15 Cubs players that make perfect Immaculate Grid answers

My love of baseball goes far beyond the Chicago Cubs. I'm all about random, long-forgotten players, quirks from their careers and often overlooked statistics. I can talk all day about these types of things, so when the Immaculate Grid game took the Internet and baseball by storm, it quickly became a staple in my daily routine.

But working through these daily puzzles got me thinking of the long list of Cubs players I've seen in my lifetime - a number of whom played for a number of teams during their careers - and I figured it's time I put some of them down in some sort of list. Maybe, after reading, you'll file this knowledge away for when you take a crack at Immaculate Grid. Or, if you have no honor or self-respect at all, you'll pull it up while working on it, just for a chance to best your friends.

Cubs Immaculate Grid Answers: Some easy ones to get started

When you think of former Cubs who donned plenty of caps over the years, none stand out more than journeyman right-hander Edwin Jackson. His time in Chicago was, well let's just say it didn't go according to plan - but the guy clearly did something right, pitching for 14 MLB teams over the course of his 17-year career.

Jackson toed the rubber for the Cubs, Rays, Dodgers, Nationals, Tigers, White Sox, Diamondbacks, Braves, Cardinals, Athletics, Padres, Orioles, Marlins and Blue Jays, amassing a 107-133 record with a 4.78 ERA in 412 appearances, including 318 starts. So, when in doubt, picking a guy who pitched for nearly half the teams in Major League Baseball is a good place to start.

The younger generation might not be familiar with his work, but longtime reliever Mike Morgan spent parts of five seasons with the Cubs in the 1990s and, during a length 22-year career, pitched for a dozen different clubs. A World Series champion with the Diamondbacks in 2001, the right-hander also pitched for the Dodgers, Mariners, Cardinals, Athletics, Reds, Twins, Rangers, Yankees, Orioles and Blue Jays.

Cubs Immaculate Grid Answers: Playing for one-third or more of the league is no small feat - just ask these guys

Matt Stairs is the perfect embodiment of a bygone era, with a build rarely seen on the ball diamond today. Although he spent just one season, 2001, as a member of the Chicago Cubs, the Canadian-born Stairs spent 19 years in the big leagues, bouncing around regularly and even bringing home a World Series title in 2008 with the Phillies.

Besides Chicago and Philadelphia, Stairs played for the Athletics, Royals, Nationals, Blue Jays, Pirates, Red Sox, Rangers, Padres, Tigers and Brewers, putting up a career 117 OPS+ in nearly 1,900 games.

Some things change with time, but the lasting power of former Cubs fourth-rounder Rich Hill continues on. He never put it all together on the North Side, where he spent the first four years of his career, but he's since gone on to pitch for 11 other teams, tossing over 1,300 frames in his 19-year career. He's also pitched for the Red Sox, Dodgers, Twins, Mets, Rays, Athletics, Angels, Indians, Yankees, Orioles and, currently, the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Cubs Immaculate Grid Answers: A speedy outfielder and a late-inning reliever who never quite lived up to fans' expectations

The in-season acquisition of speedster Kenny Lofton and third baseman Randall Simon during the 2003 run sent a message to fans: this is the year. While, of course, it ended up not being the year, Ramirez went on to become one of the best-hitting third basemen of his generation and Lofton brought a spark to the top of the Cubs order.

He put up an .852 OPS once joining the Cubs, batting .327 with a .381 on-base and swiping a dozen bags for good measure. But, once the dust settled on the heartbreaking season, Lofton was off to the Bronx to join the Yankees. During his 17 years in the Show, he also played for Cleveland (10 years), San Francisco, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Texas, Los Angeles, Houston and Chicago (AL), earning six All-Star selections and four Gold Gloves.

