the following players, they would win 130 games in a season. Though the team was in some playoff games, they haven’t been in a World Series (WS) since 1945.
Over the many years, the Cubs have produced a number of great hurlers. Though I might receive some grief, pitcher Moredcai “Three Finger” Brown was the best Cub hurler. According to Wikipedia, “Brown’s most productive period was when he played for the Chicago Cubs from 1904 until 1912. During this stretch, he won 20 or more games six times and was part of two World Series championships. New York Giants manager John McGraw regarded his own Christy Mathewon and Brown as the two best pitchers in the National League. In fact, Brown often defeated Mathewson in competition, most significantly in the final regular season game of the 1908 season. Brown had a slim career 13-11 edge on Mathewson, with one no-decision.”
Brown played for the Cubs for 12 years, making stops with St. Louis, Cincinnati and the White Sox. He also jumped to the Federal League in 1914, playing for Brooklyn and St. Louis. His career spanned from 1903 to 1916.
Brown was a Hall of Fame (HofF) inductee in 1949. He led the National League (NL) in wins, ERA, innings pitched, and batting average against once, games twice, and in saves four times.
Others would point out that pitchers such as Ferguson Jenkins were just as good as Brown. But, Brown “was part of two World Series Championships.” Jenkins wasn’t, though through no fault of his own.
Catcher Gabby Harnett. Wikipedia states that, “Charles Leo “Gabby” Hartnett… played almost his entire career…as a catcher for the Chicago Cubs. Until the career of Johnny Bench, , Hartnett was considered the greatest catcher in the history of the Natiional League A six-time All-Star known for his powerful hitting, superb defensive abilities and strong throwing arm, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.”
Harnett was an all star six time; an the MVP of the (NL) in 1935. Although never leading the league in any category, he appeared in the top 25 major offense categories, in certain years, during his career. He even showed up in the top 25 in stolen bases! He played in 64 games for the New York Giants during the last year of his career (1922-1941). In addition, he played 33 games at first base.
Also, according to Wikipedia, “There is also a movement to retire numbers for other players, most notably the uniform shirt of Gabby Harnett. The Cubs first wore numbers on their shirts in 1932, and Hartnett wore #7 initially but switched to #9 for the next four seasons. From 1937-40 he wore #2, which is the number considered for retirement.”.
First baseman Ernie Banks. He played 1,259 games as a first baseman, and 1,125 games at shortstop, also appearing as a third baseman 69 times and an outfielder 23 times. Snice he played more games at first then at shortstop, I’ll put him as the Cubs’ top first baseman. I could also put him as the team’s top shortstop.
The man is a legend. According to Wikipedia, ” Ernest “Ernie” Banks…nicknamed “Mr. Cub”…played his entire 19-year baseball career with the Chicago Cubs (1953-1971). He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977.”
Banks wore number 14 as a Cub, and is the first of only six Cubs players who have had their number retired by the organization.
Banks was known for his catchphrase of, “It’s a beautiful day for a ballgame… Let’s play two!”, expressing his wish to play a doubleheader every day out of his pure love for the game, especially in his self-described “friendly confines” of Wrigley Field. In1955, he set the record for grand slams in a single season with five, a record that stood for over thirty years.
Banks won the NL (MVP) twice, in 1958 and 1959 despite the fact that the Cubs were not pennant contenders during those seasons. He became the first shortstop in the history of the NL to win the MVP award in back to back seasons.
Overall, Banks’ numbers are a .274 BA, 512 HRs, and 2,583 hits.
Second basemen Ryne Sandberg played for the Cubs his entire career (1981-1997). He was inducted to the HoF in 2005. He was the MVP in 1984. His number 23 was retired by the Cubs in 2005. He was a 10-time all star, was a second basemen gold glover nine times. In 1990, he led the league in HRs with 40, and was the league leader in runs scored three times.
On a personal note, according to Wikipeida, He was named after relief pitcher Ryne Duren, and is recognized as one of the best second basemen in baseball history.
Third Baseman Ron Santo was a third baseman with power during his career (1960-1974). A nine-time all star, Santo won five gold gloves. Santo suffered from diabetes, which, according to Wikipedia, he “carefully concealing the condition for most of his career, it eventually necessitated the amputation of the lower half of both legs.” Santo’s quest for the HoF has been growing over the years. Santo’s number 10 was retired by the Cubs in 2003. His last year in the majors was spent with the Chicago White Sox.
