The best Cubs to wear each uniform number

CHICAGO — The flags that fly atop the foul poles at Wrigley Field feature the most recognizable numbers in Cubs history — digits no player will don again on the North Side.

There is No. 10 for Ron Santo and No. 14 for Ernie Banks. Ryne Sandberg’s No. 23 ripples in the Lake Michigan breeze, along with No. 26 for Billy Williams and No. 31 for both Fergie Jenkins and Greg Maddux. They took those numbers to great heights, but what about the other numbers worn throughout the Cubs’ long history?

What follows are our picks for the most notable player to wear each jersey number in team history. Maybe he was the most famous, the best or simply the most memorable. In some cases, there was a long list to choose from, and it was a difficult task. In others, the choice was obvious. And in a few situations, only a handful of players (or perhaps just one) wore the number on his back.

From No. 1 to No. 99, here are the Cubs’ all-time jersey picks:

No. 1: Jose CardenalSpent six years in the outfield in the 1970s. Childhood favorite of Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder.

No. 2: Gabby HartnettGreatest catcher in Cubs history (1922-40) and a Hall of Famer. Also wore Nos. 7 and 9.

No. 3: Kiki CuylerDavid Ross famously wore No. 3 for the 2016 World Series champs, but Cuyler is a Hall of Famer.

No. 4: Billy HermanThis Hall of Famer was a doubles machine (57 in 1935) in 11 seasons for Chicago.

No. 5: Riggs StephensonOwns the highest career batting average (.336) in franchise history.

No. 6: Stan HackThis five-time All-Star of the 1930s and ’40s hit .301 in 16 seasons, all with the Cubs.

No. 7: Jody DavisThis two-time All-Star (1984, ’86) and National League Gold Glove Award-winning catcher (’86) gets the edge over Rick Monday.

No. 8: Andre DawsonJoined the Cubs in 1987, won an NL MVP Award and two NL Gold Glove Awards and made five All-Star teams.

No. 9: Hank SauerApologies to Randy Hundley and Javier Báez, but Sauer won an NL MVP Award in 1952.

No. 10 (retired): Ron SantoA legend on the field and in the radio booth. Five Gold Glove Awards and is in the Hall of Fame.

No. 11: Don KessingerBeloved stalwart shortstop and two-time NL Gold Glove Award winner of the 1960s and ’70s Cubs.

No. 12: Shawon DunstonAlso the number of Kyle Schwarber and Alfonso Soriano, but Dunston wore it for a dozen years.

No. 13: Claude PasseauPasseau tested his luck with No. 13 and won 124 games in nine years with the Cubs (1939-47).

No. 14 (retired): Ernie BanksBroke the team’s color barrier. Won two NL MVP Awards (1958-59). Hall of Famer. Forever Mr. Cub.

No. 15: Darwin BarneyMany players have donned this number, but Barney gets the nod with his 2012 NL Gold Glove Award.

No. 16: Aramis RamirezEnded a decades-long turnstile at third base with nine years (2003-11) of consistent slugging.

No. 17: Mark GraceKris Bryant has hardware, but Grace notched the most hits (1,754) and doubles (364) in the 1990s.

No. 18: Glenn BeckertA staple at second for the Cubs in the 1960s and ’70s. An NL Gold Glove Award winner and a fan favorite.

No. 19: Manny TrilloThis infielder enjoyed two stints with the Cubs in the 1970s and ’80s. He was an All-Star in ’77.

No. 20: Adolfo PhillipsSpent four years with the Cubs (1966-69) after being traded (with Fergie Jenkins) by Philadelphia.

No. 21: Sammy SosaCaptivated the nation with 66 homers in 1998. Slammin’ Sammy is the Cubs’ home run king.

No. 22: Bill BucknerHit .300 across eight seasons (1977-84) and won an NL batting title in ’80. Gets the nod over Jason Heyward and Mark Prior.

No. 23 (retired): Ryne SandbergThis Hall of Fame second baseman won an NL MVP Award in 1984 and nine NL Gold Glove Awards. He also made 10 All-Star teams.

No. 24: Dexter FowlerAlso worn by Lou Brock before his trade to the Cardinals. Fowler was a catalyst on the 2015-16 Cubs clubs.

No. 25: Derrek LeeTwo All-Star nods and two NL Gold Glove Awards. His 2005 was an offensive season for the ages.

No. 26 (retired): Billy WilliamsSweet Swinging’ Billy. The 1961 NL Rookie of the Year Award winner, a six-time All-Star, the ’72 batting champ and a Hall of Famer.

No. 27: Phil ReganKey part of the bullpen for the beloved 1969 Cubs. Saved 60 games in five seasons.

No. 28: Kyle HendricksWon an ERA title for the 2016 World Series champions. Seven years and counting as a trusted starter.

No. 29: Jeff SamardzijaFrom Notre Dame to Wrigley Field, the righty was an All-Star in 2014, the last of his seven seasons on the North Side.

No. 30: Ken HoltzmanThe team’s first MLB Draft pick, the lefty authored two no-hitters for the Cubs (Aug. 19, 1969, and June 3, 1971).

No. 31 (retired): Fergie Jenkins, Greg MadduxBoth Cubs legends won an NL Cy Young Award in Chicago and reached Hall of Fame heights.

No. 32: Jon LieberSpent parts of five years with the Cubs. A 20-game winner, All-Star and NL Cy Young Award contender in 2001.

No. 33: Joe CarterWorn by the rookie Carter in 1983. In ’84, he was traded for NL Cy Young Award-winning Rick Sutcliffe.

No. 34: Kerry WoodJon Lester helped lead the Cubs to glory, but Kid K made No. 34 famous on the North Side.