Latroy Hawkins, who made an appearance on my rankings of the 15 worst Cubs free agent signings ever earlier this year, was a lethal late-inning weapon for the Twins prior to coming to Chicago. He rode the ups and downs throughout his entire career, though, and was a constant change of scenery candidate. Hawkins wound up pitching for 11 teams in his 21-year career, including the Twins, Cubs, Rockies, Astros, Brewers, Mets, Giants, Angels, Yankees, Orioles and Blue Jays.

Cubs Immaculate Grid Answers: A World Baseball Classic manager, 2000s outfielder and late 90s reliever walk into a bar

Mark DeRosa, a staple on MLB Network these days, was a fan favorite during his time with the Cubs - and it's not hard to figure out why. From 2007-2008, DeRo carried an .824 OPS for the North Siders and hit .333 in the NLDS both years, despite Chicago getting swept in both.

His jack-of-all-trades defensive skillset - as well as hit solid bat - made him a popular commodity during his career. DeRosa broke into the league in 1998 with Atlanta and, by the time he hung up his spikes in 2013, he'd played for the Braves, Giants, Rangers, Cubs, Cardinals, Indiands, Nationals and Blue Jays.

Another popular commodity for Chicago around that same time (2010-2012), Marlon Byrd actually earned the only All-Star selection of his career when he was with the Cubs. Of course, that was as much about the supporting cast around him as his performance, but still a nice nugget to stick in your pocket trivia-wise.

Byrd, who was marred by PEDs later in his career, spent 15 years in the bigs, actually ending it with Cleveland in 2016 - also playing for the Phillies, Rangers, Cubs, Nationals, Mets, Giants, Pirates, Red Sox and Reds. Just a cup of coffee with Chicago, but he was definitely a key piece on a pretty not great 2010 club.

I still remember pitching with Terry Mulholland on my Game Boy back in the day - and regularly catch glimpses of him when I watch games from 1998 online. A 20-year MLB veteran, the left-hander made 685 appearances in his career, with parts of two of those seasons spent with the Cubs. He was particularly good in '98, putting up a 2.89 ERA in 70 appearances - the best single-season mark of his career.

He rode off into the sunset in 2006 at 43 years old, having played for the Phillies, Giants, Cubs, Twins, Braves, Dodgers, Indians, Diamondbacks, Pirates, Mariners and Yankees.

Cubs Immaculate Grid Answers: A hodge-podge of forgotten Cubs and role players round out our list

We'll wrap this up so you can get back to crushing your friends with your Immaculate Grid work. But I've got a few more throw-ins for you to close this thing out.

Cameron Maybin, who played for the Cubs during the fan-less, shortened 2020 season, appeared for a surprising 10 teams during his 15-year career, including the Padres, Marlins, Tigers, Mets, Braves, Cubs, Angels, Mariners, Yankees and Astros.

Another former Cubs catcher, Rene Rivera, spent less than 2 months calling Chicago home, but spent 13 years in the league, working behind the plate for the Mets, Mariners, Padres, Twins, Rays, Braves, Nationals, Guardians, Cubs and Angels before retiring after the 2021 campaign.

Former infielder Cesar Izturis, a light-hitting player who played for Chicago in 2006 and 2007, won a Gold Glove and made an All-Star team in his career, but wasn't a huge factor during his time with the Cubs. Still, he lasted more than a decade, playing for the Cubs, Dodgers, Orioles, Pirates, Cardinals, Reds, Nationals, Blue Jays and Brewers (big NL Central guy, apparently).

We'll close it out with a pair of former Cubs pitchers: Rafael Soriano and Julian Tavarez. Soriano, who was a disaster with Chicago in 2015, pitched for Seattle, Atlanta, Washington, New York (AL) and Tampa Bay, as well. As for Tavarez, who was a member of the 2001 Cubs, the right-hander had himself a fine career - taking the mound for the Indians, Giants, Red Sox, Cardinals, Rockies, Pirates, Braves, Nationals, Cubs, Marlins and Brewers, even leading the league with 89 appearances back in 1997 with San Francisco.