Lesser known ballplayers who are relatives of Cubs greats

Chicago Cubs: One of the modern day fan-favorites had an uncle who played eight years in the majors.

Leron Lee is the uncle of former Cubs All-Star first baseman Derrek Lee. A native of Bakersfield, California, the Grant Union HS outfielder was drafted seventh overall by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1966 draft.

He made his debut with the Cardinals in 1969 at age 21 late in the season and played in seven games. He played in 121 games with St. Louis in 1970 and in 1971 was traded to the San Diego Padres where he played until 1973. Worth noting in 1972 he was 0-for-3 at Wrigley Field on September 2 when Milt Pappas threw a no-hitter. Lee then spent his final three seasons with the Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers. He was 28 when played in his final game in 1976.

Lee was a career .250/.307/.375 hitter with 31 home runs, 152 RBI, 95 OPS + and 2.0 fWAR. After his MLB career concluded, he went overseas to play in Japan where he would have an incredibly successful career in the Japan Pacific League. He played with the Lotte Orions from 1977-1987. He slugged 283 home runs and slashed .320/.382.542 in 1,315 games in Japan and won the batting title in 1980.

After returning to the states, he was a coach with the Oakland A’s and won a ring in 1989. He is currently 73.

There are probably some others out there, but those are some notable Cub greats with other relatives who played professional baseball. Everyone in baseball has a story, and it is good to acknowledge their stories.