Ranking the top five Chicago Cubs leadoff hitters in history

The Chicago Cubs don’t have a clear-cut leadoff hitter heading into 2019. But to get an idea as to what a prolific leadoff hitter would look like, here’s a list of the top five leadoff hitters in Cubs history.

When you think of the Chicago Cubs, there aren’t many great leadoff hitters that come to mind. They haven’t had the luxury of having a Hall of Fame caliber player bat at the top of the lineup like Rickey Henderson, Ichiro Suzuki or Craig Biggio. These guys were staples for their franchises for nearly a decade or more. In their history, the Cubs may have had one guy like that.

Instead, the Cubs more often than not have a platoon at the top of the order or look for magic in a bottle. Sometimes it’s worked in their favor, and other times it’s failed miserably, I mean, we all know the Kyle Schwarber experiment certainly didn’t work out.

Around baseball, the definition of the leadoff man has changed over the years and from team to team. The leadoff man used to be someone who would always work a strong at-bat, get on base at whatever the cost and score runs for your team. Nowadays teams look for leadoff guys to even have power in that spot, guys that can start the game off with a bang to give your team an early lead.

The Cubs have had a lot of different leadoff men over the years, each of whom brought something different to the table. Some enjoyed long runs of success at the top of the lineup while others crashed and burned. Here’s a rundown of the five best leadoff men the Cubs have ever had.

Chicago Cubs: Bob Dernier

The fourth of best leadoff hitter in Cubs history goes to the first part of what was known as the “Daily Double,” Bob Dernier. Dernier hit in front of Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg during the 1984 season in which the Cubs won the National League East Division Title.

Dernier was a huge reason for the Cubs success during the 1984 season as he had the best year of his career. He posted a career-high .276 batting average to go along with 147 hits. Dernier was also a significant threat on the bases as he led the Cubs with 45 stolen bases.

The center fielder did a great job of setting the table for the Cubs offense as he got on base at a clip of .356 while scoring 93 runs. He had a great eye at the plate and rarely struck out. In 1984 he only struck out 60 times while he walked 63 times. He was also a huge part of what was known as the “Sandberg Game” as he went 3 for 5 with a double, two RBI and four runs scored. He drew a walk with two outs in the 10th inning before Sandberg hit his second game-tying home run in as many innings.

Dernier was much more of a contact hitter than a power hitter, as on the year he hit just three home runs. Despite that, Dernier led off the Cubs first postseason against the San Diego Padres with a solo home run on the second pitch he saw. The Cubs ended up winning that game 13-0 but wound up losing the series.

Chicago Cubs: Rick Monday

Rick Monday may not have been your typical leadoff hitter, but he was effective nonetheless. Different than many of the other Cubs leadoff hitters, Monday boasted a potent bat. During his time, Monday was the best slugging leadoff hitter in Cubs history, posting a slugging percentage of .484, which was 30 points higher than the next closest.

In his five seasons with the Cubs Monday belted a total of 61 home runs while batting leadoff. Often, Monday got the party started early as 14 of those home runs came to leadoff the game, which was a Cubs record when he retired.

Monday had his best season in the big leagues with the Cubs in 1973 when he posted career highs in nearly every offensive category. Out of the leadoff spot he hit 23 home runs, six of which were of the leadoff variety scored 80 runs and posted an on-base percentage of .388.

Aside from his power and hitting home runs, Monday was a reliable leadoff hitter for the Cubs. Over his five seasons, he posted a .360 on-base percentage, hit .271 at the plate and scored 215 runs. Monday didn’t possess a ton of speed and was hardly a threat on the bases, stealing a total of just 12 bases with the Cubs.

Monday was indeed a bright spot for the Cubs during a rough time for the organization. As a Cub, Monday never won a division or went to the playoffs. He was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1976 for Bill Buckner and Ivan DeJesus.

Chicago Cubs: Dexter Fowler

This Cubs leadoff hitter was one of the most critical pieces on the way to ending the Cubs 108 year World Series drought. Along the way, he became the only player in major league history to lead off Game 7 of the World Series with a home run. You guessed it, the second greatest leadoff hitter in the history of the Cubs is non-other than Dexter Fowler.

In 2016, Fowler was the catalyst for getting the Cubs offense going. He set the table every game for what was a dangerous Cubs offense that year. He posted a .393 on-base percentage and a .277 batting average. He brought a different dynamic to the leadoff spot with some power, as he hit 13 home runs that year. That was something the Cubs hadn’t seen since Alfonso Soriano hit leadoff for them back in 2007 and 2008. Fowler was also a very patient hitter at the plate and wore down a lot of pitchers. He had no problem taking a walk, (79) but also struck out 124 times, more than you’d like from your leadoff hitter.

While Fowler’s 2016 season surely isn’t one of the best statistical seasons, it’s definitely one of the most important. If Fowler doesn’t come back to the Cubs, I’m not so sure they win the World Series without him. He completely solidified the leadoff spot for that team, and that is undeniable at this point. Since Fowler left after winning the World Series, the Cubs have yet to find someone to replace him at the top of the order, and the offense has not been the same.

Fowler’s stay in Chicago was short and sweet. He was only here for two years but because of what he helped the Cubs accomplish he will never be forgotten, and the fans will always thank him for helping bring a World Series trophy back to Chicago. For me, I’ll always remember him rounding first base backward as he stared into the Cubs dugout following his Game 7 leadoff home run in the World Series.

Chicago Cubs: Stan Hack

The single greatest leadoff hitter in Cubs history is the often forgotten about Stan Hack. I say that Hack is often forgotten about because he played back in the ’30s and ’40s and many of us probably never even watched him play. But in his 16 seasons spent with the Cubs, he put up insane numbers out of the leadoff spot year after year.

Hack was everything you looked for out of a leadoff hitter and more. He set the table for the Cubs offense by getting on base any way he could. He could certainly hit the ball but also had the patience to see a lot of pitches and take a walk. When he got on base, he seemingly came around to score just about every time.

Throughout his career with the Chicago Cubs, 74 percent of his plate appearances came out of the leadoff spot. As a leadoff hitter, Hack had a .398 on-base percentage to go along with a .302 batting average while scoring 940 runs. He was a five-time All-Star and helped lead the Cubs to four World Series appearances, although they lost each time.

Hack naturally excelled at getting on base. He had great patience and vision at the plate as he walked more than twice as much as he struck out. Out of the leadoff spot, he walked 850 times compared to just 340 strikeouts, which nowadays is something you never see anymore. With how often Hack was on base he scored 100 runs or more in seven seasons.

At the plate he recorded 190 hits four times in his career, hitting over .300 in his six seasons.  Hack ended up leading the league in hits in both 1940 and 1941. Hack was a great contact hitter but didn’t feature much power. In his career, he only hit 43 home runs and only led off a game twice with a long ball.