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3 Cubs legends that must be featured in MLB The Show 22
Baseball may be in dire straits right now, but there’s still one way to get your Chicago Cubs fix. Yes, it’s that time of year again when MLB The Show releases its annual baseball title and this year’s release will reach more players than ever. With PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch owners all able to get in on the simulation baseball action in The Show 22, now’s the best time to jump aboard.
With every new title comes a slew of new legends to add to your Diamond Dynasty squad. The Cubs are represented well with Ernie Banks, Fergie Jenkins, Billy Williams, Ryne Sandberg, Kerry Wood, and more appearing in the previous entry, but there are plenty of incredible players throughout history that could make the cut. I looked at possible new Cubs legends in 2019 when new card types were added, but it’s time we take another look at candidates to join The Show.
As a small caveat, I want to limit myself to legends I didn’t mention last time. Yes, Sammy Sosa and Ron Santo absolutely deserve to be in the game, but I’d rather not risk sounding like a broken record. Special mention to Andre Dawson, as well, whom Sony San Diego lost the rights for. Let’s look at some new Cubs legends to join the game.
1. Derrek Lee can bring the power to the Cubs legend roster
In the context of MLB The Show, Derrek Lee is a bit of a controversial pick. Recent entries have had no shortage of excellent first baseman cards (including a nice signature series card for Anthony Rizzo), but if we’re talking 2000s Cubs, there’s hardly a better choice than D-Lee.
Lee was an absolute monster from the moment he came to Chicago, bringing devastating offense to the team in the midst of its competitive window. In his six full seasons with the team, he mashed for a .304/.384/.539 line, good for a 133 OPS+. However, those numbers pale to his should’ve been MVP season in which he led the league in hits, doubles, average, SLG, OPS, OPS+, and total bases while also winning a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger at first.
It’s pretty obvious the type of card Lee would get. As cool as a signature series card that consolidates his entire career into a really solid card, my vote is for a 2005 Silver Slugger card. In an effort to give him the best stats possible and memorialize Lee at his peak, this would be a card that balances contact, power, and fielding in equal measures while just being fun to use in general.
It’s a perfect time to add Lee into the game too. With Prince Fielder joining the game recently and Albert Pujols still in the league, adding Lee completes the NL Central 2000s first baseman trifecta. With Mark Prior and Wood already in the game along with Alfonso Soriano, Lee would also represent a perfect cap to that era of Cubs baseball, though bringing in Aramis Ramirez and Sosa wouldn’t hurt either.
2. Hack Wilson is an older Cubs legend with some crazy power
The Cubs really lack older legends in the game. Past Banks, Williams, and Jenkins, there’s next to nobody representing the North Siders from way back. It’s understandable because everyone would rather play with legends they know, but I’d argue that Hack Wilson would be a pretty fun historical addition to the game.
Wilson’s career wasn’t particularly long, but he made an impact in his 12 seasons in baseball. He posted three top-ten MVP finishes during his Cubs tenure, though he was often overshadowed by the giants of his time like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Rogers Hornsby. Even so, he was a monster offensively, recording five straight years with an OPS+ over 150 from 1926 through 1930.
Picking a good card for him is a bit tougher, but there are definitely options. A signature and prime card are both on the table to capture his insane tenure in Chicago, though if you wanted to isolate his best season, a 50 home run club milestone card would represent everything Wilson did best: mash, mash, and mash some more. In 1930, Wilson led all of baseball with 56 big flies, topping even the Great Bambino himself and posting a 177 OPS+ to lead the National League.
Putting Wilson’s insane power in a center field package would make for a truly disgusting card to use in-game. He’s not the biggest name out there, but if you listen to a few Cubs broadcasts, you’ll hear his name time after time as one of the best to ever swing it in Wrigley. Consider him a dark horse Cubs legend. He probably won’t get in, but there are a lot of fun ways to implement him into the game.
3. Carlos Zambrano can bring electric pitching and personality to the game
When we’re talking about adding personality to the game, it’s hard to find a better choice than Carlos Zambrano. I mentioned earlier how Lee, Prior, Wood, and Ramirez helped define the 2000s Cubs, but I neglected to mention one of the most colorful characters from that era. Big Z is absolutely the kind of fun pitcher that offers a bit of everything that would be such a boon for MLB The Show.
Zambrano is not the most decorated pitcher in Cubs history. Despite three top-five finishes in Cy Young voting, he really doesn’t stack up to the best of the best throughout the franchise. Love for the big righty has seemed to wane over the years as he’s fallen somewhat to the background behind his rotation-mates Prior and Wood. All told though, he’s still an incredibly interesting candidate for a place in The Show.
Despite only a 12-year MLB career, Big Z accrued an impressive 43.9 WAR with a career 3.66 ERA. While he could certainly lack control, he found a lot of success in spite of it, posting his best ERA of 2.75 the same season he led the league in hit batters. Were this a previous edition of MLB The Show pre-universal DH, Zambrano’s hitting prowess would’ve also played into his value too. With three Silver Sluggers, he could’ve proven a popular card for simply having better hitting stats.
There’s no doubt in my mind what kind of card Sony San Diego would give Big Z: a milestone card for his neutral ground no-hitter adorned with the iconic image of the pitcher on one knee, both hands pointed toward the sky. No singular moment defines Zambrano’s career more than that. Despite wildness and a lack of sheer dominance that matched the heights of his peers, Zambrano could still meet the moment and give Cubs fans a lot to cheer for.
Next. Cubs prospect depth has dramatically improved.. dark
You could make a case for a lot of Cubs legends to make the latest edition of MLB The Show. These three represent not just an important piece of franchise history, but players that have the potential to be fun when translated to the game while appealing to everyone who remembers their names. Hopefully, some new Northsiders will make the cut when MLB The Show 22 drops on April 5.