Ernie Banks
Banks hit 512 home runs while playing most of his career at shortstop for awful Cubs teams, making him baseball's most relentlessly optimistic superstar. His two MVP awards in 1958-59 came during back-to-back last-place seasons — a feat unmatched in baseball history.
The numbers tell a curious story. That career 96 OPS+ suggests league-average offensive production, but context matters. Banks played shortstop until 1961, when few at the position could match his power. His 512 homers ranked fifth all-time at retirement, most by a shortstop until Alex Rodriguez.
"Mr. Cub" embodied joy in a joyless franchise, coining "Let's play two!" while the Cubs went 20 seasons without a winning record during his tenure. His 1970 campaign — listed as his best statistical season — actually represented his decline phase at age 39, highlighting how his peak years in the late 1950s defined his legacy.
Career · Batting
19 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | CHC | 10 | 35 | 2 | 6 | .314 | — | — |
| 1954 | CHC | 154 | 593 | 19 | 79 | .275 | .753 | — |
| 1955 | CHC | 154 | 596 | 44 | 117 | .295 | .941 | — |
| 1956 | CHC | 139 | 538 | 28 | 85 | .297 | .887 | — |
| 1957 | CHC | 156 | 594 | 43 | 102 | .285 | .939 | — |
| 1958 | CHC | 154 | 617 | 47 | 129 | .313 | .980 | — |
| 1959 | CHC | 155 | 589 | 45 | 143 | .304 | .970 | — |
| 1960 | CHC | 156 | 597 | 41 | 117 | .271 | .904 | — |
| 1961 | CHC | 138 | 511 | 29 | 80 | .278 | .852 | — |
| 1962 | CHC | 154 | 610 | 37 | 104 | .269 | .809 | — |
| 1963 | CHC | 130 | 432 | 18 | 64 | .227 | .695 | — |
| 1964 | CHC | 157 | 591 | 23 | 95 | .264 | .757 | — |
| 1965 | CHC | 163 | 612 | 28 | 106 | .265 | .781 | — |
| 1966 | CHC | 141 | 511 | 15 | 75 | .272 | .747 | — |
| 1967 | CHC | 151 | 573 | 23 | 95 | .276 | .765 | — |
| 1968 | CHC | 150 | 552 | 32 | 83 | .246 | .756 | — |
| 1969 | CHC | 155 | 565 | 23 | 106 | .253 | .725 | — |
| 1970 | CHC | 72 | 222 | 12 | 44 | .252 | .772 | 109 |
| 1971 | CHC | 39 | 83 | 3 | 6 | .193 | .572 | 84 |
| Career | 2528 | 9421 | 512 | 1636 | .274 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.