Top Five Chicago Cubs By Last Name: "D"

With such a rich and lengthy history, the Cubs have seen roughly 2,000 players don the Cubbie blue over the years.

Because of that, I thought it would be fun to name who I feel are the top five players for all 26 letters of the alphabet, going by last name.

To qualify, the player needs only to have played at least one game for the Cubs. However, only stats and accomplishments that took place while the player was with the Cubs will be considered.

Because of that, you will not find someone like Dizzy Dean on the following list, despite the fact that he is a Hall of Famer and did play four seasons with the Cubs.

I welcome suggestions regarding anyone I may have left off the list, and look forward to continuing the series in the coming weeks.

Honorable Mention

SP/RP Ryan Dempster
41-40, 87 saves, 3.63 ERA, 125 ERA+, 8.1 K/9

RF Frank Demaree (1932-1933, 1935-1938)
.309 BA, 49 HR, 396 RBI

No. 5: Jody Davis

Seasons with Cubs: 1981-1988
Stats with Cubs: .251 BA, 122 HR, 467 RBI
*Two-time All-Star

Davis hit double-digit home runs in each of his six seasons as the Cubs full-time catcher, twice topping the 20 plateau, as he was one of the top offensive catchers of the 1980s.

Not only was he a terrific hitter, but he was also a solid defensive backstop, as he took home the Gold Glove in 1986 when he threw out 89 of 187 would-be base stealers, for an NL best (48 percent) caught stealing mark.

He was also a key member of the 1984 playoff team, when he hit 19 HR and had a career-high 94 RBI, finishing 10th in NL MVP voting.

No. 4: Leon Durham

Seasons with Cubs: 1981-1988
Stats with Cubs: .279 BA, 138 HR, 485 RBI
*Two-time All-Star

While he will forever be remembered for the ground ball he let go through his legs in the 1984 playoffs, Durham was on of the Cubs' top offensive threats throughout the 1980s.

Durham, originally a member of the Cardinals, came over in the trade that sent Bruce Sutter to St. Louis after the 1980 season, and he was a full-time starter by the 1982 season.

He topped 20 HR five different times, and won the Silver Slugger in 1982 when he hit a career-best .312, with 22 HR and 90 RBI.

Durham had a rather short career, retiring at the age of 31, but he is among the best first basemen in Cubs history, and should be remembered for more than just his blunder.

No. 3: Shawon Dunston

Seasons with Cubs: 1985-1995
Stats with Cubs: .267 BA, 107 HR, 489 RBI, 175 SB
*Two-time All-Star

Before the days of Jeter and A-Rod, shortstops were much more defensive minded, and Dunston was one of the few offensive-minded shortstops of the 1980s.

The first overall pick in the 1982 draft, Dunston came to the Cubs with extremely high expectations, and while he did not quite live up to his first-pick status, he was a solid hitter, and he had a cannon for an arm, although he was terribly erratic.

Dunston registered four different seasons in which he had double-digit HR and SB, and his numbers would have been better had he not been limited to a combined 25 games during the 1992 and 1993 seasons, in the prime of his career.

No. 2: Bill Dahlen

Seasons with Cubs: 1891-1898
Stats with Cubs: .299 BA, 57 HR, 561 RBI, 286 SB

Dahlen may have been the first great offensive shortstop. He held the record for best average by a shortstop for a short time, with a .359 mark in 1894. Honus Wagner quickly stole the spotlight though, hitting .381 in 1900.

For his Cubs career, Dahlen hit over .300 three times, while flashing great speed with double-digit triples in six straight seasons, and 30-plus steals six times, including 60 in 1892.

Dahlen also had decent power though, finishing in the top 10 in HR four different times while with the Cubs, including a career-best 15 in 1894.

No. 1: Andre Dawson

Seasons with Cubs: 1987-1992
Stats with Cubs: .285 BA, 174 HR, 587 RBI
*Five-time All-Star
*1987 NL MVP

The story of how Dawson came to join the Cubs is the stuff of legend, and he goes down as the best free agent signing in team history.

League-wide collusion by the team owners kept Dawson and most other free agents from receiving any lucrative offers, and it is said that Dawson and his agent came to the Cubs with a signed blank contract to play for them.

In the end, Dawson signed for $500,000, with a $250,000 bonus if he started in the All-Star Game and won the NL MVP. He did just that, and the MVP was made even more impressive by the fact that he was playing for a last-place Cubs team.

While he is in the Hall of Fame as an Expo, Dawson will always have a place in Cubs history, and he belongs atop this list.