Chicago Cubs - The Depression Era (1930-1939)

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1930

Decade

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Titles:

Top Cubs Players of the Thirties

1932 - NL Champs (Lost to Yankees)

1935 - NL Champs (Lost to Tigers)

Pitchers:

1938 - NL Champs (Lost to Yankees)

Bill Lee (27.33) - 80

Lon Warneke (26.39) - 74

Ballpark:

Charlie Root (24.28) - 69

Wrigley Field

Guy Bush (7.11) - 58

Larry French (17.83) - 55

Team Name:

Pat Malone (10.74) - 47

Cubs

Tex Carleton (4.56) - 31

Clay Bryant (6.19) - 18

Owners:

Claude Passeau (5.36) - 10

Bud Tinning (4.48) - 9

William Wrigley (1930-1932)

Bob Smith (4.17) - 9

Phillip K Wrigley (1932-1939)

Dizzy Dean (4.36) - 3

General Managers:

Catchers:

Bill Veeck Sr. (Team President - 1930-1933)

Gabby Hartnett (35.69) - 100

Charles Weber (1934-1939)

Ken O'Dea (4.37) - 8

Managers:

First Basemen:

Joe McCarthy (1930)

Charlie Grimm (7.39) - 22

Rogers Hornsby (1930-1932)

Ripper Collins (4.2) - 13

Charlie Grimm (1932-1938)

Phil Cavarretta (0.7) - 12

Gabby Hartnett (1938-1939)

Dolph Camilli (0.68) - 1

Hall of Famers:

Second Basemen:

Joe McCarthy

Billy Herman (36.59) - 63

Gabby Hartnett

Rogers Hornsby (5.67) - 12

Dizzy Dean

Billy Herman

ShortStop:

Rogers Hornsby

Billy Jurges (15.81) - 44

Kiki Cuyler

Woody English (18.86) - 35

Hack Wilson

Chuck Klein

Third Base:

Stan Hack (21.03) - 55

MVP

Gabby Hartnett (1935)

Outfield:

Kiki Cuyler (17.55) - 49

No Hitters:

Augie Galan (15.04) - 48

None

Frank Demaree (12.09) - 29

Riggs Stephenson (8.89) - 26

Notable Events:

Hack Wilson (8.55) - 19

Chuck Klein (7.05) - 16

1930 - the Cubs were the top team in the National League coming into

Babe Herman (5.83) - 15

the Thirties. They were an offensive juggernaut and had good enough

Hank Leiber (4.12) - 11

pitching to make them a legitimate contender. The 1930 roster contained

the following standouts:

Notable Events:

□ Gabby Hartnett, 29, catcher future Hall of Fame

□ Charlie Grimm, 31, first base

□ Riggs Stephenson, 32, outfield

1933 - William Veeck Sr dies at the age of fifty seven. Charles

□ Kiki Cuyler, 31, outfield

Weber takes over as GM. The affect of Veeck's loss is not

□ Hack Wilson, 30, outfield

immediately noticable, but by the end of the decade it becomes

□ Rogers Hornsby, 34, second base

apparent that talent is no longer flowing into the system as it did

□ Pat Malone, 27, pitcher

under Veeck

□ Guy Bush, 28, pitcher

□ Charlie Root, 31, pitcher

1933 - Another one that got away. Dolph Camilli comes up as a

□ Lon Warneke, 21, pitcher

twenty six year old first baseman. The Cubs deal him to the Phillies for

Warneke was a rookie in 1930 who had been brought up from AA Reading.

first baseman Don Hurst. Dolph blossoms into a star slugger over

He would average close to twenty wins for the Cubs during a five year

a twelve year career with the Phillies and then the Dodgers.

stretch from 1932-1936

1934 - Phil Cavarretta, seventeen years old, comes up after being

1930 - Hack Wilson knocks in a record 191 runs. However, the

signed as an amateur free agent. He ends up playing the next

Cubs manage to only finish second by two games. Rogers

twenty years as the Cubbies first baseman.

