Cubs History: Overlooked Cubs Hall of Fame players

Cubs: In his career, outfielder Kiki Cuyler consistently hit .300 or better.

Hazen Shirley “Kiki” Cuyler was born in Harrisville, Michigan in 1898. He spent 18 years in the MLB and played 949 of his 1,879 career games in a Chicago Cubs uniform. From 1928 through 1935, he was part of two pennant-winning Cubs teams before being released in July 1935. In that time he posted a .325/.391/.485 slash with 79 home runs, 127 OPS+, 161 stolen bases, 602 RBI and 1,199 total hits.

Cuyler had arrived in Chicago after being traded by the Pirates in November 1927. He was already an established star player who was the NL leader in runs scored in the two years previous, and was part of the 1925 World Championship Pirates squad. His talents were recognized in 1934 as he was selected as an NL All-Star in the second Midsummer Classic, held at the Polo Grounds.

While he never won a World Series in Chicago, he was part of some memorable teams. The 1932 pennant winners played Babe Ruth and the Yankees in the World Series, where the Great Bambino supposedly called his shot.

After leaving Chicago he went to play his final years with the Reds and Dodgers. After he played he went on to coach in the minors. He sadly died at the age of 51 in 1950 due to a heart attack and was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1968.