Chicago Cubs: 25 best all-time players in franchise history

The Chicago Cubs have a rich history. Here are their 25 best players of all-time.

Although they weren’t always the Chicago Cubs, the franchise itself – in all its variations – dates back to 1870. So when we start talking about compiling a list of 25 players that stand out as the best ever, it’s easier said than done.

A lot of fans have a recency bias. It’s hard not to, especially in the wake of the Cubs winning the 2016 World Series – the team’s first title in well over a century. You have to include someone like Kris Bryant on such a list, right? He took home National League Rookie of the Year honors in his first season, followed it up by winning NL MVP and a World Series the next year, and has been an All-Star three of his first five seasons.

We’ll have to see how it shakes out. Let’s get into the driving criteria behind this list. In an effort to bridge the gaps between the countless eras these Cubs players lived in, we’re going to break it all down to Fangraphs WAR. Why? It’s all-inclusive and boils player performance down to one easy-to-digest number.

You can argue with it, form your own opinions or consider this the penultimate source for the 25 best all-time players in Cubs history. That’s up to you. Let’s get started.

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 25 – Hippo Vaughn

WAR: 35.0

You’re probably more familiar with names like Fergie Jenkins and Greg Maddux when you’re thinking about some of the all-time Cubs pitching greats. But the man who laid the foundation first took the mound for Chicago in 1913 — one year after the Titanic sank and a full six years before the Red Sox traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees. His name? Hippo Vaughn.

The left-hander made just seven appearances that first year with the club, but from there on out, he was one of the best hurlers in the game. Vaughn won 20 or more contests five times from 1913 to 1921, working to a cumulative 2.33 ERA in over 2,200 innings of work.

Strikeouts weren’t really a thing at this time. He led the league in both 1917 and 1918 with 5.9 and 4.6 strikeouts per nine, respectively. That didn’t stop him from dominating, though. In the 1918 Fall Classic, Vaughn started three games against Boston, working to 1.00 ERA in 27 innings of work.

That’s right, he threw complete games in all three of his World Series starts – allowing a grand total of three runs. And the team still lost two of the three games.

Accomplishments & Awards – note: all accomplishments and awards are restricted to the player’s tenure with Chicago; others are not included here.

• Pitching Triple Crown (1918)
• ERA Title (1918)

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 24 – Bill Dahlen

WAR: 35.8

We’re going way back for the next name on our list, as well. Bill Dahlen played for Chicago from 1891-1898 and was a consistent producer with the lumber.

During that stretch, Dahlen got on base at a .384 clip while averaging 192 hits per 162 games played. Despite relatively low power numbers (he hit just 57 home runs during that eight-year span) – he overcame that and was a presence at the plate due to his ability to hit for extra bases.

Dahlen amassed over 2,400 base hits in his career — but his best season in the Windy City came in 1894 when he slashed .359/.445/.566 with 32 doubles, 14 triples, 15 home runs, and 108 RBI. Oh, and we haven’t even touched on his speed. He stole 208 bags as a member of the then-Colts and Orphans.

The Nelliston, NY native racked up a staggering 106 triples with Chicago – a figure that ranks fourth all-time in franchise history. After Dahlen left the Cubs, he played for another 13 years, appearing in games for Brooklyn, New York, and Boston before officially hanging up his spikes at the age of 41.

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 23 – Greg Maddux

WAR: 36.1

Had Greg Maddux spent his entire career with the Cubs, he’d appear far higher up on this list. Still, the soft-tossing hurler played 10 years on the North Side across two separate stints. His most notable, of course, kicked off his illustrious Hall of Fame career.

After two pretty underwhelming seasons to begin his 23-year stint in the Show, the right-hander started to put it all together. He won 18 games in 1988, earning the first All-Star nod of his career. From ’88 to ’92, Maddux was a horse for the Cubs – never throwing fewer than 237 innings in a season and working to a 3.01 ERA.

In 1992, though, he really took that next step, winning 20 games and tossing 268 innings — a number that’s hard to even fathom in today’s game. Of course, he rode that season to National League Cy Young honors and a big payday from the Atlanta Braves.

Over a decade later, the Cubs brought a 38-year-old Maddux back and while he wasn’t what he once was, he earned his 300th career win with the club, something only one other Cub has accomplished. Even in his late 30s, he ate innings with the best of them – and went on to amass over 5,000 regular season frames and another 198 in the postseason.

