While fan voting honored icons like Ernie Banks, the omission of a World Series MVP and statistical leaders leaves glaring holes in this historic roster.
The Chicago Cubs celebrated their 150th year as a team in the National League by releasing their all-time lineup. This was voted on by the fans, and the results were revealed on Monday evening.
This roster featured some all-time Chicago greats like Fergie Jenkins, Kerry Wood, Ryne Sandberg, Ron Santo, Ernie Banks, Andre Dawson, Lee Smith, and Sammy Sosa. Some current players like Nico Hoerner, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, and Ian Happ were also voted as part of this all-time team.
However, there were some notable snubs from this all-time team. There are three former Cubs players who should have been on this list, but were surprisingly left off.
Carlos Zambrano
The biggest snub on this list has to be starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano. Zambrano spent 11 years with the Cubs from 2001 to 2011. He was the North Siders' best all-around pitcher during that time and had some memorable moments in the white pinstripe jerseys.
Big Z finished his Cubs career with a 3.60 ERA and 1,637 strikeouts across 1,959 innings pitched. He was a three-time All-Star, tossed a no-hitter against the Houston Astros back in 2008, and was even a threat at the plate. Zambrano was a three-time Silver Slugger winner in his time in Chicago, with three top-5 National League Cy Young finishes as well.
When thinking about the Cubs’ all-time team, the Venezuelan right-hander absolutely deserves to be a part of it. Zambrano was a massive part of those Cubs teams throughout the 2000s.
Ben Zobrist
It makes sense that Ben Zobrist might have been left off the all-time team. He only played four seasons with the Cubs from 2016 to 2019, and his numbers during those four years weren’t out of the ordinary. Zobrist hit a combined .269 with 40 home runs, 201 RBI, and 11 stolen bases across 461 games.
The Cubs, though, wouldn’t have been World Series champions if it weren’t for Zobrist. He slashed .357/.419/.500 with two doubles, one triple, and two RBI across those seven games against the Guardians, and came up big in Game 7 of the World Series by roping an RBI double down the line to give Chicago the lead.
For that reason alone, Zobrist should be a part of this all-time team. He was a massive part of that World Series team and went on to win World Series MVP.
Carlos Marmol
The last snub on this all-time team is Carlos Marmol. Although Marmol had some struggles in the closer role at times, he is one of the best closers in Cubs history. He played eight seasons with the North Siders from 2006 to 2013.
During those eight years, Marmol had a combined 3.50 ERA, 703 strikeouts, and 117 saves across 542 ⅓ innings pitched. Those 117 saves rank third all-time in the Cubs' long history, only behind Smith’s 180 saves and Bruce Sutter’s 133 saves.
Marmol was left off this team undeservedly.
