Chicago Cubs Dream Team

 

Every sport evolves with each passing generation -- from the

size and athleticism of players to game strategy. 

Baseball’s evolution, however, is both historic and unique given

the pre-integration and dead ball eras. For the former, full

segregation took place from 1887-1947. Full integration, which

was a gradual process, came in 1959. The Deadball Era was a

period in the early 20th century when baseball was characterized

by low scoring and emphasis on pitching. 

There was the Steroid Era, which has no definite start time though

it is generally assumed that the era ran from the late 1980s until

the late 2000s. This era was defined by shattered home run

records leading to exorbitant salaries. 

The Chicago Cubs have existed since 1876 and while the modern

day fans know them as “Loveable Losers,” the Cubs were one of

the most successful teams in the Major Leagues until 1945. The

Cubs have won 17 National League pennants in franchise history

along with back-to-back World Series titles in 1907 and 1908. In

2016, the Cubs broke a 108-year drought between World Series

titles. 

Today, I formed a Cubs Dream Team that encompasses all eras.

For openers, to make this roster, four years as a Cubs are required.

No exceptions. With the free agency era, I’m not going to cheapen

this roster with 1-3 year rentals. 

I’m forming a 12 man pitching staff, five starters and seven relievers.

For the latter, I want at least one lefthander in the bullpen. For

position players, I am taking what I believe is the best of the best

regardless of era. For the bench players, it’s the best of the rest with

versatility being heavily considered. Merit achievements such as

Hall of Fame, All Star appearances and Gold Gloves are

considered but not guaranteed. General impactfulness on the

franchise is also considered.

Generational reminders

If I believe you were the best at your position in the pre-integration

era, you are on the team. If you played on a World Series champion,

there is no guarantee of landing on this roster. If you played during

a bad season, that does not deter you from being on this roster.

Unlike the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, there are no

morality clauses. This is baseball, not the Boys Scouts. 

Starting pitchers

Ferguson Jenkins, Mordecai Brown, Greg Maddux, Hippo Vaughn,

Jon Lester

On the way to Hall of Fame careers, Jenkins and Maddux, along

with Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez are the only Major League

pitchers to record more than 3,000 strikeouts while also recording

fewer than 1,000 walks. Jenkins spent 10 seasons with the Cubs,

three of which were All Star campaigns. He was the National

League Cy Young Award winner and led the Major League in

victories in 1971. He also led the National League in strikeouts in

1969. Brown was nicknamed “three-finger” because of a childhood

farming accident that led to losing part of his right index finger and

having a bent middle finger in a separate accident. Nonetheless he

used his limitations for creative movement. He also has the most

shutouts in franchise history and led the Cubs to two World Series

titles. He led the Major Leagues in ERA in 1906 and the National

League in wins in 1909. Even though Maddux's fastball could

reach 93 mph in the early portion of his career, he relied on guile

and being able to change speeds. Maddux spent a total of 10

seasons with the Cubs. On the way to a Hall of Fame career, he

was an eight-time All-Star, four-time National League Cy Young

Award winner, 18 time Gold Glove Award winner, three-time Major

League ERA leader and three-time Major League wins leader.

Even though Vaughn hasn't thrown a single pitch for the Cubs in

over a hundred years, he remains the franchise's all time leader

in starts, complete games, strikeouts and innings for a left-hander.

Vaughn spent nine seasons with the Cubs. His best season was

1918, when he won the Triple Crown, led the National League in

wins, ERA and strikeouts. Other pitchers in franchise history may

have better statistics than Lester but his free agent signing before

the 2015 season wound up being a key maneuver for the

franchise. Lester was a vital component and the franchise winning

their 2016 World Series championship. In 12 playoff games for the

Cubs, Lester has an ERA of 2.44. In a Cubs uniform, Lester has

been an All-Star twice, led the National League in wins in 2018 and

was the NLCS MVP in 2016. 

Bullpen

Closer -- Lee Smith

Bruce Sutter, Pedro Strop, Carlos Mormal, Don Elston, Paul

Assenmacher, Ryan Dempster

Smith spent eight seasons with the Cubs with two of his four career

All-Star appearances coming in Chicago. On the way to a Hall of

Fame career, he made a splendid transition from starter to closer. He

led the national league in saves four times, once and a Cubs uniform

but his story goes beyond those stats. His 478 saves are third most

in Major League history behind Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman.

Similar to Smith, Sutter popularized the role of closer. On the way to

a Hall of Fame career, four of which were spent with the Cubs, Sutter

was a six-time All-Star and led the National League in saves four

times. He won the National League Cy Young Award in 1979. Strop

was an unsung hero in the Cubs 2016 World Series championship.

In a seven-year span as a setup man, Strop had 120 holds and a

strikeouts to walks ratio of nearly 3-to-1. Marmol lacks All Star

accolades but during his eight seasons with the Cubs he was a

dominant setup man who averaged 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings.

Elston was a two-time All-Star in his eight seasons with the Cubs but

gets the nod to be in this bullpen for his longevity with the

franchise. Assenmacher was a solid left-hander out of the bullpen

with a 3.42 ERA as a Cub and averaged nearly one strikeout per

inning. Dempster's versatility wins him a spot on this roster because

he was versatile enough to be a starter and reliever. Dempster had

a combined 3.74 ERA and 87 saves. 

