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

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Players: No. 1 – Cap Anson

WAR: 81.8

Seriously, Cap Anson deserves 5,500 words just dedicated to his career alone.

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The Marshalltown, IA native played for 27 years — spending 22 of them in the Windy City. Simply based on the longevity of his career, he stands atop countless franchise leaderboards. I mean, the guy played in just under 2,300 games for Chicago. That shouldn’t take anything away from his talent, though.

In his career (again, keep in mind this was over two decades when we’re talking about his time with the Cubs) — he tallied over 4,000 total bases and a 142 OPS+. That fits nicely with a .396 OBP and just 321 strikeouts as a member of the Chicago ball club … in 10,123 plate appearances.

Today’s game is all about three true outcomes. Gone are the days of contact-oriented approaches at the dish and the art of hitting. Anson, who won four batting titles in his career, never won a World Series — but there’s no questioning the mark he left on the Cubs.

So let us know. Is it wrong to have Anson on top of this list, ahead of names like Santo and Banks? How would you rank the all-time best players in Cubs history?

Accomplishments & Awards

• Four-time batting champion