Chicago Cubs: Ranking the greatest players of the decade – #20-11

Here we count down the greatest Chicago Cubs of the 2010s, continuing with numbers 20-11, as we work our way toward the best of the decade.

The 2010s featured both the lowest of lows and the highest of highs for Chicago Cubs fans. The decade started with the end of the Jim Hendry era, in which the former general manager made a couple of last-ditch efforts to turn a failing franchise around. It didn’t work out, however, as the team finished under .500 in both 2010 and 2011.

Then, Theo Epstein took over before the 2012 season and made sweeping changes. The franchise bottomed out in 2012, as the team started its painful rebuild and finished 61-101. The team slowly improved over the next few years before the front office brought Joe Maddon in to manage the up-and-coming roster. With a few big additions, the Cubs went 97-65 in 2015 and made it all the way to the National League Championship Series.

With some more tweaks to the roster, the team went 103-58 in 2016 and survived a tough postseason to win their first World Series championship in 108 years. The rest of the decade, by Chicago Cubs standards, was pretty good, as the team finished over .500 every year and made the postseason two additional times.

Along the way during this past decade, we’ve seen many great players come and go through the north side of Chicago. Putting together a list of the 50 greatest was a challenge, as players played varying amount of years with the team and contributed in different ways, both on and off the field. However, after much work, I have put together my list. Today, we continue with numbers 20-11.

Click here for numbers 50-41; click here for numbers 40-31; click here for numbers 30-21.

Chicago Cubs: No. 20: Jeff Samardzija

It seems like forever ago that Jeff Samardzija pitched for the Chicago Cubs. He had an up-and-down career with the team – in fact, his entire career has been like that – yet the success that he found in the first half of the decade warrants his appearance on this list.

Samardzija was a star football player at Notre Dame, but when the Cubs drafted the right-handed pitcher in the fifth round of 2006, he signed with the team and committed to baseball. He started out great as a middle reliever in 2008, but he struggled in 2009 and spent the majority of 2010 in AAA. Then, 2011 was his breakthrough year. In 88 innings of relief for the Cubs, Samardzija put up a 2.97 ERA while striking out 87 batters.

Samardzija became a full-time starter in 2012 and was decent in both 2012 and 2013, but he pitched his best baseball in the first half of 2014, posting a 2.83 ERA in 17 starts. The Cubs sold high, sending him along with Jason Hammel to the Oakland Athletics in the middle of the 2014 season in the trade that brought Addison Russell to the Cubs. After that, Samardzija spent one year with the Chicago White Sox before spending the last four with the San Francisco Giants.

Chicago Cubs: No. 19: Aroldis Chapman

It’s hard to gauge where to put a guy like Aroldis Chapman on a list of greatest Chicago Cubs of the decade, as he only was with the team for two months plus the 2016 postseason. Yet Cubs fans should be able to agree that his impact was tremendous and that they probably wouldn’t have won the World Series without him.

Desiring some bullpen help, the Cubs traded for Chapman from the New York Yankees during the 2016 season. What’s often overlooked is how good Chapman was in the regular season for the Cubs, posting a 1.01 ERA in 28 relief appearances, with 16 saves.

Joe Maddon relied heavily on Chapman during the playoffs, pitching him in 13 of the team’s 17 games. Though he had a couple of rough outings – including in Game 7 of the World Series – Chapman provided some stability to a bullpen that was dealing with injuries and ineffectiveness.

Chapman had a 3.45 ERA that postseason, which is okay, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. In an era where bullpens are so critical in the playoffs, the team desperately needed Chapman’s 15 2/3 innings. And let’s not forget that after blowing the lead in the eighth inning of Game 7 of the World Series, he did come back to put a zero on the board in the ninth.

The trade for Chapman is still receiving a lot of scrutiny because of what the Cubs gave up to get him, specifically Gleyber Torres, who has become a star for the Yankees. Even though it hurts a little to see Torres have so much success elsewhere, I wouldn’t give up the 2016 World Series title to have Torres back, and I think that at least most Cubs fans would agree.

