Chicago Cubs: Remember these players from the past decade

Chicago Cubs: Trevor Cahill in 2016

2016 was the year in which our dreams came true and the Chicago Cubs finally won the World Series after a 108-year drought. Because of that, names such as Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Jon Lester, and Jake Arrieta will forever remain sacred in Cubs lore. Even David Ross will remain a legend, and the success he had with the Cubs as a mentor to the younger players helped propel him to the manager’s job just three years later.

However, there are a few players from that year that are often overlooked. There’s Matt Szczur, who didn’t make the postseason roster but was a solid bench player for most of the season. Joe Smith was a midseason acquisition who quietly was solid out of the bullpen. And though he didn’t play a role in the playoffs, Jason Hammel continues to be overlooked as a great fifth starter for most of the season (though he made the top 50 list).

For my underrated Cub from 2016, I went with Trevor Cahill. The right-hander was a converted starter after he had a nice run with the Oakland Athletics and the Arizona Diamondbacks, and he was great in a brief relief stint with the Cubs in 2015. In 2016, Cahill pitched 65 2/3 innings and allowed just 20 earned runs.

Though Cahill had a nice season, he was left off the Cubs’ postseason roster. He has since bounced around to a few different teams and pitched for the Los Angeles Angels in 2019, both as a starter and as a reliever.