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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.