Top Ten Players from the 1908 Cubs

Lately the big topic of Chicago sports is the Chicago Cubs; and rightfully so. They sit in first place and are one of baseball’s best teams. Now as friends and some of you know, I am an avid White Sox fan. However my knowledge of Cubs history (and baseball in general) comes from my Dad, an avid Cubs fan and one of the most knowledgeable baseball fans I know.

Now with the Cubs as popular as ever comes the ridiculous amount of bandwagon jumping, casual morons who are at Wrigley to be seen rather then see a game. For every intelligent Cubs fan like my Dad and TTCS’ own Zack Martin there are numerous more who don’t know a damn thing about the history of their “beloved” franchise (and certainly this holds true for every team in every sport but it is worse in the case of popular teams like the Cubs).

So lately my question to Cubs fans I have met has been this, “Name ONE player on the 1908 World Series team.” I have not had any correct responses yet even though the team featured numerous Hall-of-Famers , one of the most famous double play combos in baseball history (Tinker to Evers to Chance) and had a pennant that was eventually decided on one of baseball’s most famous plays (Merkle’s Boner). I even had one guy say that Fergie Jenkins was on that team even though his major league debut was almost 60 years later in 1965.

So today my list is to educate and enlighten Cubs (and baseball fans) about the top players contributing to the 1908 World Series run.

10. Chick Fraser, SP – The 34-year old veteran played his final full season and went 11-9 with a 2.27 ERA which were decent numbers for the time. Fraser was by and large the fifth starter of a solid pitching staff.

9. Jack Pfiester, SP – The lefty continued a string of solid seasons by going 12-10 with a 2.00 ERA. Although Pfiester had a good season it was his incredible determination that he is remembered for. In a September game against the New York Giants he threw a complete game allowing only five hits while pitching with a dislocated tendon in his pitching forearm. After the game the tendon was snapped back into place and Pfeister pitched the remainder of the season. The brave effort probably cost Jack his career as the 1909 season was his last full season.

8. Orval Overall, SP – The right hander went 15-11 with a 1.92 ERA while also being a clutch performer in the World Series going 3-1 (2-0 in 1908) in the Cubs’ World Series era. Orval also holds the distinction of being the only pitcher to strike out four players in one inning in a World Series game, a feat that has never been duplicated since.

7. Harry Steinfeldt, 3B – The forgotten infielder of the Cubs of the early century, Steinfeldt hit for 62 RBI which was good enough for seventh best in the National League. Harry was also a solid fielder known for having an above average arm.

6. Johnny Kling, C – A great defensive catcher who also happened to be a decent hitter, Kling hit .276 with four home runs and 59 RBI. Kling had a very solid 1908 campaign but opted not to play in 1909 after winning the World Pocket Billiards Championship and choosing to defend that title instead of the Cubs World Championship.

5. Ed Reulbach, SP – Reulbach had his best season in 1908 by going 24-7 with a 2.03 ERA. He is also the only pitcher to ever throw two complete game shutouts on the same day when he did so on September 26, 1908.

4. Johnny Evers, 2B – The hall-of-famer hit .300 on the season with a .402 on base percentage and 36 stolen bases. He is immortalized in Baseball’s Sad Lexicon a famous 1910 baseball poem by Franklin Pierce Adams which came from the perspective of a New York Giants’ fan.

These are the saddest of possible words:
"Tinker to Evers to Chance."
Trio of bear cubs, and fleeter than birds,
Tinker and Evers and Chance.
Ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon bubble,
Making a Giant hit into a double --
Words that are heavy with nothing but trouble:
"Tinker to Evers to Chance."

3. Frank Chance, 1B – Another hall-of-famer, Chance was also the manager of the 1908 Cubs while putting up good numbers (.272, 55 RBI, 27 SB). Chance was not only talented, but one of the smarter players of the era, known for his cerebral on-the-field moments.

2. Joe Tinker, SS – Tinker, the fantastic fielding hall-of-famer was a decent hitter over the course of his career but had a career year in 1908 as he was top ten in the National League in slugging percentage, games played, total bases, triples, home runs, RBI, stolen bases, extra base hits and sacrifice hits. Although famous for being part of the aforementioned double play combination it is interesting to note that Tinker and Evans despised each other during the 1908 season stemming back from an incident in 1905 where the two had an on-field fist fight after Tinker took a cab and left his teammates in a hotel lobby. Tinker and Evans didn’t speak from 1905 until the 1938 World Series when they were both asked to help broadcast the Cubs – Yankees World Series on the radio. The two put aside their differences as they reunited.

1. Mordecai Brown, SP – Three Finger Brown had an unbelievable 1908 campaign. The hall-of-famer went 29-9 with a 1.47 ERA. In 312.3 innings pitched Brown only allowed 51 earned runs, 49 walks and 214 hits as he posted 27 complete games. Brown also came up big when it mattered most. In the pennant-deciding game against the New York Giants on October 8th, Brown came on in relief of Jack Pfiester to shut down the Giants and defeat the era’s other dominant National League pitcher, Christy Matthewson. Brown also won two of the four World Series contest against the Tigers. Brown was a unique talent known for only having three fingers (four including thumb). He lost the majority of his index finger in a farming accident while later breaking his remaining fingers on a fall to the ground that left the fingers permanently bent out of place. The odd grip Brown incorporated gave his pitches a high degree of top spin, which helped make him one of the most devastating ground ball pitchers in baseball history.