Accomplishments & Awards

• Four-time Cy Young Winner (1992,1993,1994,1995)
• Eight-time All-Star
• 18-time Gold Glove Winner (Most for any player in history)
• Four-time ERA Leader

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 22 – Jimmy Ryan

WAR: 37.3

Outfielder Jimmy Ryan spent almost his entire 18-year career with Chicago, racking up over 2,500 hits in the big leagues. Really, his inclusion on this list boils down to consistency – because this was a guy you could chalk up for a .300 average year-in and year-out throughout his entire career.

Ryan is one of just eight with more than 2,000 hits in his Cubs career and is the all-time franchise leader with 142 triples. In 1888 and 1889, the 5-foot-9 speedster turned in the best two-year run of his career, hitting .326 and getting on base at a .391 clip. In ’88, he led all of baseball with 182 hits, 33 doubles, and 16 home runs.

Although he never really recaptured quite that level of dominance, Ryan put his head down and got the job done for nearly two decades. He swiped 370 stolen bases in Chicago – the third-most of any player to ever put on the team’s uniform.

Really, it was just a different era – one far different from the power-led decades of recent memory. And it makes what Ryan did even more impressive. Let’s take 1888 as an example. The league average hitter slashed .239/.291/.320 that year. Meanwhile, the Chicago outfielder hit .332/.377/.515 – good for a 174 OPS+, making him nearly twice as valuable as a league-average player.

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 21 – Bill Nicholson

WAR: 37.8

With the nation caught in the throes of World War II, the Cubs had a slugger who narrowly missed out on winning the MVP not once, but twice, in Bill Nicholson. The Chestertown, MD native spent a decade with Chicago – from 1939 to 1948 – and he accomplished quite a bit during that stretch.

Of course, that date range might ring a bell for today’s Cubs fans because up until 2016, 1945 marked the last time Chicago appeared in a World Series. Of course, they lost to the Detroit Tigers, but the date was etched in the minds of the fanbase — and likely still is.

He earned five All-Star selections during that stretch — and it’s not hard to see why. From 1940 to 1945, Nicholson averaged 24 homers and 102 RBI. In 1943 and 1944, though, he was one of the best players in all of baseball. In ’43 he led all of baseball with 128 runs batted in — but finished third in NL MVP voting behind a pair of Cardinals in Stan Musial and Walker Cooper.

The next year, Nicholson raised the stakes, scoring a National League-leading 116 runs and 317 total bases, while leading all of baseball with a career-high 33 home runs and 122 RBI. Despite his performance, though, he once again fell short in the MVP race, watching yet another Cardinal take the honors — this time in Marty Marion. It had to be heartbreaking, though — just one point separated the two in the final vote.

Accomplishments & Awards

• Five-time All-Star

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 20 – Ned Williamson

WAR: 38.0

At first glance, I had no idea how Ned Williamson found his way onto this list. But after some digging and knowing that numbers don’t lie, it makes a lot more sense.

He spent the first year of his career, 1878, with the Indianapolis Blues before joining the Chicago White Stockings the next season. Now, back then, seasons were far shorter than what we’re used to today — roughly half as long, in fact. So we’ll look at some numbers stretched out to a 162-game average just so it’s more of an apples-to-apples comparison.

We’ll get into why hardcore baseball history nerds know Williamson’s name in just a second. But we can’t gloss over what he did defensively. From 1878 to 1885, he led the league in double plays and fielding percentage on five separate occasions. Oh, and he ranked tops in the league in assists six times, too.

He smacked 49 doubles in 1883, a precursor to what was to come the next year. Williamson carried a 130 OPS+ from 1879 to 1884 — but his real claim to fame comes from that ’84 campaign. In his entire 13-year career, this guy never hit double-digit home runs, bar once — when he slugged an astounding 27 long balls.

The first man to eclipse that mark? One of the most prolific sluggers of all-time, Babe Ruth, in 1919.

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 19 – Bob Rush

WAR: 39.5

Big right-hander Bob Rush had himself quite the run. He spent 10 years with the Cubs before finishing his career by spending a year apiece with the Milwaukee Braves and the Chicago White Sox.

It’s pretty wild that a guy who had a 110-140 career record with Chicago ranks as the 20th-most valuable player in franchise history. But it goes to show that wins and losses clearly aren’t the most effective way to value pitchers, either.

