Chicago Cubs: Ranking the top five debuts of all-time

In our self aggrandizing way as baseball fans, we love to reminisce about the ‘good old days’ and moments to hang our hats on, especially when the present is bleak. As Chicago Cubs fans, for some strange reason, we love to live in the scope of past successes rather than look forward to a bright future.

As a long-suffering franchise that went over a century without winning a championship, it can be justified. It leads to those moments sitting back, replaying the best of the best in our heads, especially considering the team’s circumstances heading into the new season.

On the flip side, it is fun to turn to those moments and performances. This allows us to remember what it was like and what role it played in our love of the game. The Cubs have many of those moments scattered in the form of debuts, and we are here to countdown the top five.

Cubs: A sparkling debut for Thomas Diamond

Number five is a moment in the annals of Cubs history that will shock a lot of people. Thomas Diamond was drafted by the Texas Rangers 10th overall in 2004 before succumbing to Tommy John surgery in 2007. The Cubs claimed Diamond off waivers in 2009, and his debut came on August 3, 2010, at home versus the Milwaukee Brewers.

Facing an impressive lineup, which included Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, Diamond gritted out a gutsy 122-pitch performance in which the then 27-year-old finished with an impressive stat line of six innings, three earned runs, ten strikeouts and three walks. While it can be argued that there is nothing special about your typical six-inning quality start, it was different at this moment.

Diamond had worked his way back from surgery, the Cubs gave him a chance and he did not disappoint. The right-hander struck out Rickie Weeks and Corey Hart to begin the game. After a couple of hits and a walk, Diamond ended his first big league inning with a strikeout of Jim Edmonds.

He picked up a couple strikeouts in both the second and third, and when it was all said and done, he had finished with multiple strikeouts in five of his six innings. As it goes in baseball, sometimes luck doesn’t favor the bold as Diamond took the loss that day. His career as a whole never gained traction, and Diamond was out of baseball after one season. A fine evening in August, however, was a crowning achievement in his career.

Cubs: Nico Hoerner hits the trifecta in San Diego

Number three on the list goes to the Stanford standout. The Cubs were in a world of trouble at the tail end of the 2019 season after both Javier Báez and Addison Russell hit the injured list at the same time. It led the club to promote the year’s prior first-round pick, Nico Hoerner. In the midst of a postseason race, on the road in San Diego, Hoerner made his September debut.

Facing off against another prospective young talent in starting pitcher Cal Quantrill, Hoerner wasted little time. On an 0-2 count in the second inning, Hoerner singled. His first big league hit. His next time up in the fifth, Hoerner faced Quantrill again, with runners at the corners. Hoerner promptly tripled down the line, scoring both runners and giving himself his first two career RBI.

After an offensive barrage from his teammates, Hoerner stepped back in the following inning with another chance to generate some fireworks. In another two-strike bind with two outs, Hoerner sent a single up the middle, scoring two more runs and totaling his count to four on the night.

The youngster finished his debut 3-for-5, two runs and four RBI. He would end up hitting a solid .282 in his first stint, but nothing compares to the excitement of Hoerner’s debut on a warm San Diego evening in September.

Cubs: Mark Prior dazzles his dominance in Wrigley

Second to last on the ladder of top debuts goes to a guy who had high hopes and big dreams. Mark Prior was the Cubs belle of the ball in 2001. A product of the University of Southern California, the Cubs selected Prior second overall in the 2001 MLB draft. Over the next couple of seasons, Prior would show the makings of a real ace.

Prior spent just nine games in Triple-A Iowa before his call-up in May. Stepping to the Wrigley mound on that warm summer night, Prior was tasked with shutting down the Pittsburgh Pirates. Prior shut them down alright, as the 22-year-old allowed just four hits in total, two earned runs in six strong innings, and ten strikeouts.

Nearly zero experience in the minor leagues, Prior showed what made him the number two overall draft pick the year before. After allowing a single to kick the game off, Prior sent the next three Pirates hitters down, including two seeing eye strikeouts.

Prior’s best inning came in the third following a single and three strikeouts, including future Cubs favorite, Aramis Ramirez. In three of his six innings, Prior registered two-plus strikeouts, respectively.

He threw 103 pitches that day and walked away with the victory. It was a glimmer to the pitcher Cubs fans who knew Prior could be, and although things didn’t go as planned overall, the performance that day is still discussed across the Cubs sphere.

Cubs: Starlin Castro showing off his swag in Cincinnati

The final great debut and number one on the list is the inauguration of Starlin Castro. Arriving on the scene in May of 2010 after signing a big contract as a top international prospect from the Dominican Republic, Castro sent Cubs fans into a frenzy with his debut performance.

In a high-scoring affair on the road in Cincinnati, the rookie knocked the cover off the ball and single-handedly accounted for nearly half of the Cubs’ runs that night. The highly-touted prospect finished the night 2-for-5, a triple, home run, and six RBI. His first career at-bat is one he and Cubs fans will never forget.

After a walk and single to the first two batters of the inning, Castro stepped in. Facing a 2-2 count versus Reds starter Homer Bailey, Castro launched one to the opposite field for a three-run home run. A few innings later, Castro stepped in with the bags full. This time facing a 3-2 count, Castro sent a ball into the gap and to the wall, clearing the bases.

Castro’s debut has to go down as one of the all-time greats across baseball. Indeed, the Cubs. The kid from the Dominican Republic would finish his rookie season as a .300 hitter. Throughout his Cubs career, Castro earned the all-star nod in three of the six seasons. All of it aside, however, Castro put himself on the map from day one.