Recalling the 5 best-hitting pitchers in Chicago Cubs history

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced Thursday morning that the universal DH was indeed agreed upon by league owners. This likely signals the end of an era in the National League as pitchers will no longer be required to hit. We got a taste of the rule in 2020, now it appears to be here to stay.

Over the years the Chicago Cubs had quite the collection of solid hitting pitchers. Looking at the five best in franchise history required some stat-digging, and of course, the list is up for debate.

Cubs: 5 best hitting pitchers in team history: #5 Lon Warneke

One of the more underrated players in franchise history, Lon Warneke was one of the team’s best hurlers in the 1930s and was part of three pennant-winning teams. Warneke was a three-time All-Star and 1932 ERA title winner as a Cub, and pitched to a 2.84 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 3.48 FIP and 706 strikeouts in 1624 2/3 innings from 1930-1936, 1942-1943, 1945.

He was productive at the plate, too. Warneke collected 124 hits, 15 doubles, two triples and three home runs in 566 at bats as a Cub. He slashed .219/.250/.269 with a .519 OPS. His 124 hits are 10th on the all-time Cubs pitcher hit list. He is one of five Cubs pitchers to have at least 500 at bats and hit above .200. Only two other Cubs pitchers with 500+ at bats have a higher batting average than Warneke.

In 1933 alone he hit .300/.320/.440 with an OPS+ of 115 and 116 wRC+ in 106 plate appearances. Not often did we see pitchers put up those kinds of numbers.

Warneke, outside Chicago, also spent six years in St. Louis. He finished his MLB career with five All-Star appearances, a career 3.18 ERA, 3.68 FIP, 215 hits and a batting average of .233.

Cubs: Charlie Root was more than just the guy who gave up the “Called Shot”

It is not surprising that the man who has pitched the most innings in a Cubs uniform also has the most at-bats of any pitcher in team history. Outside of his rookie year with the St. Louis Browns, Root pitched the rest of his 16 MLB seasons on the North Side, from 1926-1941. He was part of four pennant-winning teams in 1929, 1932, 1935 and 1938.

In addition to his 3.55 ERA and 201 wins as a Cub, Root also compiled 195 hits in 1,073 at bats. No other Cubs pitcher has more hits than him and he was the only one to eclipse the 1,000 at-bat mark. Root was a lifetime .182/.218/.268 hitter with 46 doubles and 11 home runs. His 93 RBI also sit comfortably in the number one spot in that category.

Even if his hit total was in part due to his longevity, a .182 average as a pitcher is still pretty dang solid. Also hitting 11 home runs in that era as a pitcher was pretty respectable as well. Sadly feels like Root does not always get the recognition he deserves as a player in Cubs history.

Cubs: One of the toughest guys to face on the mound was not an easy out, either

Hall of Fame pitcher Grover Cleveland “Pete” Alexander spent nine of his 20 MLB seasons with the Cubs. As a North Sider, the intimidating righty from Nebraska pitched to a 2.84 ERA, 3.08 FIP, 1.2 WHIP and struck out 614 hitters in 1884.1 innings.

His ability to hit was nothing to gawk at either. Alexander slashed .230/.267/.301 with a .568 OPS, 78 RBI and six home runs in a Cubs uniform. He is fourth on the team all-time pitcher hit list with 149, tied for sixth in doubles (20) and 12th in at bats (648). His .230 average is second-highest among Cubs pitchers to accumulate at least 500 at bats, with his .267 OBP being the highest among that group.

Worth noting arguably his best offensive season as a Cub was in 1921 when he slashed .305/.320/.389 in 102 plate appearances.

Alexander’s playing days outside Chicago were spent in either St. Louis or Philadelphia. He finished with 378 career hits, 60 doubles, 13 triples and 11 home runs. Though, it was obviously his career 2.56 ERA, and 373 wins that got him into Cooperstown.

The number one choice is obvious, but the honorable mentions have a case for being on the top-five list.

Honorable mentions:

Fergie Jenkins

Could very well be on this list. He is second in home runs (13) and second in RBI (85). His .165/.200/.252 slash might not be the greatest, but he made his hits count. Nothing can take away from the fact that he is arguably the best pitcher in team history.

Hippo Vaughn

Slahsed .180/.235/.236 in his time as a Cub, and is first on the list in walks (52) and stolen bases (10).

Claude Passeau

Third on the all-time Cubs pitcher home run list (12) and posted a .482 OPS.

Claude Hendrix

Hit .220/.261/.306 in 453 plate appearances with the Cubs.

Of course, the best-hitting Cubs pitcher of all-time is Carlos Zambrano

Of course it’s Big Z. Everyone reading this list who is a Cubs fan knew it was going to be him. There is no real argument for the number one spot.

Carlos Zambrano is first in Cubs pitcher home runs (23), third in hits (159), third in doubles (26) and fourth in RBIs (69). Only six other pitchers in MLB history have more home runs than him. Keep in mind Zambrano trails the top-hit spot (195) by 36, and Charlie Root had 414 more at bats than him. He plays a few more years, Zambrano eclipses the pitcher hit, doubles and RBI mark.

As a Cub, Zambrano hit .241/.251/.395 with an OPS of .646. No other pitcher with at least 500 at bats reached the .600 OPS mark. His ability to switch hit was also an added bonus. 30 times in his career Zambrano was sent to the plate to pinch hit. He collected three hits and two RBI in those situations.

Three times in his career (2005, 2008, 2011), Zambrano hit at least .300 with an OPS+ of at least 93 or higher. He also had three seasons (2006, 2008, 2009) of hitting at least four home runs.

His efforts at the plate won him three Silver Slugger awards (2006, 2008, 2009).

As we say goodbye to pitchers hitting in the National League, we will never forget the home runs hit by pitchers that rocked Wrigley Field. Whether it was Kerry Wood’s 2003 NLCS blast, Travis Wood’s 2016 shot or Jon Lester’s first career homer in 2017. It is a bittersweet day for many National League fans.