This former Cubs pitcher and Silver Slugger winner could beat you in so many ways

The Silver Slugger Award has long recognized the premier offensive players at each position, and the Chicago Cubs have produced their share of deserving winners. Yet not every winner in team history was an obvious choice, and Jake Arrieta's win in 2016 stands out as one of the most surprising Cubs Silver Slugger winners.

At the time, the universal designated hitter rule had not been implemented, and Arrieta was one of the many National League pitchers who had to take his own at-bats on the days he took the mound. Most people remember the Herculean efforts that Arrieta delivered as a pitcher, including an unbelievable 2015 season where he took home the National League Cy Young Award.

But Arrieta put together a respectable resume as a hitter, with six career home runs and 27 RBI over 426 career plate appearances. But Arrieta's 2016 season was not only historic for Chicago, but it was also his best at the plate. At age 30, Arrieta compiled a solid .262/.304/.415 slash line with two homers and 17 total hits (again, for a pitcher, these were great numbers).

Jake Arrieta's postseason homer was an unforgettable moment

But the highlight of Arrieta's efforts at the plate came in the 2016 postseason. While facing San Francisco Giants southpaw Madison Bumgarner, who was in the prime of his career, Arrieta launched a three-run homer to give the Cubs a 3-0 lead in Game 3 of the NLDS.

Arrieta became the only pitcher to ever take Bumgarner deep in his career, let alone the playoffs. And Bumgarner was ironically the other main example of a good pitcher who could also hit, as he took home the Silver Slugger Award in the two seasons prior, 2014 and 2015.

Of course, pitchers no longer hit - and, thus, are not honored with Silver Slugger Awards. The last pitcher to receive the award was Max Fried in 2021, as a member of the Atlanta Braves. That season, Fried slashed .273/.322/.327 with three doubles and five runs batted in.