Cubs on the Topps All Rookie Team

Yesterday we took a look at the history of the Topps rookie trophy. Today, I've got all of the Cubs that had the trophy on their card. Over the years, a total of twelve different Cubs saw the trophy. Some are names you know, including one hall of famer. Some are guys you may never have heard of. There were also three different seasons that saw two Cubs on the All Rookie team....and many, many years that didn't have any Cubs.



1961 saw a very familiar name, the late Ron Santo. Topps liked the photo on the card so much that they used it again...



....eight years later, in 1969 on the deckle edge card.



The next season, 1962, saw another very familiar name, Hall of Famer Billy Williams....



....and a completely unknown name, pitcher Jack Curtis. There must not have been any decent rookie left-handed pitchers in 1961 because Curtis was 10-13, 4.89 ERA. By 1963 Curtis was finished in the big leagues.

No Cubs made the team again until 1967, when two Cubs made the team....



....catcher Randy Hundley, who would be a star on the team for years...



....and Byron Browne, who didn't do much at all with the Cubs.



Another drought followed, this time eight years, before a Cubs player made the team. Ironically, Bill Madlock, who replaced former All Rookie Ron Santo as the Cubs third baseman, earned the honor.

Another long drought would follow Madlock, although part of the reason was because Topps didn't put the trophy on cards from 1979-1986. But when the drought ended in 1989, two Cubs made the team....



....first baseman Mark Grace....



....and catcher Damon Berryhill.



In 1990 Jerome Walton gave the Cubs a two year streak with the trophy. He was also the 1989 NL Rookie of the Year, the first time a Cub won that award since Ken Hubbs won it in 1962 (though Hubbs didn't make the Topps All Rookie team....I wonder if any other ROYs didn't make Topps' team).



Nine years later, another Cub won the Rookie of the Year and made the All Rookie Team. Kerry Wood was practically guaranteed a spot on the team after his 20 strike out performance in May.



It would be another ten years, 2009, before another Cub made the team, and again, it was the NL Rookie of the Year who got the award. Catcher Geovany Soto, was the recipient, the third Cubs backstop to do so.



It would only take two seasons for a Cub to be named All Rookie. Shortstop Starlin Castro made the team. Topps has promised us a card with the trophy, but it must be in series two. However, the factory team set card does have the trophy.

So there you have it, a dozen Cubs Topps All Rookies, trophies and all.

If you are curious about the number of players from your favorite team that have made the Topps All Rookie team, you can click here and do a little counting. How does your team compare to the Cubs sixteen?