Remembering some unsung Cubs contributors from the past 30 years

Jon Lieber

The late nineties and early aughts, the summers of swing, Sammy Sosa’s iconic dominant run atop the league. While this era of baseball was dominated by the long ball, Jon Lieber threw pretty darned well - all things considered. On the squad for four seasons from 1999-2002, the righty totaled a 13.0 WAR, right behind Lilly.

The Cubs acquired him from the Pirates via trade for none other than Brant Brown.

Often forgotten about is Lieber finished fourth in the NL Cy Young vote in 2001 behind a 20-6 record and a 3.80 ERA in 232.1 IP and was also named an All-Star. The true definition of an innings-eater at a time filled with explosive offenses, Lieber threw a league-leading 251 innings in 2000. He was also the Cubs' last 20-game winner until Jake Arrieta achieved the feat in 2015.

Nico Hoerner

Yes, it feels odd to see this name included on the list but Nico Hoerner truly goes as an unsung impact on the current Cubs roster given everything he contributes to the team. I don’t have to dig too deep into details here. Hoerner has eclipsed a 3.7 WAR in each of his first three full seasons manning the middle infield.

The 27-year-old is only getting started in what hopes to be a lengthy career, whether it continues with the Cubs or not. He’s listed here because we may be talking about him the same way as some of the others when the dust settles and we take another look at key Cub stalwarts in another thirty years.

Honorable Mention

Brian McRae amassed a 9.3 WAR in his two-and-a-half seasons with the Cubs from 1995-1997, which ranks 14th among all Cubs hitters in the last thirty years. In that short span, the speedster stands higher than players such as Jason Heyward, Alfonzo Soriano or Zobrist. The former leadoff man hit for a modest .271 average to go along with 17 triples, 35 home runs, and 78 stolen bases.

Matt Clement didn’t play with the Cubs for very long but his presence in the iconic 2003 rotation played a key role in the team’s success as the fourth starter alongside Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, and Big Z. In the three seasons from 2002-2004, Clement pitched in an 11.0 WAR and finishes 10th among Cubs pitchers the past thirty seasons.