Nico Hoerner and the other Cubs who've stolen 30+ bases in recent years

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Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner joined elite company on Tuesday's game against the White Sox, where he recorded his 30th stolen base on the year. It's not often a Cubs player reaches this milestone, in fact it's been over ten years since the last time it happened so Hoerner has accomplished something worth celebrating. Here is every Cub in the last 50 years to record 30+ stolen bases in at least one single season.

Tony Campana: 30 SB in 2012

During Tony Campana's very brief stint with the Cubs, spanning 189 games over two years, he was able to swipe a respectable 54 bags. The speedy outfielder shined in pinch-hitting/pinch running scenarios, which is why he only compiled 347 at-bats in those years. In 2012, Campana stole 30 bases, which was the last time a Cubs player reached that mark until Hoerner did on August 15.

Shawon Dunston: 30 SB in 1988

Shawon Dunston was a a mainstay in the Cubs lineup for a ten-year period from 1985-1995. During that time, the shortstop/outfielder was a two-time all-star (1988, 1990). Although the contact-hitting Dunston did not put up flashy numbers, he was a base-stealing threat in the early part of his career and he collected 146 SB with the Cubs. The most came when he was an everyday player in 1988, where he swiped 30 bags and played in 155 games played for the Cubs that year.

Corey Patterson: 32 SB in 2004

Former Cubs center fielder Corey Patterson put up impressive stolen base numbers and although his career-high (45) was with the Baltimore Orioles in 2006, he eclipsed the 30-stolen base mark with the Cubs in 2004. Patterson was a former 1st round pick (3rd overall) by the Cubs in the 1998 draft. He spent parts of six seasons on the big league roster before getting traded to the Orioles prior to the 2006 season.

Jose Cardenal: 34 SB in 1975

Although former outfielder Jose Cardenal spent time with nine different teams during his 18-year career, he spent the most time with the Cubs from 1972-1977. Arguably the best year of his career came in 1975, where Cardenal not only swiped 34 bags, but he set career-highs in hits (182) and walks (77).

Bump Wills: 35 SB in 1982

Another former 1st round pick was Bump Wills, a contact-hitting second baseman who spent the majority of his career with the Texas Rangers. Even though his big-league career was short (6 years in the majors), Wills collected an impressive 196 stolen bases and 35 of them came with his lone season with the Cubs in 1982. Unfortunately that was his last year in the majors and he played a couple more years in Japan before retiring at the age of 31. His 52 stolen bases in the 1978 season remains a single season record for the Rangers organization.

Brian McRae: 37 SB in 1996

Coincidentally, Brian McRae and Bump Wills have the same amount of career stolen bases at 196. McRae's career-high came with the Cubs in 1996 with 37 SB on the year. Over two-and-a-half seasons in Chicago, McRae amassed 78 SB with the team before getting traded to the new York Mets at the 1997 trade deadline.

Davey Lopes: 47 SB in 1985

As a 5'9" second baseman, Davey Lopes was a speedster through in through. Lopes didn't make it to the majors until he was 27 years old, but that didn't stop him from becoming one of the top stolen base threats in MLB history. At 557 career stolen bags, Lopes ranks 26th all-time in the category, and 67 of them came during his stint in Chicago.

Remarkably, Lopes was 40 when he swiped 47 bases as a Cub in 1985. The Cubs had some serious speed on the base paths that year as Lopes played alongside Ryne Sandberg, who swiped 54 bags that year, and Bob Dernier who stole 31.

Juan Pierre: 58 SB in 2006

Juan Pierre had quite a career in MLB and stealing bases was one of the areas he excelled in. He ranks even higher than Lopes, with 614 career SB which ranks 18th all-time. He led the league in the category three different times (2001, 2003, 2010) and he was part of the 2003 Florida Marlins team that stole a pennant from the Cubs. In 2005, the Marlins traded him to the Cubs and luckily Pierre was still in his prime for his lone season on the North Side.

In his age 28 season, Pierre played all 162 games with the Cubs in 2006 where he swiped 58 bags and led the league in hits (204). Pierre was an all-around amazing player who appeared in all 162 games in a truly impressive five straight seasons. And aside from his rookie season in 2000 where he only played 51 games, Pierre did not have a season where he did not steal at least 23 bases and many of those years he eclipsed 40.

Sammy Sosa: 36 SB in 1993, 34 SB in 1995

Mostly known for his ability to obliterate baseballs onto Waveland Avenue, Sammy Sosa was actually a fairly decent base-stealing threat throughout the 90s and he exceeded 30 stolen bases with the team twice. Sosa's speed started to fade around the same time he began slapping 60 home runs a year in the late 90s and early 2000s. But Sosa finished his career with 234 stolen bases, not too shabby.

Bob Dernier: 45 SB in 1984, 31 SB in 1985

Center fielder Bob Dernier spent four years on the North Side, adding 119 stolen bases to his career total (218). This came with back-to-back years where the former Philly standout surpassed 30 SB in 1984 and 1985. Although the Cubs were not good during this time, Dernier contributed to the 182 stolen bases to team collected in 1985, which was second in the league that year.

Ivan De Jesus: 41 SB in 1978, 44 SB in 1980

Ivan De Jesus was the starting shortstop for the Cubs for five seasons, where he put up great numbers. His best season came in 1978, where he led the league in runs scored (104) and set a career highs in walks (74). De Jesus used his ability to get on base to swipe a lot of bases, and he collected 154 as a Cub.

Eric Young: 54 SB in 2000, 31 SB in 2001

Utilityman Eric Young set a career high in stolen bases with the Cubs in 2000 where he collected 54 in his age 33 season. During his only two seasons with the team, he exceeded the 30 stolen base mark. Young was released in free agency after 2001, so he missed the playoff run in 2003. After his playing career, Young became a coach and he has been the first base coach for the Atlanta Braves since 2018.

Ryne Sandberg: 32 SB in 1982, 37 SB in 1983, 32 SB in 1984, 54 SB in 1985, 34 SB in 1986

Ryne Sandberg accomplished the 30 stolen base feat five different times for the Cubs and his 344 career mark ranks third in the organization all-time. If you only count players after the dead ball era, Sandberg is undoubtedly the best base-runner in Cubs history and his speed was just one of the many tools that landed him in the hall of fame. His 32 stolen bases in 1982 contributed to his NL MVP win.

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Other than his speed, Sandberg was an excellent defender up the middle (9 Gold Gloves), a dangerous hitter (7 Silver Sluggers) and a 10 time All-Star.

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