There were a lot of different players to consider when we were looking at the greatest Athletic of all-time.

Rick Sutcliffe’s journey in Chicago began with a season-altering trade in June 1984. Sent from the Cleveland Indians while carrying a losing record and an ERA over five, he matured instantly under the afternoon sun of Wrigley Field. He arrived with a fierce competitive scowl and a downward-tilting fastball that decimated National League lineups. He didn’t just settle into the rotation; he went on a historic tear, winning 16 of his 17 decisions and serving as the emotional and tactical engine that propelled the Cubs to their first-ever NL East Title.

The absolute pinnacle of his career arrived at the conclusion of that 1984 campaign. In a feat of run suppression that remains unique in baseball history, Sutcliffe became the first player to win the Cy Young Award after spending the first two months of the season in the opposing league. He was the definition of an efficiency outlier, providing the high-leverage brilliance that galvanized a city. He followed this with continued excellence throughout the decade, earning All-Star nods in 1987 and 1989. In '87, he led the National League in wins and finished as the Cy Young runner-up, proving that his initial breakout was no flash in the pan but the start of a statistical residency.

His identity was synonymous with a blue-collar work ethic and a "big-game" persona that resonated with the Bleacher Creatures.  He played with the Cubs until he left after the 1991 season for the Baltimore Orioles.  As a Cub, Sutcliffe was a high-volume workhorse, accumulating 82 wins and 909 strikeouts.  In recognition of his role as the ace of two division-winning squads, the organization named him to the inaugural class of the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame in 2021.

Kerry Wood’s journey in Chicago began with the most explosive entrance in baseball history. In 1998, as a 21-year-old rookie, he instantly matured into a national phenomenon by striking out 20 Houston Astros in a single game, a masterpiece of power pitching that many still consider the greatest individual performance ever on a mound. He arrived with a "flamethrower" reputation and quickly evolved into a statistical titan, proving that his raw velocity was matched only by his competitive fire. Despite a career that was later reshaped by injuries, he remained the primary engine of the Cubs' pitching staff during their most competitive runs of the early 2000s.

The absolute pinnacle of his efficiency arrived in 2003, a season in which he stood as the undisputed strikeout king of the National League. Wood led the senior circuit with 266 punchouts that year, earning an All-Star nod and serving as the co-ace of a rotation that marched to within five outs of a World Series berth. He wasn't just a volume-dense starter; he was a high-leverage nightmare who averaged well over a strikeout per inning throughout his entire tenure. He concluded his primary stay with 1,470 strikeouts in just 1,278 innings, a ratio of run suppression that remains a benchmark for power pitchers in the modern era.

When Ed Reulbach arrived in 1905, he transitioned instantly from a standout college athlete into one of the most difficult pitchers to hit in the National League. He matured into a mainstay of the Cubs’ rotation just as the team began its historic run toward back-to-back championships in 1907 and 1908. His success was staggering; he led the National League in winning percentage for three consecutive years (1906–1908), a feat of consistency matched only by the legendary Lefty Grove. He arrived with a "shadowing" windup that hid the ball from hitters and quickly became a force who could suppress runs as well as any pitcher in the Deadball Era.

The absolute pinnacle of his career arrived during the white-hot pennant race of 1908. On a single afternoon in late September, Reulbach authored a feat that remains the only one of its kind in Major League history: he pitched and won both ends of a doubleheader against the Brooklyn Superbas, throwing two complete-game shutouts in the same day. He was a master of run prevention, finishing with an ERA under 2.00 in four of his first five seasons. This period of dominance saw him surrender fewer than 6 hits per 9 innings in 1906, a ratio of efficiency that would stand as a benchmark for over 60 years.

His identity was synonymous with the Cubs' championship pedigree. A two-time World Series winner, Reulbach was a big-game specialist who famously threw a one-hitter in the 1906 Fall Classic. He was a workhorse who rarely showed signs of fatigue, using his towering 6'1" frame and a high leg kick to overwhelm hitters. He concluded his primary stay in Chicago with 136 wins and a microscopic 2.24 ERA, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most effective and durable arms to ever call the West Side Grounds home.

The chapter eventually closed in 1913, when he moved to Brooklyn, followed by a later star turn in the Federal League. He left the organization as a statistical titan and the last surviving member of the 1907–1908 championship squads. He proved that to rule the mound, you needed more than just a live arm—you needed the intellect to outthink the hitter and the stamina to outlast the sun.

In a long-overdue tribute to his massive impact, the organization named him as an inaugural member of the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame in 2021.