With the Cubs celebrating 150 years, the fan-voted anniversary team was always going to spark a little debate. Forty spots, including three managers, is a tight squeeze for a franchise with that much history, and the group unveiled Monday will be honored before the Aug. 29 game against Cincinnati at Wrigley. Around 20 members are expected to be on hand for the pregame ceremony.
Most of the selections fit the moment. The roster gives some extra shine to more recent favorites such as Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Javier Baez, but that comes with the territory when fans are asked to sort through era after era of Cubs baseball. Still, one omission jumps off the page: Carlos Zambrano.
Big Z did plenty to shape the Cubs across the 2000s and into the early 2010s, yet he didn’t land among the eight starting pitchers chosen for the team. That’s a crowded room, no doubt, with Fergie Jenkins, Mordecai "Three-Finger" Brown, and the 2016 rotation pieces all in the mix. But Zambrano’s case is hard to dismiss when you stack up the innings, the hardware, and the moments.
Over 11 years, he threw 1,826 2/3 innings for Chicago with a 3.60 ERA and 3.98 FIP, and his peak seasons give his resume real weight. He made three All-Star teams and finished in the top five in Cy Young voting three times, including in 2004, when he logged a 2.75 ERA and 3.57 FIP across 209 2/3 innings.
He was a major part of why the Cubs stayed relevant through that stretch, alongside Kerry Wood, who did make the anniversary roster. Zambrano’s postseason highlight came in 2007 against the Diamondbacks, when he worked six innings and allowed one run before Lou Piniella pulled him after 85 pitches.
Then there’s the stuff that made him unforgettable. Zambrano was one of the best-hitting pitchers in Cubs history, winning three Silver Sluggers, setting the club record for pitcher home runs with 24, and tying Jenkins for the most homers in a season by a Cubs pitcher with six. He finished with a .238/.248/.388 line, which stands out even more in the gap between Babe Ruth and Shohei Ohtani.
His signature achievement came in 2008, when he threw a no-hitter against the Houston Astros. Coming off two missed starts because of shoulder tendinitis, he delivered the first neutral-site no-hitter in major league history as the game was played in Milwaukee because of Hurricane Ike.
He needed 110 pitches, and aside from a walk and a hit batter, he was perfect, completing all 27 outs and ending the Cubs’ 36-year wait for a no-hitter. The contract that had come before it - 5 years and $91.5 million, then the largest for a pitcher in Cubs history - suddenly looked like money well spent.
If the Cubs wanted to make room, Wood would be the obvious name to consider, though that opens another can of worms. Wood has his own place in team lore, including the famous 20-strikeout game that put him on the map, but Zambrano’s body of work compares favorably in several key areas: more innings, a slight edge in ERA at 3.66 to 3.67, a better ERA+ at 120 to 117, and a lower walk percentage at 10.7% to 11.4%. Another option would be to classify Wood as a reliever, but then the question becomes who gets bumped from a group that includes Lee Smith, Ryan Dempster, Rod Beck, Pedro Strop, and Bruce Sutter.
That’s the reality of a 40-player list. The choices are tough because the Cubs have had too many worthy names. And even then, no anniversary team is ever going to capture the full story.
In Other News...
Justin Steele Shows Why Cubs Fans Should Love This Wrigley Trend
A new CardVault by Tom Brady location has quickly become part of the Wrigley Field neighborhood, and it fits neatly with a hobby that already has a foothold inside the Cubs clubhouse. Players have been opening sports and non-sports card packs for a while now, and Justin Steele recently gave a glimpse of just how deep that interest runs, even while he works his way back from an elbow injury.
Steele also talked about his own collection, which is the kind of detail Cubs fans tend to love because it makes the game-day routine feel a little more personal. His best card is a 2014 Bowman First Superfractor, a reminder that the card-collecting trend around Wrigley is not just a storefront story across the street, but something that has clearly made its way into the clubhouse conversation as Steele nears a return to pitching. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Prospect Ethan Conrad Brings Back A Familiar Concern
Ethan Conrads season has hit another pause, with the Cubs prospect landing on the seven-day injured list after his last game on Aug. 23. Chicago has not offered much detail beyond the move, and that leaves a familiar layer of uncertainty around a young player whose development has already been interrupted before.
The biggest question now is whether this is tied to the shoulder and back issues that have lingered in his recent past, or whether it is something new altogether. Either way, the timing is frustrating, with only a short stretch left in the minor league calendar and no clear indication yet whether Conrad will be back before the season ends on Sept. 11. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Still Have One Huge Health Question For Their Playoff Push
The Cubs have started getting healthier at just the right time, with Dansby Swanson back to baseball activity after landing on the injured list with an oblique strain. Craig Counsell said the shortstop is tracking toward a return by the playoffs, which is the kind of update that matters for a club trying to tighten up its roster as the games get bigger.
There are still a few moving parts, though, and not all of them are as straightforward. Shelby Miller is working through a rehab assignment after Tommy John surgery and will need to show he can handle back-to-back outings before the bullpen picture opens up, while Edward Cabrera is lined up for a bullpen session and is expected back from the injured list in early September as another possible relief option. [Read more 🡒]