Chicago Cubs: Who were the five best players on the 1998 team?

Who joined Sammy Sosa as key members of the 1998 Chicago Cubs?

The 1998 Chicago Cubs season didn’t culminate in a championship, a pennant or even a National League Central title. It still lives on in the memories of fans who bore witness to it, though – for countless reasons.

Young Texan Kerry Wood set the tone in early May, striking out 20 Houston Astros in a historic performance at Wrigley Field. By year’s end, closer Rod Beck had turned in the best season of his career – notching 51 saves and appearing in half of the club’s 162 contests. But as we all know, the story in the Windy City and across baseball was the home run race between Chicago outfielder Sammy Sosa and St. Louis Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire.

This weekend, the highly-anticipated ‘Long Gone Summer’ debuts on ESPN. With the 2020 Major League Baseball season on hold as the two sides continue an ugly back-and-forth, baseball fans will undoubtedly be clamoring over the program – which takes us back to one of the most exciting campaigns in the history of the game.

You’ll hear plenty about Sosa and the home run race from us here this weekend. But it’s worth remembering the other important contributors on the 1998 Cubs so you can head into ‘Long Gone Summer’ with a better understanding and remembrance of that club. Let’s go through the team’s top five most valuable contributors, based on Baseball Reference WAR.

Chicago Cubs – #5: Grace was a staple in the middle of the order

Mark Grace spent 13 years on the North Side of Chicago – and during the 1990s, he amassed more base hits than any player in baseball. He finished his career with 2,445 knocks – and won a World Series with Arizona in 2001. But his 1998 showing was one of his strongest all-around performances.

Grace played in 158 games that year – the only player who appeared in more contests? Sosa, at 159. He smacked 39 doubles and put up a .401 OBP while playing a stellar defensive first base.

The former 24th round pick was a monster at Wrigley Field, slashing .327/.428/.482. While Sosa would look to put balls onto Waveland, Grace took what you gave him, slapping the ball all over the diamond, racking up base hits at will. He really excelled as the team’s cleanup hitter, evidenced by a .932 OPS out of the fourth spot in the order and a season total 3.8 WAR.

Chicago Cubs – #4: A historic, injury marred rookie campaign for Wood

What can I say about Kerry Wood that hasn’t been said a hundred times already. He’s one of the most beloved Cubs of all-time, despite an injury-ravaged run that derailed what many expected to be a Hall of Fame-caliber career.

Wood made baseball history in early May that season, striking out 20 Astros in a what many consider to be the most dominant pitching performance of all-time. The 21-year-old hurler led all big league arms with a 6.3 H/9 and 12.6 K/9 across 166 2/3 innings of work.

Similar to Grace, Wood was something altogether different at the Friendly Confines. He went 9-1 that year at Wrigley, working to a 2.97 ERA. After limping through August, the right-hander hit the shelf with elbow soreness that cost him the final month of the season.

Despite that injury (which actually led to Tommy John surgery) – Wood brought home NL Rookie of the Year honors, accumulating 3.8 WAR in his first taste of Major League action.

Chicago Cubs – #3: There was more to Trachsel than serving up history

When people talk about 1998 and right-hander Steve Trachsel, it’s more than likely because he was the man on the mound when Big Mac clobbered his record-breaking 62nd home run, toppling the then-home run record of 61, set by Roger Maris.

But there was a lot more to Trachsel’s 1998 season than that one moment. The 27-year-old ranked third on the club with 208 innings of work, going 15-8 on the year. He made 33 starts and was a horse alongside fellow rotation members Mark Clark and Kevin Tapani.

Trachsel was masterful in the month of July, going undefeated in five starts with a 2.56 ERA. Given the era, turning in those kind of numbers was particularly impressive. Down the stretch, though, he struggled – but was still undoubtedly a critical piece to the puzzle for Jim Riggleman and the 1998 Cubs.

Chicago Cubs – #2: Morandini quietly put together a strong season

Even if you’re just focusing on his baseball card numbers, there’s little doubt that Mickey Morandini doesn’t get enough credit for what he did during the 1998 season. In his first season with the Cubs, the 32-year-old infielder did it all.

At the plate, he hit .296/.380/.385 – that .380 OBP marked the best of Morandini’s career. He scored 93 runs and racked up 172 base hits, while making a mere five errors in the field. Paired with Grace, he formed one half of a formidable right side of the infield that year.

His 1.3 dWAR ranked 10th in the league in ’98 and he led all National League second basemen in fielding percentage and Total Zone Runs (10). His strong work on both sides of the ball culminated in a 3.9 WAR – a mark topped by just one Cubs player that year: Sammy Sosa.