Chicago Cubs: Remember these players from the past decade

Chicago Cubs: Justin Wilson in 2018

2018 will always feel like a missed opportunity for the Chicago Cubs. Despite all the grief that the team got for their lack of hitting down the stretch, they still played to a 95-67 record. However, the Milwaukee Brewers also finished the season with that same record, and they beat the Cubs in a one-game playoff for the division title. The Cubs then lost to the Colorado Rockies in the National League Wild Card Game.

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It was hard to find a player to highlight from 2018, since most of the players who had good seasons made the top 50 list. I found it hard to find a player, as I did for 2015, but 2018 was different because several key players had down seasons. Javier Baez was one player who did not, as he finished second in NL MVP voting.

I decided to look to the bullpen to find a player, but many of the key hurlers there made the top 50 list as well, including Steve Cishek, Carl Edwards, Jr., and Pedro Strop. For 2018, I decided to go with Justin Wilson. The southpaw came over from the Detroit Tigers in the middle of the 2017 season, along with catcher Alex Avila. Wilson wasn’t great down the stretch for the Cubs in 2017, but he was better in 2018, posting a 3.46 ERA and striking out 11.4 batters per nine innings.

The Cubs decided not to bring Wilson back after the 2018 season, and he left as a free agent. He signed with the New York Mets and was great for them in 2019, posting a 2.54 ERA in 39 innings.