Chicago Cubs: No. 18: Travis Wood

Travis Wood is a unique case, as he was with the club both during the lean years of the early Theo Epstein era and during the winning that took place in 2015 and 2016. He was one of the longest-tenured Cubs of the decade, with five years of service.

Wood came over in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds before the start of the 2012 season. He was decent as a starter, but in 2013 he earned a spot on the All-Star team on his way to pitching exactly 200 innings. That year, he had a 3.11 ERA in 32 starts. He wasn’t as good in 2014: While he took the ball 31 times, he posted a 5.03 ERA.

In 2015, Wood was converted to a reliever and was solid, but he had another spectacular year out of the bullpen in 2016, putting up a 2.95 ERA in 61 innings. Wood could also swing the bat and will be remembered for his home run against the San Francisco Giants in the 2016 NLDS while making a relief appearance.

Unfortunately, Wood’s career quickly fizzled out after his memorable 2016 campaign. He last pitched in the majors with the Kansas City Royals and San Diego Padres in 2017.

Chicago Cubs: No. 17: David Ross

Normally, a backup catcher who doesn’t provide much offense wouldn’t even appear on a list like this. We can recite the numbers that David Ross put up while he played for the Chicago Cubs in 2015 and 2016 – and quite frankly, particularly in 2015, he wasn’t very good at the plate. Yet Ross appears at this point on the list because the scale of his impact cannot be measured by statistics.

Ross actually had a long, solid career as a backup catcher that started with the Los Angeles Dodgers back in 2002. He bounced around several places before landing with the Boston Red Sox in 2013 and 2014. It was there that he became Jon Lester‘s “personal catcher”, and when Lester signed with the Cubs before the 2015 season, the Cubs also brought Ross on board.

To this day, Cubs players and fans still speak highly of the veteran leadership that Ross provided in the dugout and clubhouse. And despite his lack of offensive production, he did come through in a big way in Game 7 of the World Series, homering off feared Cleveland Indians lefty Andrew Miller. Because of his intangible contributions to the Cubs during their 2016 championship run, Ross will always be a hero in Chicago.

Ross is currently a leading candidate for the Chicago Cubs’ managerial position. His candidacy has divided some Cubs fans. While some believe his leadership is what the Cubs need, others think that he needs coaching experience first and is too close to the players. If the Cubs go with Ross, we’ll have to try to put that aside and give him a chance.

Chicago Cubs: No. 16: Aramis Ramirez

The trade for Aramis Ramirez from the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 2003 season has gone down as one of the best in Chicago Cubs history. Ramirez had a tremendous career in a Cubs uniform, and while the majority of his time with the team was in the previous decade, he still made an impact at the beginning of this one.

Ramirez only got into 124 games in 2010, yet he hit for power, slugging 25 home runs and driving in 83. It was the eighth time in his career that he reached those totals, including his seventh with the Cubs. Ramirez had a better year in 2011, hitting 26 home runs and driving in 93. He also posted an AVG/OBP/SLG line of .306/.361/.510, all up significantly from 2010. It was the sixth year of his career in which he batted at least .300.

The team didn’t bring Ramirez back after the 2011 season, as Theo Epstein took over and began his big rebuild. Ramirez signed with the Milwaukee Brewers and finished his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015. Ramirez certainly is the best third baseman the Cubs have had since Ron Santo – though if Kris Bryant hangs around long enough he may challenge that.

Chicago Cubs: No. 15: Jason Heyward

Jason Heyward is one of the most important free agent signings that the Chicago Cubs have made in the Theo Epstein era. Though he hasn’t hit as much as we were hoping for when he came over before the 2016 season, he still has had a solid impact on the team over the past four years.

Though Heyward hasn’t hit for much power with the Cubs, we can at least say that his RBI totals have been consistent: 49, 59, 57, and 62. He also won a Gold Glove award in 2016 and 2017, so there’s that. Perhaps what Heyward will be known most for is the motivational speech that he made during the rain delay of Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. As we remember, the Cubs quickly rallied when play resumed in the tenth inning and held on to win.

