Chicago Cubs: 2021 marked the year of the random Cub

Eric Sogard was on the Chicago Cubs roster this year. That’s the most fitting way to start an ode to the year of the random Cub that was 2021. We often write articles about the big guys in the clubhouse like Willson Contreras, Ian Happ and Kyle Hendricks, but this year was arguably dominated by the randos.

Obviously, some of this has to do with the midseason trade of nearly everybody of note. Jettisoning Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo, and more was bound to leave massive holes on the roster for anyone with a pulse. That doesn’t do justice to how prevalent randomness was on this roster though. You had indie-ballers, local guys, castaways, comebacks, you name it. Every type of random Cub was on this roster and each had a unique story and moment to shine.

Before we have some real fun running down memory lane with all the names that made appearances, we have to acknowledge the random Cubs that played so well they no longer hold the title of random Cubs. Frank Schwindel, Patrick Wisdom, and Rafael Ortega played far above their pay grade. Schwindel became a cult hero for his goofy faces and absurd contact rate. Ortega had a three-homer game and ended with 120 OPS+, the best of his career. Wisdom wielded a godly sledgehammer of a bat and struck out way too much.

These three gave fans a lot of joy in a rather dour year and they definitely came out of nowhere. You can read about them elsewhere though. Let’s talk about the deep cuts – the REAL random Cubs. The ones that you’ll likely only remember one day via a Daily Random Cub tweet.