In 1950, his third year in the league, Rush earned the first All-Star nod of his career. Heading into the All-Star Break, the right-hander carried a 3.55 ERA to go along with his 9-8 record. But he went 4-12 in the second half, despite a still-above average 4.02 ERA (league average was 4.36 that year), thus muddying his baseball card line for that year.

You can’t look past his 19 complete games in 1950 – a feat he accomplished 118 times in his big league career. His best single-season showing came in 1952 when Rush won 17 games and pitched to a 2.70 ERA – going the distance in more than half of his 32 starts. Really, they just don’t make pitchers like that anymore.

Accomplishments & Awards

• Two-time All-Star

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 18 – Charlie Root

WAR: 39.9

No pitcher in Cubs franchise history appeared in more games or threw more innings than Charlie Root. He faced over 13,000 batters in his career with the team – and that’s a mark that will undoubtedly stand the test of time.

In today’s game, pitchers have extremely specialized roles. You have your starters, relievers, closers and, until this season, your specialists. Root did it all. He appeared in 632 games in his big league career, started 341 of them and finishing 186. Some of the numbers he put up are just otherworldly.

His first year in the National League, the right-hander lost 17 games through no fault of his own – evidenced by a 2.82 ERA. The next year, though, he led the Senior Circuit with 26 wins and 309 innings of work, finishing fourth in MVP voting in the process.

From 1926 to 1933, Root averaged 252 innings per year, tossing 20 shutouts and even notching 20 saves during that span. He appeared in four World Series during his Cubs career – with his club coming out on the wrong side each time (1929, 1932, 1935, 1938).

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 17 – Billy Herman

WAR: 40.4

When you average just a tick under 200 base hits annually over a 15-year career, good things happen. That was the case for Billy Herman, who spent 11 of those 15 seasons on the North Side with the Cubs before the team traded him to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1941.

In 1932, his first full season in the bigs, Herman hit .314 and finished ninth in MVP voting. That marked the first of three times in his career he’d eclipse the 200-hit mark, ending the season with 206 – including 42 two-baggers.

A 10-time All-Star, the New Albany, IN native put together a career worth of remembrance by many standards. In his 10 full seasons with the Cubs, Herman hit .300 or better in seven of them. He had an incredible three-year stretch from 1935 to 1937 in which he slashed .337/.390/.475 — averaging 50 doubles, eight triples and seven home runs annually.

A testament to his proclivity to make contact, Herman struck out just 428 times over the course of 8,641 plate appearances — while walking 737 times. This was the epitome of a bat-on-ball player and his year-in and year-out consistency eventually got him inducted into Cooperstown via the Veteran’s Committee in 1975.

Accomplishments & Awards

• 10-time All-Star

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 16 – Mordecai Brown

WAR: 41.0

For many, a childhood farming accident that cost multiple digits on a dominant hand is enough to quash any dreams of playing big league ball. But Mordecai ‘Three Finger’ Brown turned it into an illustrious career that concluded with a plaque in the hallowed halls of Cooperstown.

Look at any all-time Cubs pitching leaderboard and you’re sure to see Brown’s name. He ranks third all-time in franchise WAR for pitchers, second in both ERA and wins and first in WHIP.  When you look at some of his best seasons, particularly his otherworldly 1906 campaign – you may think back to Jake Arrieta’s incredible run in 2015.

In 1906, Brown anchored the staff of a Cubs team that won 116 games — a National League record that stand to this day. He took the ball 36 times – starting 32 and finishing four — amassing 277 1/3 innings of work. He tossed nine shutouts and 27 complete games en route to a 26-6 record and a  league-best 1.04 ERA.

It’s not like that was a flash-in-the-pan performance for the Cubs ace, either. In the decade he spent with the team, he posted a career 1.80 ERA across 2,329 innings of work. Such sustained dominance – even in today’s game — is hard to fathom. When any Cubs fan thinks of great arms in franchise history, you’d be amiss to not have this guy at or near the top of the list.

Accomplishments & Awards

• ERA Leader (1906)
• Two-time World Series champion (1907, 1908)

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 15 – Johnny Evers

WAR: 41.0

Even if you’re not familiar with the details of Johnny Evers’ career, the last name likely rings a bell because of the iconic baseball poem that honored the Cubs’ trio of Joe Tinker, Evers and Frank Chance – a double play trio that was unparalleled at the time defensively.

