Chicago Cubs: Top 5 saves leaders in franchise history

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The Chicago Cubs seem to have finally found a home-grown closer in Adbert Alzolay and he could be in the role for a long time with three years of team control left on his contract. If Alzolay can stay healthy, he could end up being one of the best closers in franchise history in terms of the number of saves he has the potential to collect. With that being said, let's look back at the team's all-time save leaders and see how many saves Alzolay will have to earn to crack the top 5.

5. Ryan Dempster: 87 saves

Over the course of his career, Ryan Dempster spent seven seasons with the Cubs and they were arguably the best years he had in MLB. Although he later became a very successful starter, Dempster spent his first four seasons in Chicago coming out of the bullpen and he was the designated closer for three of them. During that time, Dempster shut down 87 games for the Cubs out of 101 opportunities, which is good enough for fifth on this list.

And Dempster could have made it even higher on this list if he wasn't transitioned into a starter. This was the right decision however as the right-hander logged 928.1 innings as a member of the rotation until he was traded to the Texas Rangers in 2012. The Cubs are still reaping the benefits of that trade as one of the returning pieces for Dempster was Kyle Hendricks.

4. Randy Myers: 112 saves

Despite only spending three seasons at Wrigley Field during his 15-year career, Randy Myers was able to compile an impressive 112 saves in that time. The culmination of Myers' efforts was during the 1993 season, where he made 73 appearances out of the Chicago bullpen and collected a perfect 53 saves in 53 appearances which led the league. Myers also pitched to a 3.11 ERA that year while striking out an impressive 86 batters in 75.1 innings pitched.

If the 1994 season was not cut short because of the Players Strike, Myers would likely be third on this list

3. Carlos Marmol: 117 saves

Carlos Marmol had a unique pathway to the major leagues, as he was signed as an amateur free agent in 1999 as a catcher/outfielder. After a disappointing few years at the plate, Marmol was converted to a pitcher in 2005. He made his way to the big league team in 2006, where he was a successful set-up man until Ryan Dempster was converted to a starter in 2008. Although Kerry Wood won the closer job in 2008, Marmol filled in when Wood dealt with injuries.

Marmol was the team's designated closer from 2010-2012, where he compiled 117 saves for the Cubs. The Theo Epstein-led front office designated Marmol for assignment in 2013 and he only made 15 more big-league appearances for the Miami Marlins in 2014. Marmol was one of the best relievers for the Cubs in the 2000s and 2010s, with an ERA of 3.50 and 703 strikeouts for the club.

2. Bruce Sutter: 133 saves

Although Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982, he was just as dominant when he pitched in a Cubs uniform. In fact, Sutter was a Cub when he became one of the few relief pitchers ever to win the National League Cy Young award, which he secured in 1979. In 62 games that year, Sutter led the league with 37 saves with a 2.22 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 101.1 innings pitched.

Another mind-boggling Bruce Sutter stat is the fact that he posted an ERA+ of 328 (league average is 100) in the 1979 season. Sutter was one of the most dominant relievers of his era and he made four All-Star teams with the Cubs during his five years with the team.

1. Lee Smith: 180 saves

Lee Smith was arguably the best relief pitcher to put on a Cubs uniform. In addition to leading the franchise with 180 saves, Smith is currently third on the all-time list with 478 and he led the league in that statistic at the time of his retirement in 1997. Smith began his career with the Cubs after the team selected him in the second round of the 1975 draft. He made it to the big leagues in 1980, where he spent the next 8 seasons in Chicago where he established himself as the team's closer soon after Sutter left the team for St. Louis.

Smith was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2019 with a career ERA of 3.03 and 1251 strikeouts in 1289.1 innings pitched.

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