1996 Cubbies That Became Cubs

 Five players in the 1996 Rockford Cubbies team set made it to the show.  Four of the five had time with the Cubs.  Three of the five are position players while just two pitchers made it

 

Kyle Farnsworth had the most notable career.  He lasted 16 years which includes the first six with the Cubs.  His record over the 16 years was 43-66 and his ERA was 4.26.  And because we live in crazy times, those numbers earned him over $37 million dollars.

The MLB career of Ishmael Villegas was a Moonlight Graham career, one game.  The Cubs traded him to the Braves in June, 1996.  He made it to the bigs in 2000 and pitched on one game for the Braves.  He lasted 2 2/3 innings, gave up four runs (including two homers), and never took a major league mound again.

 

Jose Molina made his MLB debut with the Cubs in 1999.  He was released after the 2000 season and hooked up with several teams over the next several years.  He ended up with a  15-year big league career, playing for five different teams.

 

Jose Nieves spent parts of five seasons in the majors, three with the Cubs and two with the Angels.  He was a utility infielder and hit .242, just what you'd expect for the position.

 

The major league career of Bo Porter lasted three seasons.  He was with the Cubs in 1999, moved to Oakland in 2000, and finished up with the Rangers in 2001