Building the best Chicago Cubs starting rotation by WAR

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Over the years, the Cubs have had had plenty of several prominent pitchers put on the blue pinstripes and play in front of the one of a kind Wrigley Field. Although many of the Cubs' Hall of Famers and retired numbers are position players, a handful of legendary pitchers have graced the Friendly Confines in recent memory. With Wins Above Replacement as the main factor, here are five men that have put on a Cubs uniform in since 1950 that would comprise the best starting rotation taking into account their contributions to the Cubs as a pitcher specifically.

1. Carlos Zambrano 37.7 WAR with the Cubs

This list is in no particular order since all of the men on it would slot into the 1st or second starting pitcher role on any given rotation. However, Carlos Zambrano is the most recent hurler on this list and he remains arguably the best pitcher the Cubs have had in the 21st century given his 10+ year tenure and 43.2 WAR with the team. Big Z's 1532 strikeouts in a Cubs uniform ranks second all-time in franchise history and he made 30 starts for the team in six straight seasons from 2003-2008. Perhaps the only thing that really held Zambrano back was himself as he was infamous for flying off the handle and yelling at everyone including umpires, teammates, and opposing players.

These anger issues led to a steep decline in Zambrano's production as a pitcher as he became ineffective by the age of 30. If he had invested some time into meditation or yoga, maybe Zambrano could have had a longer career and been one of the all-time greats. Alas, he retired in 2014 at the age of 33 with 3 all-star appearances, 3 silver sluggers, and a career ERA of 3.66.

2. Rick Reuschel 48.3 WAR with the Cubs

Known by the affectionate nickname "Big Daddy" for his rotund body, Rick Reuschel was one of the mainstays in the Cubs' rotation throughout the 1970s. He began his professional career when the Cubs drafted him in the 3rd round of the 1970 draft, and he found his way to the big league team in 1972. Reuschel was a horse for Chicago, compiling 8 straight seasons with the Cubs where he threw 230+ innings, and his career ERA with the team was 3.50.

He also threw 65 complete games for the team, and 17 of them were shutouts. Reuschel's 12 years with Chicago have solidified him as sixth in franchise history in innings pitched with 2290. That record will likely stand for a long time unless Kyle Hendricks signs another long-term deal with the team since he is the only one that is relatively close to reaching Reuschel's IP heights with 1341 as of this writing.

3. Bob Rush 33.5 WAR with the Cubs

I'm bending the rules a bit with this entry since Bob Rush's first two seasons were prior to 1950, however, his best years with the Cubs came after that point so we're rolling with it. Before his solid baseball career, Rush fought for the U.S. Army in World War II where he served under George S. Patton's third army. When he came back from the war, Rush immediately pursued a baseball career and found his way to the Cubs' 40-man roster in 1948.

Rush spent 10 seasons with the Cubs, and in 8 of them, he surpassed the 200-inning mark. Rush also threw 2201.2 innings with the Cubs, more than both Greg Maddux and Zambrano, and made two all-star teams in his tenure. While the Cubs failed to post a winning record for the entirety of Rush's time in Chicago, he proved to be one of the few shining stars on the team and a dependable workhorse in the rotation.

4. Greg Maddux 33.7 WAR with the Cubs

Although his wins above replacement with the Cubs seems low compared to his whopping career WAR of 106.6, Greg Maddux's first string of seasons with the Cubs from 1988-1992 were still some of the most impressive ever seen on the North Side. Most notable was the 1992 Cy Young winning year, where Maddux hurled a league-leading 268 innings with a 2.18 ERA. This would be the first of four consecutive Cy Young awards for Maddux (tied for an all-time record), although the other three were when he pitched for the Atlanta Braves.

Still, Maddux's contributions to the Cubs are remembered enough to have his uniform number 31 retired by Chicago as well as Atlanta. After his historic tear for the Braves, Maddux returned to the Cubs on a three-year deal and his second stint lasted from 2004-2006. Should Maddux have pitched the entirety of his career in Chicago, he would easily be the best pitcher in team history. However, the next guy on this list takes that honor.

5. Fergie Jenkins 52.9 WAR with the Cubs

Although Fergie Jenkins and Greg Maddux pitched the same amount of years in Chicago (10), Jenkins' numbers are more impressive partially due to the ability of pitchers to last longer in games during his era (60's and 70's). This can be proven just by the ridiculous volume of innings Jenkins pitched, which totaled 2673.2 with the Cubs alone (4500 in his career). That number ranks 3rd in the franchise all-time and he half of his career on other teams. Several of his seasons also saw Jenkins eclipse the 300-inning mark, and his highest total with the Cubs was 325 innings in 1971. Jenkins also won his only NL Cy Young award that year, surprisingly the only one he captured in his career. Even though Jenkins split his career between Chicago and several other teams, his numbers speak for themselves and he is the best pitcher to put on the blue pinstripes.

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