But there’s a lot more to Evers than passing mention in a piece of written word that’s stood the test of time. And when you dive into the numbers, they provide a stark reminder of just how different an era this was in the game’s history.

Evers called Chicago home for 12 years, from 1902 to 1913 – helping the franchise win a pair of World Series titles and two more NL pennants on top of it. At the plate, he was solid, but hardly spectacular. Where he really shined was with the leather. He ranks sixth all-time in Cubs history with a 12.8 Defensive WAR, per Baseball Reference.

That’s not to say he was a slouch at the dish. During the team’s 1908 World Series-winning campaign, Evers hit .300 on the nose with a .402 OBP – good for a 143 OPS+. In 126 games, he racked up 125 hits, including 19 doubles and six triples. And, at the end of the day, the two rings he won with the Cubs say a lot, too.

Accomplishments & Awards

• Two-time World Series champion (1907, 1908)

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 14 – Bill Hutchison

WAR: 43.2

Any time you’re going pre-1900 and looking at a guy’s numbers, it’s a wild ride. Hurler Bill Hutchison checks in at No. 15 on this list — but pitched for the Cubs for just seven years. Yet he’s ranked ahead of Hall of Famer Mordecai Brown.

Like I said, buckle up. It’s about to get wild.

Hutchison pitched for Chicago from 1889 to 1895. During that span, he racked up 3,022 1/3 innings of work. To put that in perspective, in Jon Lester’s entire 15 year career, he’s sitting at just over 2,500 innings. This guy was an absolute workhorse (although pitchers were of an entirely different breed back then).

Let’s hone in on his best three-year stretch. It culminated in 212 appearances, including 194 starts. He allowed just 1,584 hits in 1,786 innings of work. He was definitely a pitch-to-contact guy by today’s standards, but still worked to a 3.08 FIP and 2.76 ERA. He won 121 games – in three years.

In 1890, 1891 and 1892, the right-hander led the league in wins, games, innings pitched and complete games. Oh, that’s right. We didn’t really get into those numbers. Here are his complete game totals in those years.

• 1890: 65
• 1891: 61
• 1892: 67

I know the game was wildly different back then compared to what we all know today. But it’s pretty easy to see why we’re talking about Hutchison when we’re going through the best Cubs players of all-time.

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 13 – Mark Grace

WAR: 44.2

The hit king of the 1990s. Mark Grace was – and in my mind remains – criminally underappreciated for what he did on the field during his 13-year Cubs career.

Where to start? Do we start with his .308 career average with Chicago? Or maybe the fact that he never struck out more than he walked in a single season? The guy was like clockwork. You knew you could pencil him in for a .300 average and an OBP flirting with .400, especially later in his career.

His 51-double 1995 performance marks the third-most two-baggers anyone in Cubs history has managed in a single season – trailing just one man, Billy Herman. He never put up the prolific power numbers we saw in the 90s, but make no mistake: Gracie had plenty of pop in that bat.

And it’s not like he couldn’t handle himself at first base, either. The guy took home four Gold Gloves, too.  Referencing OPS+, Grace was an average or better hitter every season for the Cubs. Grace ranks fifth in franchise history with his 2,201 hits. Everyone he trails on that list has a plaque on the wall in Cooperstown.

Accomplishments & Awards

• Three-time All-Star
• Four-time Gold Glove Winner

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 12 – Joe Tinker

WAR: 46.6

Over the years, defensive-minded players seem to fall in and out of favor with the people building big league rosters. But in the early 20th century, Joe Tinker was one of the first to really make defense a staple of his game – and show that it could cement a guy’s place in the lineup.

Similar to his teammate Johnny Evers, Tinker was never an offensive juggernaut (to say the least). But he was a sure-handed, slick-fielding shortstop that anchored the infield during one of the most successful eras in Cubs history from 1902 to 1912 that culminated in two titles and four total pennants. Casual work, right?

He wasn’t just one of the best defensive players in Cubs history, either. He ranks fifth in baseball history in defensive WAR and has forever etched his name into the memories of generations of fans.

During the Cubs’ 1908 championship season, Tinker did it all – putting together one of the best offensive showings of his career, with a 118 OPS+ and playing in a league-leading 157 contests. Later on in his career, he held his own a bit more offensiely, but that’s never what he’ll be known for.

This guy is a legend when it comes to the leather – and for all you Javier Baez aficionados out there, you should take some time to appreciate what Tinker did at the position more than a century ago.