Hornsby broke his ankle early in the season and was a key loss.

1934 - Twenty two year old outfielder Augie Galan is obtained from

1930 - Joe McCarthy resigns as manager two days before the

San Francisco of the PCL He goes on to play the first eight years of

end of the season claiming lack of support by owner William

his sixteen year big league career with the Cubs.

Wrigley. He signs with the Yankees shortly thereafter and the

lack of support he was talking about probably was $$$$

1934 - Bill Lee, twenty four year old righty, is obtained from Columbus

He goes on to a fourteen year big league career, the first ten with the

1930 - Rogers Hornsby takes over as manager of the club

Cubs. Bill will average close to eighteen wins in his first six years

and immediately causes problems. He personally ruins Hack

with Chicago

Wilson who had been so skillfully handled by McCarthy. This

whole sequence of events wasn't one of Bill Veeck Sr's

1935 - Lefthander Larry French, 27, is obtained from the Pirates

brighter moments.

for Guy Bush and Babe Herman. He wins seventeen games teaming

up with Lon Warneke and Bill Lee to give the Cubs an intimidating

1931 - Centerfielder Mike Kreevich comes up to the Cubs as a

starting rotation to go with their big hitting lineup. French will go on to

twenty three year old. He is one that got away as the Cubs eventually

average sixteen wins for the Cubs over the next five years.

release him. He resurfaces with the White Sox in 1935 and goes on

to a productive twelve year career.

1935 - The Cubs ride a twenty one game winning streak to

the pennant, but lose to the Tigers in the World Series. They end up

1931 - Billy Jurges, twenty three year old shortstop, is obtained from

the regular season with one hundred wins with a very young and

Louisville

up and coming ball club

1931 - Twenty one year old second baseman Billy Herman is

1937 - Bill Veeck Jr is hired and he plants ivy on the wall, builds

purchased from Louisville. He will go on to a Hall of Fame career,

new bleachers and constructs a new scoreboard - all of which

mostly with the Cubs

are big parts of the ballpark's charm and remain so to this day.

1932 - Third baseman Stan Hack, twenty two, is obtained from

1938 - The Cubs win the pennant but lose the World Series to

Sacramento. He goes on to a sixteen year career, all with the Cubs

the Yankees. It marks their fourth pennant in ten years, all

in three year intervals and all ending with a World Series loss.

1932 -William Wrigley dies at the age of seventy one. His son,

1929, 1932, 1935 and 1938.

Phillip K Wrigley takes over ownership. Initially, throughout the

If you were a betting man, you would bet the ranch on the Cubs

decade, the change of hands in ownership does not appear to

winning the pennant again in three years time (1941) at this point.

affect the team's performance on the field. But over the longer

And, you would have lost your ranch.

timeframe, it becomes apparent that Phillip does not have fielding

a winning Cubs team among his priorities. And what's worse,

1939 - Thirty year old righthander Claude Passeau is obtained in a

Cubs fans never seem to hold him accountable for his lack

trade with the Phillies. Passeau had been a very good pitcher for a

of interest in producing a winning ballclub.

very bad team in a very tiny ballpark with the Phillies. He would be the

Cubs' ace during the first half ot the next decade

1932 - The Cubs fire the belligerent Hornsby and with his polar

opposite, Charlie Grimm, at the helm, the Cubs rally to

1939 - Swish Nicholson, a twenty four year old outfielder, is purchased

win the pennant. Twenty three year old righty Lon Warneke has a

from Washington. Nicholson would go on to be one of the premier

breakout season winning twenty two games.

sluggers in the National League in the Forties. He was originally

signed by the A's and you can only think that it was old age that had

1932 - In a contentious World Series, the Cubs lose to the Yanks

two great talent evaluators like Connie Mack of the A's and Clark

Griffith of the Senators whiff on a talent like Nicholson.