Ah, Big Z.
Former Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano was an extremely entertaining guy to follow in his time with the team, if nothing else. At times, he was incredible to watch on the mound (remember the Hurricane Ike-relocated no-hitter against the Astros in Milwaukee?). At times, he was incredible to watch at the plate (a switch-hitter, Z hit 24 homers in his career). At times, he was hard to watch in the dugout (not that you could take your eyes off of him).
And at times, you just never knew what he was going to do next, in ways both good and bad.
On the whole, Zambrano pitched 11 seasons with the Cubs, accumulating 30.1 WAR in the process. He peaked in his early 20s, pairing an excellent groundball rate with unspectacular, but solid, K and BB numbers.
He was invited back to throw out the first pitch last night, and he showed that he still has some zip at age 35 (via The Athletic):
Old Cub favorite Carlos Zambrano throws out the first pitch Monday night. pic.twitter.com/8WiBB8CeGt
— The Athletic (@TheAthleticChi) May 22, 2017
Eddie Butler had the honors of catching Zambrano, and he got a little nervous:
Zambrano also visited with the faithful in attendance:
Carlos Zambrano at Wrigley tonight signing autographs for fans: pic.twitter.com/FiOH6tPmxY
— Tony Andracki (@TonyAndracki23) May 22, 2017