Accomplishments & Awards

• Two-time World Series champion (1907, 1908)

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 11 – Rick Reuschel

WAR: 47.3

Before Jake Arrieta, Jon Lieber and Greg Maddux, can you guess the most recent Cubs’ 20-game winner? That’s right, Rick Reuschel – the team’s third-round pick in the 1970 MLB Draft out of Western Illinois University.

The big right-hander made his big league debut two years later – and proceeded to post double-digit wins annually until Chicago traded him to the Yankees mid-season in 1981. Reuschel helped carry the load, making at least 35 starts from ’73 to ’80, easily surpassing 235 innings on the bump each year.

His best season came in 1977, his 20-win showing, when he finished third in NL Cy Young voting, thanks to a 3.03 FIP, 2.79 ERA and league-best 0.5 HR/9. He followed that up with several more strong showings, including an 18-win 1979.

Strangely enough Reuschel was a weak spot for the 1984 Cubs, as he turned in his worst season during his time in the Windy City. That was enough to spell the end of his tenure with the club. The righty signed with Pittsburgh the next offseason and spent the rest of his career in the Steel City and San Francisco before retiring after the 1991 season.

Accomplishments & Awards

• Three-time All-Star
• Two-time Gold Glove Winner

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 10 – Frank Chance

WAR: 48.1

Frank Chance has to be considered one of the best player-managers of all-time. He reigned over the franchise’s Golden Era in the early 1900s, when the team won four National League pennants and two World Series titles from 1906 to 1910 and quite literally did it all.

From 1905 to 1910, Chance put up a 137 OPS+ – buoyed by a .392 OBP during that stretch. Although he didn’t put up the power numbers fans clamor for in today’s game, it really wasn’t necessary. He got on base and was the guiding hand on the tiller of those Cubs teams.

Player-managers are so much more difficult to evaluate by typical ‘baseball card’ numbers. The National Baseball Hall of Fame showcases this quote from John McGraw that really does justice to what Chance brought to the table for Chicago.

“He was a great player – I think one of the best first basemen ever in the game – but in addition he was a great leader because he asked no man to take any chance that he would not take himself and because he had the power to instill enthusiasm even in a losing cause.”

Suffice to say, he was far more than the tale end of the iconic ‘Tinkers to Evers to Chance’ line. He’s one of the key reasons there were two other World Series banners blowing in the breeze when, on Opening Day in 2017, the Cubs hung a third.

Accomplishments & Awards

• Two-time World Series Champion (1907, 1908)

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 9 – Gabby Hartnett

WAR: 52.7

Any time you have a 20-year big league career and 19 of them were spent with one club, it’s usually a sign that you had pretty tremendous success. Such is the case with No. 10 on our list, Gabby Hartnett.

The backstop made his debut with the Cubs as a 21-year-old in 1922 in pretty disappointing fashion. He managed just a .194 average and was a major weak spot for the club offensively in a pretty limited 31-game sample size. I’m guessing if you told folks after that initial season he’d hang up his spikes with six All-Star selections and an MVP to his name, they’d have called you crazy.

From there, Hartnett established himself as a force with the bat and behind the dish. To this day, he has the fourth-highest dWAR in Cubs history (13.3) and eighth-highest oWAR (48.5). Throughout his twenties, he was a very solid ballplayer. But when it was in the next decade he left his biggest mark on the game.

From 1933 to 1938, he ran off six consecutive All-Star appearances with a cumulative .308/.373/.485 slash line – good for a 131 OPS+ while appearing in an average of 118 games annually.  In 1935, he brought home NL MVP honors after putting up a .949 OPS – the best mark of his career.

Catchers are all too often underappreciated. But Hartnett was of a rare breed – one who could receive, throw and hit with the best of them. He earned baseball immortality for his work in 1955 when he was enshrined in Cooperstown.

Accomplishments & Awards

• NL MVP
• Six-time All-Star

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 8 – Fergie Jenkins

WAR: 53.6

In the 1967 All-Star Game in Anaheim, Fergie Jenkins struck out a group of batters we all strive to attain in modern video games: Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew, Jim Fregosi, Tony Conigliaro, Tony Oliva and Mickey Mantle.

Casual work.

