Jon Lieber, The Forgotten Anchor Of Early 2000s Cubs Squads

[Post Count Padder]

In the early 2000s, the Cubs had some dynamite starters in Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. Behind them was the stalwart Jon Lieber.

Image courtesy of © Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The 2001 season was a wacky one for the Cubs.

It was an 88-win season sandwiched between two seasons with 90+ losses. Nothing really stands out on the offensive side as to the spike in wins. Only Sammy Sosa posted a bWAR above 2.5 that season among all Cubs batters (granted, it was 10 WAR because he was in the midst of an insane stretch of seasons).

On the pitching side, you can see how things took shape. The staff finished 4th in ERA in the league at the height of the steroid era. The bullpen was led by four former starting pitchers: Tom "Flash" Gordon, Jeff Fassero, Kyle Farnsworth, and (somehow) former top A's prospect Todd Van Poppel. But the starting pitching itself had success, too. Kerry Wood was dominating batters as he usually did, generating a lot of strikeouts. But he might not have been the steadiest starter on the staff. The Cubs that year had two All-Stars. One was Sosa. The other? Underappreciated Jon Lieber.

Lieber, a native of Council Bluffs, IA, was originally a 1992 2nd-round pick by the Royals out of the University of South Alabama. A year later, he was traded to the Pirates in a deal for Stan Belinda. Lieber made his MLB debut the following season. Aside from a disastrous 1995 season, he was generally a solid pitcher in Pittsburgh, starting as a spot starter/long reliever before cementing a spot in the rotation. However, with the Pirates looking to clear some roster and payroll space following the 1998 season, they traded Lieber to the Cubs for Brant Brown. Brown, who infamously dropped a fly ball during the playoff chase late in the season, would play just one season with the Pirates.

Lieber, meanwhile, was immediately an upgrade for the Cubs. He helped lead a 1999 Cubs rotation that sorely missed Kerry Wood after his surgery. The club finished last in the NL in ERA, but Lieber posted a 4.07 ERA and 3.79 FIP, which went along with a career-best 8.2 K/9.

In 2000, Lieber almost literally anchored the rotation again, leading the majors with 251 innings pitched. In the 24 years since, that number would be topped just four more times (Curt Schilling in 2001, Randy Johnson in 2002, Roy Halladay in 2003, and Livan Hernandez in 2004).

That brings us to the culmination of his dependable work. Lieber hit the ground running in 2001. On May 24, he one-hit the Reds, throwing just 78 pitches. Lieber entered July 4 that year with 11 wins and a sterling 3.14 ERA and 3.21 FIP, making him an obvious choice for the All-Star Game. While his appearance there didn't go well (he served up home runs to Derek Jeter and Magglio Ordonez), he nevertheless deserved the honor. He would finish the season with 20 wins and a 3.80 ERA/3.79 FIP. He also earned Cy Young Award consideration on the ballot and placed 4th in the voting after the season. No Cubs pitcher would tally 20 wins in a season until Jake Arrieta's terrific and award-winning 2015.

Lieber followed up his 2001 with a solid 2002 campaign that ended prematurely. He had a 3.70 ERA and 3.39 FIP through 21 starts but was dealing with elbow pain all season. It became too much, and he required Tommy John surgery in August. A free agent at the end of the season, Lieber's Cubs tenure was over for the time being.

Lieber received a prove-it contract from the Yankees and returned from surgery to lead MLB in the fewest BB/9 (0.9). He parlayed that into a multi-year contract with the Phillies and pitched adequately, if unspectacularly, for three seasons in South Philly. He departed via free agency following the 2007 season. Had he spent one more year there, he may have collected a World Series ring when the Phillies defeated the Rays to win the title. But his heart was in Chicago, and he signed a one-year contract to return to the North Side.

Lieber's MLB career ended in 2008 with 26 appearances in Chicago, after which he retired after the season to spend more time with his family. He finished with 131 career wins and a 25.5 bWAR. His career BB/9 and BB/K ratios are both in the top 50 all-time among qualified pitchers.

He was a true workhorse and innings eater, an under-appreciated bright spot on some oft-neglected Cubs teams due to his poor performance.

View full article