Top 5 players to play for the Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs

2. Joe Girardi

Joe Girardi is important to Colorado Rockies fans for one main reason: He was a catcher who could hit, something the team has been sorely nostalgic for the past few years.

The Cubs drafted Girardi in 1986 out of Northwestern University. Girardi made his debut in 1989 and was the Cubs starting catcher by the 1989 NLCS against the Giants. In that series, Girardi did not perform well, only earning one walk and a hit among his 12 plate appearances.

Colorado selected Girardi in the 1992 expansion draft and made him the Opening Day starter for the team. Girardi was also the starting catcher for the Rockies’ first postseason berth in 1995. Girardi did about the same in the 1995 NLDS as he had in the 1989 NLCS, going only 2-for-16 in the series. The Rockies traded Girardi to the Yankees after the season and then he returned to the club that drafted him. Girardi signed with the Cubs yet again from 2000 to 2002 to rejoin the former Rockies manager Don Baylor. Girardi performed well and even earned the only All-Star appearance of his career during this second stint with the Cubs.

After he was done with the Cubs, Girardi only played 16 more games in the big leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals. Girardi has since become a legendary manager, but that’s less important for this list right now, so here we go to number one.

1. Dexter Fowler

I mean, who else could it be?

Dexter Fowler was a fan favorite leadoff man for both the Rockies and the Cubs. The Rockies drafted Fowler in the 14th round of the 2004 draft. He made a brief debut in 2008 before being made a starter during the 2009 season. He was the starter during the 2009 postseason run of course and performed well. Fowler, however, broke out in 2012, being the best position player on the entire Rockies roster.

He was traded to the Astros following the 2013 season and signed a two-year deal with the Cubs following that campaign. Fowler was critical to both the Cubs’ 2015 and 2016 postseason runs. In 2016 specifically, Fowler earned the third-highest position player WAR among the entire club, even earning an All-Star nod that year. In the legendary World Series win, Fowler hit two separate home runs, including one to lead off Game 7.

Fowler was one of the best Rockies of the early 2010s and has solidified himself in Chicago Cubs lore. There is no one else who comes even close to deserving this top spot.

Note: Data for this article was found using Baseball-Reference