Chicago Cubs: Top 20 best hitters in franchise history

Aramis Ramirez was one of the most clutch hitters the Cubs organization has ever seen. He played his first five seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates before being traded to the Cubs in 2003. In the second half of the 2003 season, Ramirez slashed .259/.314/.491 with 15 home runs and 39 RBI to help the Cubs secure a playoff spot.

He would put up over 30+ home run seasons in the next three years during non-playoff seasons. Ramirez missed a bunch of time in the 2009 season when he tried to field a Ryan Braun batted ball in Milwaukee and dislocated his left shoulder.

Perhaps his most clutch performance came against those Brewers on June 29, 2007 when the Cubs trailed 5-0 early on but clawed their way back to make it a one-run game in the bottom of the ninth. Ramirez cranked the first pitch he saw from Francisco Cordero to give the Cubs a 6-5 win and their seventh straight win.

This moment is often viewed as the turning point of the 2007 season where the Cubs’ front office spent big in the offseason but started the year off sluggishly. Ramirez, along with Derrek Lee, made for quite the 1-2 punch in the Chicago lineup.

He led the National League in doubles in 2012 (50) while playing for the Brewers. In his nine years with the Cubs, Ramirez slashed .294/.356/.531 with 239 home runs and 806 RBI. The slugger had walk-off home runs against the Brewers, the Chicago White Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals during his tenure on the North Side.