Infield

Catcher -- Gabby Hartnett, First base -- Anthony Rizzo, Second

base -- Ryne Sandberg, Third base -- Ron Santo, Shortstop -- Ernie

Banks

Hartnett’s 204 home runs as a catcher remains a franchise-record.

On the way to a Hall of Fame career, Hartnett was a six-time All-Star

and helped the Cubs reach four World Series. He was also the

National League MVP in 1935. Rizzo's Legacy is still in progress as

he enters his ninth season with the Cubs but has already done more

than enough to earn the starting first baseman position on this team.

For openers, Rizzo helped snap a 108 year drought between World

Series championships. Rizzo is a three-time All-Star, four-time Gold

Glove Award winner and was a Silver Slugger Award winner in 2016.

If the Cubs franchise had a Mount Rushmore, Sandberg would

unquestionably be on it. Since Sanderg retired in 1997, 13 different

players have played second base for the Cubs and none more than

two years in a row. Sandberg helped the Cubs to two division titles in

1984 and 1989. He was a 10 time All Star, nine-time Gold Glove,

seven-time Silver Slugger Award winner, National League home run

leader in 1990 and National League MVP in 1984 on the way to a

Hall of Fame career.

Santo is not only one of the best third baseman of his time but one

of the best players in Cubs history regardless of position. On the way

to a Hall of Fame career, Santo was a nine-time All-Star and five-time

Gold Glove. After starring in the Negro Leagues, Banks became the

most identifiable player in franchise history, hence the nickname “Mr.

Cub.” Banks remains the leader in franchise history in games played,

total bases and extra-base hits. He held the franchise home run

record until Sammy Sosa broke it. Banks was a 14-time All-Star,

two-time National League MVP, two-time National League home run

leader and two-time National League RBI leader. 

Outfield

Leftfield -- Billy Williams, Centerfield -- Hack Wilson, Rightfield --

Sammy Sosa

On the way to a Hall of Fame career, Williams had three seasons with

at least 200 hits and five with at least 100 runs scored. Williams also

set a National League record for consecutive games played at 1,117,

which Steve Garvey later eclipsed. Williams could hit for both power

and average and was a six-time All-Star. He was also the National

League Rookie of the Year in 1971 and National League batting

champion in 1972. Wilson played just five seasons for the Cubs but

his 191 RBIs in 1930 remain a Major League record that will likely

never be broken. Manny Ramirez came the closest in 1999 with 165

RBIs. Wilson led the National League in home runs four times and

RBIs twice. Sosa's name is attached to the Steroid Era but we don't

care. Sosa and St. Louis Cardinals’ legend Mark McGwire brought

popularity to baseball in 1998 with their spirited home run chase as

each broke Roger Maris’ previously held record of 61 and a single

season. Sosa played for the Cubs for 12 seasons and was an All-

Star seven times. He was a six-time Silver Slugger Award winner

and National League MVP in 1998. 

Bench

Jody Davis, Mark Grace, Kris Bryant, Billy Herman, Andre Dawson,

Alfonso Soriano

Davis belted 24 home runs in 1983, marking the first time a Cubs’

catcher passed the 20 home run mark since 1930. Davis was a key

contributor on the Cubs’ division winning team in 1984, Davis was a

two-time All-Star and one-time Gold Glove. Grace had a beautiful

swing as a hitter as he led the National League in both hits and

doubles the 1990s. Grace helped the Cubs win their 1989 division

title. He was a three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove. Bryant

has only been in the Major Leagues for six years but already has a

decorated resume. Bryant established a record for home runs in a

player's first five seasons with the Cubs, passing Banks. In his first

two seasons, Bryant was the National League Rookie of the Year

and the following season, National League MVP. He is also a three-

time All-Star and helped the Cubs end a 108-year drought between

World Series victories.

On the way to a Hall of Fame career, Herman was a fixture in the

Cubs lineup as a steady run producer. Herman was known as the

master of the hit-and-run play and was a 10-time All-Star. Soriano's

versatility earns him a spot on this team. While he was mostly known

for his time with the Yankees, Soriano has seven productive seasons

in a Cubs uniform. Soriano made two All-Star appearances with the

Cubs. Dawson remains a fan favorite as he spent six  seasons of his

Hall of Fame career with the Cubs. Dawson was an All-Star in five of

those seasons. Dawson made a smashing debut with the Cubs in

1987, capturing National League MVP honors and leading the

league in both home runs and RBIs.

Manager

Frank Chance

Chance had a disciplinarian approach as a manager in leading the

Cubs to four pennants and back-to-back World Series Championships

in 1907 and 1908. Between 1906 and 1910, the Cubs averaged 106

wins per year. Chance guided the Cubs to 768 wins, which is third-

most in franchise history. His .664 winning percentage remains the

best in franchise history. 

Team

1907

The previous season, the Cubs won a Major League record 116

games, which the 2001 Seattle Mariners later tied. The Cubs however,

lost the World Series in seven games to the Chicago White Sox

therefore giving 1907 the nod. The Cubs won 107 games, finishing

17 games ahead of their closest pursuer, the Pittsburgh Pirates. The

Cubs then swept the Detroit Tigers and four games in the World

Series. The 1907 Cubs were not quite as potent offensively, scoring

134 less runs, but with Jack Pfeister leading the National League with

a microscopic 1.15 ERA, it hardly mattered.