The Top Ten Biggest Chicago Cubs Busts of Recent Memory

With another failed Cubs season in the books and a failed experiment with Milton Bradley, it got me thinking: Who are the Top 10 biggest busts in Chicago Cubs history? You would think with all the years of losing, there have to be some good names on this list. Now I have only been alive for 22 years, so these will probably all be rather recent. Let's get this thing going! Also, these are in no particular order, just 10 really bad players/signing for the Cubs! Enjoy...or not, haha.

Milton Bradley

What more can be said about Milton Bradley this season? The Cubs banked on his AL leading OBP and his .321 average as a switch hitter. So much so, that they were the first team to sign him for more than one year. Three years and $30 million to be exact.

Not only did he underperform during the season by hitting only .257, but he consistently conflicted with the Cub fans and the media. Bradley only drove in 40 runs throughout the entire season...and may have driven himself out of town.

Mark Prior

What can we say about Mark Prior? He was one of the most coveted pitchers coming out of college of all-time. He was a complete athlete as he could also hit as well. He was remarkable in his 2003 season going 18-6 with a 2.43 ERA. Yet, he finds himself on the bust list.

The story of Mark Prior is sad for any Cub fan as injuries and freak accidents have all but eliminated Prior's potential Hall of Fame career. After years of banking on his, and Kerry Woods' health, the Cubs released Prior who is trying to revive his career with San Diego, to no avail.

Todd Hundley

The Chicago Cubs finally had a catcher who could hit 30-40 home runs in a season and hit .260 and up right? Way wrong. Hundley was one of the worst hitting catchers when he came to the Cubs. After hitting at least 24 home runs four times in previous seasons, Hundley only produced 28 in the two seasons he was there. Oh, and he hit .187 and .211 in those seasons respectively. This is why Hundley will go down as one of the worst Cub busts in history.

Nomar Garciaparra

The Cubs made a last second trade at the trade deadline in 2004 to acquire Nomah. Cub fans were excited, especially knowing that he could hit well above .300 and potentially hit 20-30 homers. But the injury bug bit him and he never could get on a roll for the Cubs. The year after the Cubs let him go, he returned to form with the Dodgers and was an All-Star in 2006. Go figure.

Cesar Izturis

This wouldn't be that big of a bust if you didn't consider that the Cubs traded Greg Maddux straight up for Izturis. He never hit above .300 in his career and had one Gold Glove and one All-Star appearance. Upon coming to the Cubs, he promptly couldn't hit and the Cubs finally got rid of him in 2007.

Rich Hill

I was a Rich Hill fan. Not going to lie. When he burst on the scene in 2007 and won 11 games while striking out 183 batters in 195 innings, I really thought we had found our strong lefty in the rotation.

But mental problems as well as control problems ate away at Hill's psyche. Following his good 2007 campaign, he walked 18 in 19 innings. He was then sent to the minors before being traded to Baltimore. I hope nothing but the best for Rich.

Felix Pie

Was deemed as one of the best prospects in all of the minor leagues. He had it all, he could hit, he could steal bases, and he could play center field. We brought him up, and he couldn't hit. Nor did he steal many bases as well. Felix is considered a huge bust because of the potential he had with the Cubs. He was traded to Baltimore soon there after.

Dwight Smith

After a 1989 Rookie of the Year runner-up season, it seemed the Cubs had someone who could get on base for the likes of Sandberg and Dawson. In 1989, Smith hit .324 in 109 games. The following seasons he hit .262, and then .228. Going from ROTY runner-up to practically nobody constitutes as a bust in my book. Let's hope Geovany Soto doesn't follow Smith's example!

Jerome Walton

After winning the Rookie of the Year in 1989, as well as having the runner up on their team, the Cubs were flying high. But after 1989, it was all downhill for Walton. After hitting .293 and stealing 24 bases, Walton never again hit over .263 with the Cubs or stole more than 14 bases in a season. In fact, in the 1992, Walton had 55 ABs and got, 7 hits. That is really bad, bust central!

Corey Patterson

Once thought to be one of the best prospects coming up where every team was willing to trade for him, he soon became a player nobody wanted. The Cubs tried to make him into a leadoff hitter. However, it is very hard to be a leadoff hitter if you can't hit and you swing at pitches 12 feet out of the strike zone.

He had no plate discipline and his speed went to waste. The only year Patterson seemed to be producing and almost hitting .300, he got hurt and was out for the year. His career went all downhill from there.