How should Cubs honor jersey numbers for 2016 title team? |
The Cubs 2016 World Series Championship team is iconic.
Dexter Fowler’s you-go, we-go tone that he set is thought of very fondly. You don’t win the World Series without the clutch hitting from Ben Zobrist. Javier Baez’s magic is often brought up. Jake Arrieta had a peak as dominant as any pitcher we’ve ever seen. Pedro Strop and Travis Wood were a part of some great moments. David Ross homered in his final game, Willson Contreras in his first. Kyle Hendricks, the only member of that team still with the Cubs, started game 7 of the World Series. Miguel Montero may have had the playoff’s most memorable hit. You get the point. From top to bottom, that roster will live on in Cubs history in immortality. However, obviously, some players had a bigger impact than others. In fact, only three jersey numbers from the 2016 team went untouched even after their owners changed franchises: 44, 34, and 17. 44 for Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo was one of the first moves made by the Theo Epstein regime. The first baseman was a fan favorite on the field and made an even more significant impact off it. It didn’t take long for Rizzo to be the captain of the Cubs — and his consistent All-Star level play made him a staple of his era and an All-Time great Cub. Three All-Stars, four Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger, and the man on the receiving end of the final out of Game 7: LEGEND. 34 for Jon Lester. Lester was the Cubs’ big-ticket free agent signing ahead of the 2015 season and signified that the Cubs were ready to win. Lester’s intensity and playoff pedigree inserted a confidence in the Cubs locker room that they lacked, and he backed it up on the field. He made two All-Star games in six years with the Cubs and finished as high as 2nd in the NL Cy Young voting. A known playoff performer, he was named NLCS co-MVP in 2016. 17 for Kris Bryant. Kris Bryant was the poster boy in an era defined by prospects turning into stars. When Bryant arrived, winning followed. He never experienced a losing season until he left the Chicago Cubs. Bryant won Rookie of the Year in 2015 and answered his own bell with an MVP in 2016, along with four trips to the All-Star game. Bryant was the best player on the best Cubs team ever. Now, Isaac Paredes — whom the Cubs acquired from Tampa Bay in exchange for Christopher Morel and two pitchers — is wearing No. 17, and frankly, it just doesn’t look right. While every member of the 2016 team has their place saved in Cubs history — did any individual member make a big enough splash in Chicago to warrant getting their number retired? Rizzo is potentially the only Cub with enough longevity to have climbed up the leaderboard in all-time Cubs stats, but there is considerable distance between him and the likes of Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, and Ryne Sandberg, who have their numbers flying on flags. How much do you weigh a World Series championship? Ernie Banks never even played in the playoffs. Bryant’s No. 17 is iconic, but is it iconic enough? Maybe the point to be made is when you combine it with the success of another No. 17 — perhaps that’s enough to retire the jersey. The Cubs have No. 31 retired for both Fergie Jenkins and Greg Maddux. Enter Mark Grace — a fellow No. 17 — no man had more hits in the 1990s than the Cubs’ first baseman. 3 All-Stars and 2 Gold Gloves added to Bryant’s iconic resume? Now, perhaps that could be a joint number to retire. Bryant and Grace combined for a 71.9 WAR in their time with the Cubs — not too far off from the 86.7 WAR number posted by the Jenkins/Maddux combo. What about 34? Lester’s legacy cannot go unstated, but what if you mix in the lore that follows Kerry Wood? Wood donned No. 34 in the late 1990s and early 2000s and was a part of some of the Cubs’ most iconic moments. Heck, he literally pitched the best game ever pitched in 1998. Wood’s two all-stars, his Rookie of the Year, and his 20-strikeout game, coupled with Lester’s prestigious presence in Cubs history, could warrant a discussion about retiring 34 for these two pitchers. Right? There is time to decide, especially with some players still in MLB. Still, with the 10th anniversary of the 2016 championship rapidly approaching— the Cubs need to determine how they will honor their curse-breaking squad. A cumulative statue of the final out seems like an excellent place to start. Still, could some players eventually get individually honored at Wrigley Field via a statue or retired number? Could that number come with a legend from the Cubs’ past who had previously donned that number? Only time will tell.
