Inside The Cubs

Chicago Cubs Slugger Passes Franchise Legend on All-Time Home Run List

The Chicago Cubs have a long history of impressive home run hitters, and one of their infielders recently moved himself to the top 15 in franchise history.
Jeremy Trottier|
Jun 19, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ (8) hits a two-run home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the seventh inning at Wrigley Field.
Jun 19, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ (8) hits a two-run home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the seventh inning at Wrigley Field. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs have had an awe-inspiring 2025 campaign, standing atop the National League Central standings.

This success has come from a wide variety of sources. The Cubs' pitching has been solid, and their offense has been among the best in the league. Various players have had exceptional individual seasons.

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One of the players who has gone a bit under the radar compared to previous seasons is outfielder Ian Happ, despite being on a relatively similar trajectory to his 2024 and 2023 campaigns. His defense has taken a slight step back compared to those years, but his production at the plate has rapidly improved in terms of most counting stats and efficiency in some cases.

Through 67 games played, he is slashing .250/.343/.423 with 49 runs, 38 RBI, 11 home runs, four stolen bases, and 70 strikeouts to 39 walks. This has allowed him to accrue 2.0 bWAR, more than half his 2024 total in 86 fewer games.

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In the team's most recent game, he surpassed another long-time Cubs player to move into the top 15 home run hitters in franchise history, putting him among some of the best players of all time in the category.

In Saturday's game against the Seattle Mariners, Happ hit two home runs from the leadoff spot, helping propel the team to a 10-7 victory.

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By doing so, he moved into the top 15 home run hitters in franchise's history. He surpassed former Cubs MVP Kris Bryant for 15th on the list, picking up his 161st home run to move one clear of him.

What is notable is the number of games it took each to reach that mark, with Bryant getting there in 833 games while Happ took 1,056 games. Granted, Happ had a pretty heavily injured 2019 campaign mixed into his career.

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The next few up on the list to track down are Andre Dawson (174 home runs), Derrek Lee (179 home runs), and Alfonso Soriano (181 home runs). It will be very interesting to see which of these franchise icons Happ is able to catch up with and potentially surpass as early as this season.

For more Cubs news, head over to Cubs On SI.

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Jeremy Trottier
JEREMY TROTTIER

Jeremy Trottier started his writing journey with WBLZ Media, and has worked through multiple publications with 247Sports, USA Today, Fansided, SBNation and others. He is an avid fan of motorsports and most sports in general, and has completed a degree in sports management to further understand the sports industry. During his time with sports media, he has been credentialed for coverage of Boston College sports, and can often be found attending their football and basketball games as well as expected coverage of their men’s soccer team in the near future. Sports are a large part of his life and career, as he looks to pursue a full time role within the industry someday