Patrick Wisdom had an interesting four years (plus two at-bats in the 2020 pandemic season) as a Cub.
He hit 28 home runs in just 106 games and 338 at-bats in 2021, setting a franchise rookie record. In
a nine-game stretch not long after being called up from Triple-A Iowa, he hit .379/.438/1.138 (11-for-29) with seven home runs. That got him named NL Player of the Week. But he also struck out 12 times in that stretch, and as was the case for Matt Mervis, the K’s were his undoing.
Wisdom certainly had his moments. He hit 23 or more homers three straight years, and for a time played a decent third base. But his defense started to slip and so did his playing time. By 2024 he was a bit player, appearing in just 75 games and hitting .175 with eight home runs.
One of those 75 games included his pitching appearance in relief of Mervis in that awful April 27, 2024 game in Boston.
Pablo Reyes, the first hitter Wisdom faced, singled. That scored the sixth run of the inning, charged to Mervis. Then Wisdom walked Tyler O’Neill, which loaded the bases.
That brought up Wilyer Abreu, who had singled earlier in the inning off Mervis.
Wisdom got him to hit a comebacker to end the inning [VIDEO].
As you can see, the first baseman taking the throw was… Mervis, who moved back there after his disastrous pitching stint.
Wisdom played the 2025 season for the Kia Tigers in KBO. He batted .236/.321/.535 with 35 home runs in 119 games… and 142 strikeouts. That was enough for him to get a minor-league deal with the Mariners with a NRI to Spring Training, so we could potentially see him play against the Cubs March 12 at Sloan Park.
I wish Wisdom well. He was well-liked as a Cub and his 84 home runs in blue pinstripes rank 35th in franchise history (tied with Ron Cey and Moose Moryn).
