Today’s Cubs Birthdays (December 26)

~Dave Rader 1948 (Cubs 1978)
Rader was a Cub for only one season (1978), and he hit only .203 that season, but all three Cubs catchers in 1978 sported tremendous mustaches (the other two were Tim Blackwell and Larry Cox).That’s a feat that may never be replicated. Rader also caught for the Giants, Cardinals, Phillies and Red Sox in his big league career.

~Chris Carpenter 1985 (Cubs 2011)
Not to be confused with the great Chris Carpenter who pitched for the Cardinals, this Chris Carpenter was a reliever. The tall righthander showed some promise in his rookie season with the Cubs (2.79 ERA), but he was traded to the Red Sox during spring training in 2012, and developed arm problems shortly after the trade. He hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since.

~J.C. Boscan 1979 (Cubs 2013)
The Venezuelan catcher played in the minor leagues for 18 seasons, but he did get a few tastes of action in the big leagues with the Braves and the Cubs. He caught six games for the Cubs in 2013.

~Harry Taylor 1907 (Cubs 1932)
The first baseman was only 24 years old when he got his only taste of the big leagues on a simply loaded Cubs team. The 1932 Cubs team featured four Hall of Famers (Gabby Hartnett, Billy Herman, Kiki Cuyler & Burleigh Grimes), and oddly enough, three guys with the last name of Taylor, including Harry (the other two were Zach and Danny).

~Doc Farrell 1901 (Cubs 1930)
Doc had a long and successful big league career. The middle infielder played for the Cardinals, Giants, Yankees, and Red Sox in addition to the 1930 Cubs. That 1930 Cubs team blew the pennant in the last few weeks of the season, costing manager Joe McCarthy his job.