Chicago Cubs: 5 best all-time pitchers in franchise history

Chicago Cubs Greatest All-Time Pitchers: No. 1 – Fergie Jenkins

There are very, very few baseball fans in the Windy City who wouldn’t label Fergie Jenkins the best pitcher in Cubs history. Part of that is certainly the relative recentness of his accomplishments on the mound.

More from Cubbies Crib

• Cubs should keep close eye on non-tender candidate Cody Bellinger
• Cubs starting pitching has been thriving on the North Side
• Make no mistake: the Cubs are very much about power hitters
• Cubs are giving pitcher Javier Assad a deserved shot
• Cubs: It’s time to start thinking about potential September call-ups

With the exception of Reuschel, the other guys on this list came long before most of us (or our parents, etc.) were on this planet. So it makes sense that Jenkins comes to mind. But that shouldn’t take anything away from what he did on the mound for the Cubs during his career.

Chicago acquired Jenkins in the spring of 1966 – and although a lot of folks don’t think of this deal as one of the team’s best all-time trades, it’s certainly up there. In 1967, the Canadian-born right-hander earned the first of three All-Star nods in his career, winning 20 games en route to a runner-up finish in the NL Cy Young race.

That kicked off a six-year stretch where Jenkins won a minimum of 20 contests annually, averaging over 300 innings each year with a 2.77 FIP. In 1971, he captured the National League Cy Young honors, winning 24 games, dominating the voting and leading the league in wins, starts, complete games (30 in 39 starts) and a wild 7.11 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

To this day, Jenkins remains one of the most beloved Cubs players of all-time – and it has little to do with his amazing career. He’s one of the most personable, loving guys out there and he certainly holds a special place in a lot of fans hearts – and the top spot on this list.