Presenting the Cubs' All-Quarter Century team, the best on the Northside since 2000
Editor's note: The Athletic is marking 2025 by naming an MLB All-Quarter Century Team, selected by Jayson Stark. We invited readers to take our survey and make their picks for the best players at each position since 2000, with the results announced in an upcoming story. Some of our beat writers are picking All-Quarter Century Teams for the teams they cover. Check this page to find all of our All-Quarter Century Team coverage.
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With Jayson Stark taking the time last week to dig in and start a spirited debate on an All-Quarter Century team, it felt worthwhile to see which Chicago Cubs of the past 25 years would fit the bill. Coming away from this exercise actually helps one appreciate just how good things have gotten for this organization. Imagine how sad this exercise would have been to perform in 2000? There would have been little debate and a quick drop in talent after a handful of names.
That absolutely is not the case with this group. The last 25 years have marked an incredible shift in how the Cubs are viewed and what expectations fans have for the group. No longer is the moniker 'lovable loser' acceptable. Playoff droughts like the one the team went through over the previous four seasons have gone from the norm to inexcusable.
There is plenty of talent to choose from over the last two-plus decades and the choices were not easy. There will be some controversy, surely, but that's what the comment section is for. Unsurprisingly, this team is littered with players from the World Series-winning team. Oftentimes, when things were close, the edge went to a player in that group just because they accomplished what once seemed impossible.
This was a two-horse race with Rizzo edging Derrek Lee. But it was closer than some may have thought. Lee and Rizzo both posted a 131 wRC+ during their time with the Cubs but Rizzo was worth more wins above replacement, mostly due to the edge in games played. Lee won two Gold Gloves, made two All-Star teams and won a Silver Slugger (in 2005 when he finished third in MVP) during his time with the Cubs. Rizzo had three All-Star games, four Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger and two fourth-place MVP finishes. That, along with the World Series win, gives him the edge over Lee. He also deserves extra love for his work with Lurie Children's Hospital and his philanthropy associated with pediatric cancer.
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Hoerner isn't flashy, but he's incredibly consistent at the plate and his glove is elite. There's probably an argument to be made that Hoerner's glove is a little underappreciated. It seems like once a week he's stealing a hit or saving his pitcher a run. At the plate, he doesn't hit for much power, but he rarely strikes out and has put up between a 102 and 108 wRC+ every season since 2021. Add in the fact that he's a plus base runner and he's a safe pick for this spot. Hoerner gets the edge over Ben Zobrist and Javier Báez, who are both good enough to show up on this list anyway.
Great range and an elite arm paired with plus-plus power at the plate help make Báez the pick here. There are few Cubs in recent memory who fired up the fanbase and were must-watch whenever they entered the game as much as Báez. The swing and miss could be rough at times and the lows were quite low, but few provided as much joy and excitement as El Mago.
#ElMago makes an 0-2 pitch disappear.#EverybodyIn pic.twitter.com/kGDCbos5dl
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 25, 2019
Rookie of the Year, MVP and World Series winner, Bryant was as good as it gets at his peak. Yes, that peak was shorter-lived than expected, but the No. 2 pick in the 2013 draft delivered on the hype early. Aramis Ramirez deserves a mention here for his consistent production at the plate. During his time with the Cubs, Ramirez hit .294 with a .237 ISO while striking out just 12.3 percent of the time. Certainly an underrated player Cubs fans should appreciate.
Tough choice between Happ and Alfonso Soriano, who took a lot of heat during his time with the Cubs largely due to the enormous contract he signed before the 2007 season. Happ has the edge in wRC+ which he gets due to his great walk rate, helping push his on-base percentage above .340. Happ has turned himself into a good defender in left as well. Soriano struggled there — though he'd show off his arm on occasion — but he improved over time and had impressive power. His speed was sapped almost immediately upon joining the Cubs due to a bad quad tear. The more this is discussed, the more difficult this choice becomes. Recency bias probably won out on this pick.
Premature? Ridiculous? Unfair? Perhaps. But get this: During this timeframe, with 5.6 fWAR, Crow-Armstrong is already fourth among Cubs center fielders. In fact, if he just plays solid baseball the rest of the way, he could be first ahead of Dexter Fowler (7.2) by the end of the season. There have been plenty of words written about Crow-Armstrong in this space. He's a speed demon who plays elite defense, a great base runner and has suddenly become a great big-league bat. He is one of the most exciting and impressive all-around talents currently in the game and it feels like this won't be at all controversial in short order.
This really isn't close. Sosa leads the right field list by 16 WAR (25.9) and 170 homers (238) over Seiya Suzuki. Maybe if the Cubs re-sign Kyle Tucker, there will be more of a debate come 2050.
Quibble with his framing or game calling if you want, but he's the best bat the Cubs have had at catcher during this era. Geovany Soto deserves some love for his defense and Michael Barrett was probably overlooked for his bat, but Contreras was (and continues to be) a really valuable offensive player. He also quickly became the World Series team's regular catcher as a rookie and handled things well in a pressure-packed season.
With the most important and most clutch hit in Cubs history, Zobrist, the 2016 World Series MVP, has to be on this list. There's also something to be said for the type of hitter Zobrist was during his career. The World Series-winning core was exposed over time by the high heater and breaking balls away. What they lacked was the diversity in the lineup. Specifically, a bat like Zobrist's. He was also a great team leader and steady defensive presence wherever he played.
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Arrieta had the greatest run of pitching in Cubs history, arguably one of the most dominant stretches of the last 50 years. Lester brought a bulldog, winning mentality to a team that was filled with youth and searching for an ace. Hendricks rarely got much national love but his Cubs career was steady and strong. From 2014-2020, only six starting pitchers with a minimum 800 innings pitched had a better ERA than Hendricks' 3.13 (Clayton Kershaw, Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Corey Kluber, Zack Greinke and Chris Sale). Zambrano was mercurial, but he's the Cubs starting pitching leader in both WAR and innings during this period. Despite logging so much time on the mound, he was still fifth in ERA among pitchers with at least 300 innings. Prior edges out Kerry Wood and Ryan Dempster for an elite peak and for being second in ERA (3.51) behind Arrieta among pitchers with at least 500 innings.
Marmol would have some stretches that would stress fans out and he could certainly struggle to find the zone at times. But, man, was he electric when on. Back when 30 percent strikeout rates were not the norm, Marmol had seasons of 33.7 percent (2007), 32.8 percent (2008) and a wild 41.6 percent (2010).
Strop had a 2.88 Cubs career ERA and, in a role defined by volatility, was as steady and consistent as they come. He's also the second piece in one of the most lopsided deals the Cubs have ever pulled off — they traded Scott Feldman and Steve Clevinger to Baltimore for Arrieta and Strop.
Quick mention for lefty Sean Marshall, who accumulated 4.9 WAR in just 219 innings pitched with a 2.67 ERA. It's really hard to find left-handed relievers, and Marshall is one of the best this organization has developed in recent memory.
(Top photo of Báez: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
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