The Canadian right-hander is beloved by Cubs fans of all ages and is widely considered the best pitcher to ever call the Friendly Confines home. He ranks as the all-time franchise leader in pitcher WAR, games started and strikeouts — with over 2,000 to his credit with Chicago.

If you want to talk about his heyday with the team, that came from 1967 to 1973. He won 141 games during that span, averaging 20 wins annually. Now, there’s a whole hullabaloo over a guy winning 20 here or there. Jenkins hit or surpassed that mark for six consecutive seasons.

He was a Cy Young finalist four times in his career, winning the league’s top pitching honors in 1971. That year, he won 24 games, racked up an unthinkable (and league-leading) 325 innings of work, all while putting up a 2.77 ERA and 2.38 FIP. Oh, and he walked just one batter per game, too.

Jenkins had decent success in his thirties with the Rangers and Red Sox before returning to Wrigley for two years to round out his Hall of Fame career. Taking all this into account, I’d bet the next statue erected at 1060 W. Addison belongs to the big righty.

Accomplishments & Awards

• NL Cy Young Winner
• Three-time All-Star

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 7 – Stan Hack

WAR: 55.8

Few players can say they played in a World Series with the Chicago Cubs. Stan Hack is one of those. And despite coming up short on four separate occasions, he’s definitely not to blame. In 76 career plate appearances in the Fall Classic, the third baseman carried a .348/.408/.449 line – striking out just six times.

But there’s a whole lot more to Hack’s lengthy Cubs career than his repeatedly coming up short in a quest for a ring. He spent the entirety of his 16-year career with Chicago, earning four All-Star selections in the process. He finished as high as eighth in National League MVP voting – a testament to his standing in the game.

We’re talking about a guy who had a career .394 on-base percentage. That served as the high-water mark in the NL for a third baseman until… 2001. Keep in mind, Hack’s final season came in 1947.  In short, he was good – and he was able to maintain it for a long time – leading to his place on countless franchise leaderboards.

Hack ranks sixth all-time in Cubs history in oWAR (55.2) – for reference, Sammy Sosa ranks seventh at 50.9 to provide some more recent perspective. His .394 OBP is the seventh-highest mark in franchise history and only six players suited up more times than he for the North Siders.

Accomplishments & Awards

• Five-time All-Star

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 6 – Billy Williams

WAR: 58.9

Owner of one of the most beautiful left-handed swings in baseball history, ‘Sweet Swinging’ Billy Williams is one of the all-time Cubs greats. At Cubs Convention annually, he continues to get applause and cheers that far outperform even the biggest stars of today’s club.

The Whistler, AL native started out on a high note, winning Rookie of the Year honors in 1961 as a 23-year-old outfielder. That year, he belted 25 home runs – the first time he did so, although he’d go on to eclipse that mark nine more time in his career.

The guy was the epitome of consistency. From 1962 to 1971, Williams never played in fewer than 157 games and was a juggernaut offensively. He smacked 304 doubles, 69 triples and 292 home runs during that span. Of course, he was a critical piece of the legendary 1969 Cubs – but one of his best statistical seasons came the next year, in 1970.

That season, Williams led the league with 373 total bases, 205 hits and 137 runs. Two years later, he slugged .606 and put up an MLB-best 172 OPS+. In both of those campaigns, he finished runner-up in NL MVP voting.

Williams’ 61.8 Baseball Reference WAR ranks fifth in Cubs history, third in games played at 2,528, fourth in runs, third in hits – the list goes on and on. At the end of the day, when you think of the best ballplayers to ever grace the ivy-adorned walls on the North Side, he’s at or near the top of every list.

Accomplishments & Awards

• NL Rookie of the Year
• Six-time All-Star
• Batting Title Champion

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 5 – Sammy Sosa

WAR: 60.7

By far the most controversial name on this list, Slammin’ Sammy Sosa takes up residence at No. 5. What to say about the former Cubs outfielder that hasn’t already been said a million times.

Let’s start with the basics. He spent 13 years with the team — and in the late 1990s and early 2000s, he obliterated almost every franchise single-season offensive record. He carries the Cubs’ single-season record for oWAR, slugging percentage, total bases, home runs, runs created, adjusted batting wins, extra-base hits, intentional walks and at bats per home run.

Sosa could hit (if you’ve made it this far on this list and didn’t know that already, I’m both impressed and worried).

