June 6, 2018: Four To Go

We left off talking about the 300 win club… and the member of the Cubs who is on that list.  Actually, there are two…

Greg Maddux was probably the first to come to mind, but there was also Grover Alexander.  Both of them actually recorded their 300th win in a Cubs uniform.  Grover had 373 total wins (128 in a Cubs uniform) while Greg had 355 (133 in a Cubs uniform).  Grover did join the Cubs in 1918, which was a World Series year, but he barely played that year due to being in the military; for that alone maybe he should be in.  Greg was here in 1989 when the Cubs played the Giants in the playoffs, but he got shelled in Game 1, and didn’t factor into the decision in Game 4, as the Cubs were defeated 4 games to 1.  Greg did have a Cy Young award with the Cubs though in 1992, when he won 20 games.  Yeah, we let him go after that year (Scott Boras was his agent by the way), and the rest is Atlanta Braves history.  Both Greg and Grover did well with their other teams… really well.

So who makes the cut?  Obviously, I never saw Grover pitch; I saw a lot of Maddux, both on the Cubs, and in the playoffs with the Braves.  Don’t think you can go wrong with either pick, and could probably have both in the top 5, but… I’m going with Mad Dog.  Next up…

Why don’t we stay on the number 31… Fergie Jenkins comes in 5th on the all time Cubs win list at 167.  He came up just short of 300 for his career at 284.  Fergie had 6 consecutive 20 win seasons for the Cubs, and started more games as a Cub than anyone else at 347.  He was on the famous 1969 team that came up short, and won the Cy Young in 1971.  The Cubs had a winning record every year he was here, except for his last in 1973.  Yeah, another great Cubs trade…  But, in his stint with the Cubs, he was one of the best.  He’s in my all time rotation.
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Two slots open… I’m going to throw out some names of my other Cubs favorites, and see where we land.  Sutcliffe, Zambrano, Wood, Prior, Arrieta, Lester, and Hendricks.  We need two more arms…  Hendricks, Prior, and Lester all have less than 50 all time wins with the Cubs.  Hendricks will have a few more than that before it’s all said and done; same with Lester.  Although I love them both for the recent and hopefully future playoff performances, they are not in my top 5 today… that could change over time.  Meanwhile, Prior was devastated with injuries, but for my money, there wasn’t a better pitcher in the game during that 2003 season.  We could always count on him… except he was on the mound during that infamous Bartman game, and even he couldn’t save that one.  Sorry Mark.

Still need 2… Sutcliffe, Zambrano, Wood, and Arrieta remain.  It’s a tougher decision than you’d think.  Zambrano has 125 wins in a Cubs uniform, more than the other 3 guys can say, and I loved him when he was here, but… he’s out.  Kerry Wood… the 20K game, the postseason performance against Atlanta, but… the injuries…  Another guy cut short by injuries.  I’ll always love him, but he’s not on this list.  That leaves two… and oh yeah, both Cy Young award winners with the Cubs.

So here it is:  my starting five.  Mordecai Brown, Fergie Jenkins, Rick Sutcliffe, Greg Maddux, and Jake Arrieta.  This list contains all Cubs starting pitchers who have won a Cy Young award (Bruce Sutter did win one too) and Mordecai who is at the top of all time ERA and WHIP and the only 2 time Cubs World Series champ on my list.  I’m good with it.  Now, how do I set the playoff rotation???