Heyward had his best season at the plate with the Cubs in 2019. Though he was up-and-down, the overall numbers were his best, as he hit 21 home runs and drove in 62 while posting a .772 OPS. Though he’s not the defender he once was, he still plays a solid outfield, and his willingness to play a lot of center field to accommodate the midseason trade for Nicholas Castellanos is also noteworthy.

Was the Heyward signing worth it? In terms of the team winning the 2016 World Series it was, though he hasn’t hit nearly enough to warrant his massive contract. Still, there is hope that he can build on a decent 2019 and have a good year in 2020.

Chicago Cubs: No. 13: Ben Zobrist

Ben Zobrist is the kind of player that it seems like the Chicago Cubs lacked before they started winning a few years ago: a solid veteran who can do a lot of things while providing enthusiasm and a positive influence in the dugout. His signing with the Cubs prior to the 2016 season added yet another piece to the puzzle as the team was building their championship squad in 2016.

Zobrist was a favorite of manager Joe Maddon during their long time together with the Tampa Bay Rays, and we got to see why in 2016. Zobrist made the All-Star team in 2016, putting up a nice .831 OPS while driving in 74 runs, scoring 94 runs, and playing several defensive positions. His biggest accomplishment was winning World Series MVP that year, as his performance included the go-ahead hit in the tenth inning of Game 7.

Zobrist wasn’t as good in 2017, but he had a nice bounceback year in 2018, batting a career-high .305 while driving in 58 runs. I’ve always enjoyed watching Zobrist play because he shows a lot of enthusiasm, cheering on his teammates, while not getting easily flustered on the field. I think his veteran leadership has been underrated.

Zobrist had a rough 2019, missing the majority of the season due to off-the-field issues. Many are speculating that he will retire, as he is a free agent, though when he returned late in the year he still showed he had something left, batting .284. One big Cubs storyline this offseason is regarding what Zobrist will do.

Chicago Cubs: No. 12: Hector Rondon

Hector Rondon is one of the best relievers the Chicago Cubs have had in recent memory. He’s largely forgotten today, though he had a nice five-year run with the team, including 2 1/2 years as the closer.

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Rondon signed with the Cleveland Indians as a free agent during the 2004 season. He spent eight years in their system before the Cubs took him in the Rule 5 draft in 2012. He got into 45 games as a reliever in 2013, and he was okay. Yet in 2014, the team tried him as the closer, and it worked brilliantly, as he earned 29 saves while posting a 2.42 ERA.

Rondon’s 2015 season is especially underappreciated. As the Cubs made the playoffs, Rondon earned 30 saves while posting a 1.67 ERA. I’ll never forget him striking out Stephen Piscotty to beat the Cardinals in the NLDS that year. In 2016, Rondon earned 18 saves but was moved into a setup role after the Cubs acquired Aroldis Chapman. In 2017, Rondon was solid again, this time as a full-time middle reliever.

Rondon is still pitching for the Houston Astros, where he’s been the past two seasons after the Cubs decided to not bring him back after the 2017 season.

Chicago Cubs: No. 11: Willson Contreras

Willson Contreras was one of the last of the big wave of young talent that the Chicago Cubs graduated to the major leagues a few years ago. Yet his road was a little bumpier than that of, say, Kris Bryant or Kyle Schwarber.

The Cubs signed Contreras as a free agent in 2009. His career in the minor leagues wasn’t noteworthy during the first few years, but something clicked in 2015. That year, in AA ball, Contreras batted .333 while driving in 75 runs. He then tore up AAA in 2016, putting up an OPS of 1.035 before earning a callup.

Contreras earned a lot of playing time in the second half of 2016, hitting 12 home runs and driving in 35 while batting .282 in 76 games. In 2017, he took another big step forward, hitting 21 home runs and driving in 74. Indeed, the long ball has become a part of his game at the major league level, while he hadn’t shown a ton of power in the minor leagues.

Conteras has dealt with some injuries during his career, yet he seems to be getting better. He’s been an All-Star the past two seasons. Despite playing in just 105 games in 2019, he hit a career-high 24 home runs while posting an .888 OPS, also a career high. His defense behind the plate also continues to get solid marks. Hopefully, Contreras can keep moving forward and have his best year yet in 2020.