Of course, he’s most remembered for his role in the Great Home Run Chase of 1998, when he and Mark McGwire both eclipsed the long-standing 61-home run mark set by Yankees legend Roger Maris. Although the Cardinals slugger won that battle, Sosa took home NL MVP honors in the end.

Due to his ties to the Steroid Era, the organization is yet to welcome the slugger back to Wrigley Field. He hasn’t set foot at the ballpark he called home since he left the final game of the 2004 season early. Will he return at some point? Probably. But his legacy is forever tarnished.

Accomplishments & Awards

• NL MVP Winner (1998)
• Seven-time All-Star
• Six-time Silver Slugger Winner

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 4 – Ryne Sandberg

WAR: 61

If you’re one of those baseball aficionados who love a guy who did it all — Ryne Sandberg was undoubtedly one of them. He could field, run and hit — and left an indelible mark on the Chicago Cubs franchise.

In 1984, behind Sandberg, Chicago advanced to its first postseason since 1945. The second baseman, in just his third full big league campaign, led the league with 114 hits and 19 triples en route to NL MVP honors. He also brought home a Gold Glove, Silver Slugger and All-Star nod that season.

That was just the beginning for Ryno on the North Side. He went on to make 10 All-Star teams, win seven Silver Sluggers and nine Gold Gloves. He spent his entire 16-year career — with the exception of 13 games — with the Cubs, becoming a fan favorite and stealing hearts while he did it.

Of course, he’s most remembered for the iconic ‘Sandberg Game’ that took place on June 23, 1984. In that nationally televised matchup against the rival Cardinals, the Chicago second baseman took future Hall of Fame closer Bruce Sutter deep in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game.

St. Louis answered right back with two more runs in the tenth. But then, the impossible happened. Sandberg followed up his ninth-inning homer with a two-out, two-run blast – once again tying the game and setting the table for a walk-off win. From then on out, baseball fans across America knew his name.

Accomplishments & Awards

• NL MVP Winner (1984)
• Ten-time All-Star
• Nine-time Gold Glove Winner
• Seven-time Silver Slugger Winner

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 3 – Ernie Banks

WAR: 63.3

Mr. Cub. Anytime your nickname includes the name of the franchise you spent your entire career with, you can bet on being mentioned among the best to ever put on its uniform. That is certainly the case with Ernie Banks.

Despite spending 19 years with the Cubs, Banks never played in a single postseason game. That being said, he did everything in his power to get the team into October and capture that long-sought World Series title.

He was an All-Star in 14 of his 19 seasons with the team, winning back-to-back National League MVP awards in 1958 and 1959. He had a four-year stretch in the late-50s and early-60s where he was an unstoppable force at the dish, averaging 41 long balls, 114 RBI and a 146 OPS+. During that first MVP campaign, his 47 home runs put him among the elite when it comes to sluggers in the game’s history.

After hitting 45 the next year and 41 in 1960, his power started to diminish – although he remained an above-average offensive player well into his late-30s. Obviously, statistically speaking, the evidence is all there. Banks isn’t just one of the best Cubs players ever – he’s one of the best players in Major League Baseball history.

But what I’ll always appreciate more than anything is his unyielding optimism and love for the game. I think we all agree. It’s always a good day to ‘Play Two’.

Accomplishments & Awards

• Two-time NL MVP Winner (1958, 1959)
• Fourteen-time All-Star
• Gold Glove Winner

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 2 – Ron Santo

WAR: 71.9

Maybe it’s my grandma telling me stories about him, getting to know him as the team’s radio color man or watching grainy videos of him back in the day, but for whatever reason, Ron Santo has always been my favorite player.

Similar to Banks, he just had this relentless energy and never-tiring persistence on the diamond. And, for Santo, it went far beyond that as he secretly battled diabetes and its effect for years – all while putting up All-Star-caliber numbers.

Santo spent all but one year of his career on the North Side of Chicago – earning nine All-Star nods and five Gold Gloves. A force at the dish and the hot corner, he did it all for some pretty awful Cubs teams, seeing glimmers of hope only to endure more losing in the end.

He led the league in walks on four separate occasions and OBP twice – but despite everything he accomplished, Santo never got his due until it was far too late. Although he saw his number 10 retired by the Cubs, he never saw his plaque unveiled at Cooperstown. He was posthumously elected to the Hall of Fame in 2012 – a tragedy for all those who knew his love of the game.

Accomplishments & Awards

• Nine-time All-Star
• Five-time Gold Glove Winner