No. 35: Cole HamelsThe lefty’s 2.20 lifetime ERA at Wrigley Field is the third lowest in history (min. 150 innings).

No. 36: Don ElstonOnly Carlos Marmol and Lee Smith have more relief outings in Cubs history.

No. 37: Dick EllsworthA rotation fixture in the 1960s who won 22 games with a 2.11 ERA in his stellar ’63 campaign.

No. 38: Carlos ZambranoIn 11 years, Big Z made three All-Star teams, won three NL Silver Slugger Awards and spun a no-hitter on Sept. 14, 2008.

No. 39: Ray PrimPaced the Senior Circuit in ERA (2.40) for the 1945 Cubs, who reached the World Series.

No. 40: Rick SutcliffeFamously went 16-1 with a 2.69 ERA after a 1984 trade with Cleveland, winning the NL Cy Young Award.

No. 41: John LackeyEnded his career with the 2016-17 Cubs, picking up his third career World Series ring in the process.

No. 42 (retired for Jackie Robinson): Bruce SutterThis Hall of Fame relief ace won the NL Cy Young Award in 1979 and made four All-Star teams as the Cubs’ stopper.

No. 43: Bill NicholsonSpent a decade as a slugging outfielder for the Cubs in the 1940s. Also worn by Dennis Eckersley.

No. 44: Anthony RizzoPhil Cavarretta, the 1945 NL MVP Award winner, wore No. 44, but Rizzo has become a franchise icon.

No. 45: Paul AssenmacherSpent five years in the Cubs’ bullpen as an innings-eating lefty. Topped 100 innings twice.

No. 46: Lee SmithHall of Famer and the Cubs’ all-time saves king, with 180 of his 478 saves coming in Chicago.

No. 47: Rod BeckBig body, big personality. Memorable mustache. Saved 51 games for the 1998 Cubs.

No. 48: Rick ReuschelWon 135 games in 12 years. All-Star and NL Cy Young Award contender in 1977. Also worn by Andy Pafko.

No. 49: Jake ArrietaAuthored his historic NL Cy Young Award-winning season in 2015. Also worn by Marmol and Bill Hands.

No. 50: Les LancasterSpent parts of five years with the Cubs, highlighted by his 1.36 ERA in 42 games in 1989.

No. 51: Augie GalanWore No. 7 longer, but was No. 51 from 1935-36. Scored 133 runs in ’35 and was an All-Star in ’36.

No. 52: Justin GrimmSpent five seasons in the Cubs’ bullpen, spun a 1.99 ERA in 2015 and was a World Series winner in ’16.

No. 53: Johnny SchmitzAn All-Star in 1946 and ’48, the lefty spent parts of eight years on the Cubs’ staff.

No. 54: Aroldis ChapmanBlockbuster trade acquisition in 2016 who worked in five World Series games.

No. 55: Larry CasianThis lefty reliever had a 1.90 ERA in 77 games for the Cubs from 1995-96.

No. 56: Hector RondónThis Rule 5 Draft pick spent five years in the Cubs’ bullpen and saved 77 games (30 in 2015).

No. 57: Fernando RodneyHad a brief 2015 stint with Cubs, one of 11 teams in his 17-year career. Had an 0.75 ERA in 14 games.

No. 58: Geovany SotoEarned the NL Rookie of the Year Award, an All-Star nod and NL MVP Award votes in 2008. Spent eight years with the Cubs.

No. 59: Rodney MyersLogged 108 appearances for the Cubs across the 1996-99 seasons.

No. 60: Jason AdamFew have worn No. 60. In 2020, Adam joined the Cubs and struck out 21 in 13 2/3 innings.

No. 61: Babe PhelpsBefore his All-Star days with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Phelps wore No. 61 for the 1933-34 Cubs.

No. 62: José QuintanaAcquired from the White Sox in 2018 and posted a 4.24 ERA in 82 games for the North Siders.

No. 63: Kevin GreggNotched 56 of his 177 career saves in two seasons (2009, ’13) with the Cubs.

No. 64: Emilio BonifácioHit .279 in 69 games for the 2014 Cubs and was traded to the Braves in a deal for Victor Caratini.

No. 65: Casey SadlerThe only No. 65 in Cubs history, the righty worked 10 games out of the 2020 bullpen.

No. 66: Munenori KawasakiAppeared in 14 games for the 2016 Cubs, hitting .333 (.890 OPS) in a bench role.

No. 67: Tsuyoshi WadaWore No. 67 in 2014, when the lefty had a 3.25 ERA in 13 starts for the Cubs.

No. 68: Jorge SolerA big outfield prospect for Cubs, he was part of the 2016 World Series championship team, then was traded to the Royals for Wade Davis.

No. 71: Wade DavisSaved 32 games with a 2.30 ERA in an All-Star season with the Cubs in 2017.

No. 72: Robert MachadoThis catcher spent parts of 2000-01 with the North Siders.

No. 73: Adbert AlzolayThis pitching prospect broke into the Majors in 2019. He had a 2.95 ERA in six games in ’20.

No. 76: Daniel GaribayThe only No. 76 in Cubs history, the lefty worked 30 games with a 6.03 ERA in 2000.

No. 94: Felix HerediaThis lefty logged 221 games in four years, switching from No. 49 to No. 94 in 2001.

No. 96: Bill VoiselleThe lone player to wear No. 96, doing so in 1950. He went 0-4 with a 5.79 ERA.

No. 99: So TaguchiTodd Hundley briefly wore No. 99 in 2001, but he switched to No. 9. Taguchi gets the nod.

Jordan Bastian covers the Cubs for MLB.com. He previously covered the Indians from 2011-18 and the Blue Jays from 2006-10. Read his blog, Major League Bastian and follow him on Twitter @MLBastian.