Cubs “One Hit” Wonders – #5 – Les Lancaster

Taking a look back at the 10 players who had one really good or great year in their career while they were with the Cubs.

Year: 1989
WAR: 4.0
+2.3 WAR = 57.5% Improvement

It is very difficult for a reliever to produce a high Wins Above Replacement value, due to lack of innings. For example, the reliever with the highest WAR in MLB in 2025 was Aroldis Chapman, at 3.5. In 2024 Emmanuel Clase had a 4.4 and Tanner Scott had a 4.0. In 1989, closers Jeff Montgomery (at 4.6) and Mark Davis (at 4.4) were the only relievers with a WAR at 4.0 or higher, except for a middle reliever/setup man for the Chicago Cubs: Les Lancaster.

Lancaster had been drafted by the Yankees in the 24th round of the 1981 draft, and by the Rangers in the 39th round of the 1983 draft, but did not sign with either team. He signed as an amateur free agent with the Cubs in 1985, after finishing his college career at Dallas Baptist University (transferring from Arkansas).

Here was a brief profile from Dallas Baptist: https://dbupatriots.com/news/2013/8/9/BB_0809134043.aspx

The Cubs tried him as a starter in 1987, but he was moved to the bullpen in 1988, with decent results ( he had a 3.78 ERA in 44 games – but only a 0.3 WAR).

And then in 1989 Lancaster broke out with one of the better relief seasons in Cubs’ history. And with Mitch Williams and (to a lesser extent) Jeff Pico and Calvin Schiraldi, provided the Cubs with a division winning bullpen.

He had a miniscule 1.36 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 2.20 FIP, and a 3.73 SO/BB ratio, walking only 15 hitters in 72.2 innings.

Unfortunately, Lancaster was not as effective in the NLCS against the Giants, giving up 4 earned runs in 6 innings, including 3 home runs – but 3 of those runs (and 2 of the homers) came in game 2, when the Cubs had a 9-2 lead, and he ended up getting the win. The Game 3 home run was much more painful, with the Cubs taking a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the 7th, Paul Assenmacher gave up a single to Brett Butler, and then Lancaster came in and gave up a huge 2-run home run to Robby Thompson, leading to the final 5-4 margin in favor of San Francisco. With the series tied 1-1 at that point, i t appears to have been the turning point in the series.

Lancaster would follow up his great ’89 season with a mediocre 4.62 ERA in 1990, but had a slight bounce back as a swingman in 1991, with a 3.52 ERA over 634 appearances – 11 of them starts. He then moved on in 1992 as a free agent to have a disastrous year in the Detroit bullpen, with a 6.33 ERA, and finished his MLB career with the Cardinals in 1993, posting a solid 2.93 ERA over 50 games, but only amassing a 0.7 WAR. He spent some time in the minors for Toronto and Cleveland, and pitched in the Independent League until 2001, until the age of 39, playing in places like Pine Bluff, Tupelo, Grays Harbor and Adirondack (like the chairs).

He only had 11 ABs in 1989, but one of them was a game winner, which Bleed Cubbie Blue recounted here: https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/7/20/18660258/today-1989-cubs-history-reliever-walkoff-hit