Chicago Cubs: Greatest players of the decade – #40-31

Chicago Cubs: No. 33: Carl Edwards, Jr.

With the way that his Chicago Cubs career ended, it’s easy to forget that for a stretch of two to three seasons, Carl Edwards, Jr. was actually a solid right-hander out of the bullpen for Joe Maddon. Along with Grimm, Edwards also came over to the Cubs from the Rangers as part of the Matt Garza deal.

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For what seemed like forever, Edwards was considered one of the Cubs’ top pitching prospects. He finally stuck in the majors as a reliever in 2016, posting a 3.75 ERA over 36 innings. He then had a great two-year stretch from 2017 to 2018.

In 2017, Edwards appeared in a career-high 73 games, putting up a 2.98 ERA and striking out a whopping 94 batters in 66 1/3 innings. Edwards was also good in 2018, posting a 2.60 ERA in 52 innings.

Edwards battled injuries and ineffectiveness in 2019, and the Cubs traded him to the San Diego Padres during the season.

Besides what he accomplished on the mound, Edwards will always be remembered for that iconic scene of him waving the “W” flag in celebration on the field after the Cubs won Game 7 of the World Series in Cleveland in 2016.