Santo led the league in on base percentage (OBP) in 1964 and 1966. Overall, his Ave. was .277, with 342 HRs, and 1,331 RBI.
Santo began his Cub broadcasting career in 1990. He died on December 2, 2010, due to bladder cancer and diabetes problems. He was 50 years old.
I think he is overrated, but shortstop Joe Tinker was elected to the HoF in 1946, and won two WS Championships with Cubs (1907-1908). Tinker appeared in four WS. Wikipedia points out that “Tinker is perhaps best known for the “Tinker to Evers to Chance” double play combination in the poem “Baseball’s Sad Lexicon”, written by the New York Evening Mail newspaper columnist Franklin Pierce Adams in July 1910.” He also played on the Cubs previous nickname, the Orphans. What a great name!
In addition to the Cubs, Tinker spent time with the Cincinnati Reds and the upstart Federal League Chicago Feds-Whales. All told, his career spanned from 1902-1916.
His career numbers include a .262 average, 31 HRs, 782 RBI and 336 stolen bases.
Left fielder Billy Williams played from 1959 to 1976. He was the Cub left fielder from the beginning of his carrer until 1975, when he moved to Oakland. He was elected to the HoF in 1987. His uniform number 26 was also retired by the Cubs in 1987. Williams was a six-time all star, and rookie of the year in 1961.He led the league once in BA, hits and runs scored. For his total career, his BA was .290, he hit 426 HRs and had 1,475 RBI.
A statue of Williams is outside Wrigley Field.
According to Wikipedia, ” Williams also set a National League record for consecutive games played with 1,117 between 1962-71 (eclipsed by Steve Garvey 1975-83 with 1,207). As his consecutive games streak began to accumulate, he was dubbed “Iron Man” by some writers.”
Center fielder Hack Wilson spent six seasons with the Cubs. He is best known for his 1930 season, when he hit 56 HRs and drove in 191 RBI. During his 12-year career, Wilson’s BA was .307; he hit 244 HRs and had 1,063 RBI. He was inducted into the HofF in 1979. He led the NL in HRs four times, slugging percentage and RBI twice.
Wilson made just as much news off the field as on. He started fights with opposing players and fans, and was an alcoholic, which ultimately shortened his career.
After baseball, he had a series of failed businesses, and wound up, among other vocations, as a bartender near Ebbetts Field in Brooklyn, where he sang for drinks. He quit when the customers became too abusive.
According to Wikipedia, Wilson was discovered unconscious in his home following a fall. He died on November 23, 1948 at the age of 48.
All right. His supposed steroid abuse may keep him from the Hof, and disgruntled many North Side fans. Still, right fielder Sammy Sosa had one heck of a career. Sosa played 13 years in the windy city, and 18 years total, making stops with the White Sox, Baltimore and Texas.
The man hit more than 30 HRs 11 times in his career. He hit over 60 HRs three times.
Sosa was an all star seven times, won the Silver Slugger Award six times, and was the MVP for the Cubs in 1998. That year, according to Wikipedia, “Sosa’s 416 total bases were the most in a single season since Stan Muscial’s ‘s 429 in 1948.” He led the NL in runs scored three times, HRs and RBI twice (if he didn’t play in the same era as Mark McGuire, he would have won more HR titles), and, during the 1990s, came in six times in the top 25 in SBs. In fact, he was a member of the “30-30″ club (30 HRs, 30 SBs) twice. As a fielder, he was known to have a “rocket arm.” Sosa is a member of the very select “600 HR club,” hitting 609 during his career. He also batted a lifetime .279 and drove in 1,667 RBI.
Sources:
Moredcai “Three Finger” Brown statistics and background:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mordecai_Brown#Career
http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=111577
Gabby Harnett’s statistics and background:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabby_Hartnett
http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=115572#statType=1§ionType=career&season=2011&gameType=’R’
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Cubs#Retired_numbers
Ernie Banks background and statistics:
http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=110533#statType=1§ionType=career&season=2011&gameType=’R’
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernie_Banks
Ryan Sandberg statistics and background:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Sandberg
http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=121665
Ron Santo statistics and background:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Santo
http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=121697
Joe Tinker statistics and background:
http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=123353
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Tinker
Billy Williams’ statistics and background:
http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=124290
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Williams_(left_fielder)
Hack Wilson’s statistics and background:
http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=124412#statType=1§ionType=career&season=2011&gameType=’R’
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hack_Wilson
Sammy Sosa’s statistics and background:
http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=122544
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sammy_Sosa