Chicago Cubs: Top five clutch hitters in their history

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Many different players have walked through the hallowed walls of Wrigley Field throughout their careers. There is a select group of players, however, who carry that individual ‘clutch’ gene who, when it comes to the most significant moments, deliver when it most counts.

Baseball is a spiritual game. A game full of mysticism and majesty. A game not decided by a clock or a whistle. A game compared by Leo Durocher as one that many attend but few understand. In that, baseball is a game that lives on clutch moments.

In the past few years, there may be no better team to understand the term clutch than the Chicago Cubs. We are in an extraordinary age of Cubs baseball. An era filled with excitement and passion. A time with a group of guys who understand that ‘clutch’ is the new normal.

Chicago is a long and storied franchise filled with many beautiful moments and much heart-wrenching gut punishing moments. However, we have had the privilege of watching some extraordinary talent over the years, and currently. With that, all said, here are the clubs’ top five clutch hitters in history.

Chicago Cubs: Aramis Ramirez, 2003-2011

Of all the players to don the blue and red, Aramis Ramirez should go down in history as one of the most clutch. Ramirez arrived by trade to the Northside in a deal which should also go down as one of the greatest ever made by Chicago.

After joining the Cubs in 2003, Ramirez enjoyed eight great seasons in the Windy City. Through his first three-plus seasons in Chicago, Ramirez slashed .298/.355/.559 with a .914 OPS. If that wasn’t enough, the big third baseman posted a .384 wOBA and 130 wRC+ in the span of 488 games encompassing 2,027 plate appearances.

One of his most significant moment as a member of the Cubs came in the 2003 NLCS versus the Florida Marlins. In Game 4, on the road with the Cubs leading the series 2-1, Ramirez smashed two home runs, including a grand slam. He finished the night with six RBI in the win.

A few years later, in 2007, Ramirez would hit one of the most still talked about home runs in history. Behind 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Ramirez tattooed a ball over the left-field bleachers to take down the Milwaukee Brewers.

It was a win bringing them to .500 and a victory which would stick in fans minds after going on to win the division later that season. Ramirez finished his Cubs career slashing .294/.356/.531 with a 126 wRC+ and 239 home runs. Ramirez will remain one of the best to ever don the blue and red.

Chicago Cubs: Derrek Lee, 2004-2010

Finding himself also as part of a lopsided trade, Derrek Lee came to Chicago following the 2003 season. Most Cubs fans can’t talk about the club without discussing the man Dusty Baker once gave the nickname ‘Rodan’ due to his large wingspan.

Lee was a monster with the Cubs. From 2004 to 2010, Lee slashed a ridiculous .298/.378/.524 with a .386 wOBA and 131 wRC+. Most notably, when we think about Lee, we think about his 2005 season.

Always a successful player to be counted on, Lee took things to another level that year. He closed it out by slashing .335/.418/.662 with 46 home runs, 107 RBI and posted a 7.0 WAR. He earned a well-deserved All-Star nod and finished third in the National League MVP voting.

One of his most significant moments unbeknownst to many as it happened in the regular season, was his inaugural home run as a member of the Cubs. Facing Ryan Wagner and the Cincinnati Reds at home, Lee launched a pitch over the right-field seats sending Wrigley into a frenzy.

Lee finished as one of the greatest clutch hitters in Cubs history, slashing .297/.401/.482 with a 118 wRC+ in 386 ‘high-leverage’ plate appearances, according to Fangraphs. He won’t soon be forgotten for everything he did in his time in Chicago.

Chicago Cubs: Ben Zobrist, 2016-Present

Nicknamed “Mr. Clutch” there isn’t enough good you can say about Ben Zobrist and what he has done for the Cubs. Following his World Series-winning campaign with the Kansas City Royals, Theo Epstein brought the man known as ‘Zo’ in on a four-year, $56 million contract.

Zobrist has become one of the most consistent members on the roster. In 439 career games with Chicago, Zobrist has slashed .270/.363/.413 with a .338 wOBA and 109 wRC+. The guy has been part of the heart and soul of this team since 2016.

Speaking of his 2016 campaign, and that unforgettable year in general, Zobrist etched his name in the history books with his insane World Series performance which would garner him the MVP of the series. If you want to talk about clutch, look no further than the seven-game stretch that fall.

Zobrist saw 31 total plate appearances, slashing .357/.419/.500 with a .919 OPS. While he did drive in just two runs over that span, there was none more prominent than his opposite-field double past the outstretched glove of Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez. In the top of the tenth after a 17-minute rain delay in a tie game, Zobrist came up. That knock, driving in Albert Almora, would help to seal the Cubs’ first world championship since 1908.

Chicago Cubs: Anthony Rizzo, 2012-Present

Looking back we will look back on the all-time greatest Cubs in history, and Anthony Rizzo will be atop that list. Following the trade by the San Diego Padres in 2012, Rizzo quickly encompassed the mentality of Chicago and has been a staple ever since.

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Rizzo is a career .276/.376/.495 hitter for the Cubs, carrying a whopping .372 wOBA and 134 wRC+. When looking into his ‘high-leverage’ hitting, Rizzo has a slash line of .295/.394/.524 with a .382 wOBA and 140 wRC+.

When you think about clutch moments, there are two that come to mind — first, his home run off Clayton Kershaw in Game 6 of the 2016 NLCS. Up three games to two and staked to a 4-0 lead, Rizzo took Kershaw deep in the bottom of the fifth inning, propelling the Cubs to their final tally of the night on their way to the Pennant.

The following year, in a clash with the Washington Nationals Rizzo, delivered once again. In the eighth inning of Game 3 of the NLDS, with the scored tied at one, Rizzo faced Oliver Perez. Instead of walking Rizzo, Perez pitched to him, and Rizzo blooped a single to score what would be the game-winning run on Chicago’s path to a third straight NLCS.

Chicago Cubs: David Bote, 2018-Present

In a surprise turn to the narrative of all-time clutch hitters in history, but David Bote is the guy. Bote has been with the team since last year and has already been apart of some big moments.

In August of last season, in a game where the Cubs were down 3-0 in the ninth and down to their last strike, Bote delivered a home run which should also be remembered for years to come. It was a career-defining moment for Bote and one of Cubs lore.

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During his few months as a member of the Cubs, Bote wrote a narrative nobody could believe. He slashed .294/.395/.441 with a .353 wOBA and 122 wRC+. While he is still very young and hopefully has a long career ahead of him, Bote is a guy who can be counted on in clutch situations.

In 65 plate appearances at the major league level, in ‘high-leverage’ situations, Bote has a .390 wOBA and 143 wRC+. He has been that great. Bote has had an up-and-down 2019 season but those big moments on the grandest stage will be the ones Cubs fans will never forget.

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