Late last month, in Cooperstown, New York, Andre Dawson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as a Montreal Expo. This was much to Andre’s chagrin, as he’d hoped to go into the Hall of Fame as a Chicago Cub.
You see, Andre spent 11 of his 21 seasons playing for the Expos. He won the Rookie of the Year for the team in 1977, and won six of his eight Gold Gloves in Montreal. Most of his best years and his career stats were accumulated in Montreal.
Nevertheless, as Andre told us on that beautiful day last month, it was the Chicago Cubs fans who reminded him why he loved to play the game of baseball. Andre said that playing in front of the Cubs fans was an experience he’d never forget, and that the people of Chicago truly reminded him that, as Andre said it best, “if you love this game, it will love you back.”
Derrek Lee is no longer a Chicago Cubs today; the newest former Cubs star has been traded to the Atlanta Braves for what Cubs fans hope will be the Cubs stars of tomorrow.
In the ironies of ironies, the Braves will be playing at the Cubs this weekend. You can bet that when Lee steps to the plate, he will be showered with the adoration that Cubs fans heap upon their adopted sons, the players who didn’t necessarily get their start in Chicago but who showed the Cubs a good time, and to whom the Cubs are forever grateful.
Here’s a look at the top ten adopted sons (i.e., players who didn’t start their career in Chicago) in Chicago Cubs history.