Here are the top Cubs players of the decade

CHICAGO -- Think of the Cubs of your youth. Depending on which generation of baseball you grew up on, there will be a different set of players coming to mind.

Kerry Wood, Greg Maddux or Fergie Jenkins. Aramis Ramirez or Ron Santo. Sammy Sosa, Andre Dawson or Billy Williams. Derrek Lee or Mark Grace. The list of Cubs greats -- whether it's a Hall of Famer, legend or cult hero -- will change as each era flashes through your memory.

As we close the book on another decade, which Cubs players of this generation have left a lasting mark? Here is our list of the top 10 Cubs players of the past 10 years.

1. Anthony Rizzo
Seasons: 2012-19

The title of Mr. Cub belongs to Hall of Famer Ernie Banks, but that nickname could just as easily be applied to Rizzo for this era on the North Side. Through rebuilding and rejoicing, Rizzo grew into a star and leader with the Cubs. It was fitting that the first baseman caught the final out of the 2016 World Series, ending the Cubs' 108-year championship drought.

Statistically, no Cubs player has more WAR (29.7 per FanGraphs) than Rizzo during the past decade. Along the way, he climbed to eighth on the franchise's all-time home run chart (217) and first in being hit by a pitch (141). Rizzo has earned three Gold Glove Awards, made three All-Star teams and finished in the top four in MVP Award voting twice. Oh, and he has a 0.00 career ERA.

2. Kris Bryant
Seasons: 2015-19

The woes of 2012 helped position the Cubs to pick second overall in the '13 Draft. Chicago used that selection on Bryant, who quickly became a cornerstone piece to the core that would lead the Cubs to baseball's mountaintop. Bryant won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in '15, and then won the NL MVP Award and picked up a World Series ring in '16.

With 138 homers, Bryant surpassed Ernie Banks for the most home runs in the first five seasons of a Cubs career. In the past 10 years of Cubs baseball, Bryant's WAR (27.8), RBIs (403), runs scored (486) and homer totals are second only to Anthony Rizzo. Fittingly, it was Bryant who threw the ball to Rizzo for the out that clinched the 2016 World Series triumph over Cleveland.

3. Jon Lester
Seasons: 2015-19

The Cubs' approach to constructing a core in the latter half of the decade focused on acquiring a group of young impact position players in the Draft. Pitching could be obtained via other avenues. When Lester signed a six-year, $155 million contract to come to Chicago prior to the 2015 season, it signaled that the Cubs were moving out of their rebuild and pushing for the World Series.

The Lester signing will go down as one of the most important deals in Chicago's long, storied franchise history. His 74 wins in the past decade pace all Cubs pitchers, and he turned in a 3.54 ERA with 898 strikeouts against 275 walks in 941 2/3 innings in that time period. Lester has made two All-Star teams with the Cubs and finished as the runner-up for the NL Cy Young Award in 2016.

4. Jake Arrieta
Seasons: 2013-17

On July 2, 2013, the Cubs pulled off one of the most lopsided deals in team history, reeling in Arrieta from the Orioles. Two years later, the right-hander was a force atop Chicago's rotation. In '15, Arrieta went 22-6 with a 1.77 ERA -- he posted an 0.75 ERA in the second half -- en route to the NL Cy Young Award. His performance in the '15 Wild Card Game in Pittsburgh was the stuff of legend, and let the world know that the Cubs had arrived.

In parts of five seasons with the Cubs, Arrieta went 68-31 with a 2.73 ERA and 793 strikeouts against 244 walks in 803 innings. Since 1921, no Cubs pitcher with at least 800 innings has a lower ERA. Between the Cy Young Award season, capturing a World Series and twirling a pair of no-hitters, Arrieta's legacy with the Cubs will live on for generations.

5. Javier Báez
Seasons: 2014-19

The Cubs picked Báez with the ninth overall selection in the 2011 Draft, and what they got was a player oozing with raw talent, but also with a big, violent swing prone to striking out. What the Cubs have now is "El Mago" -- one of the faces of baseball. Báez learned how to maximize his strengths, helping him blossom into one of the most dynamic shortstops in the game. He was the NL MVP Award runner-up in '18, and he has started in each of the past two All-Star Games (at second in '18 and shortstop in '19). Between his offensive power and artistry in the field and on the bases, Báez is a must-watch act for the Cubs.

6. Kyle Hendricks
Seasons: 2014-19

Hendricks came to the Cubs as a relatively unheralded farmhand -- acquired as part of the 2012 trade that shipped Ryan Dempster to Texas -- and has since developed into a steadying presence in the rotation. His 19.2 WAR (per FanGraphs) ranks first among all Cubs pitchers for the past decade, in which he went 63-43 with a 3.14 ERA and 3.75 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 966 innings. Hendricks won an ERA title in '16 (2.13) and fashioned a 1.42 ERA in the '16 postseason, which included him starting Game 7 in Cleveland.

7. Ben Zobrist
Seasons: 2016-19

The signing of Jon Lester gave the Cubs a veteran leader for the pitching staff. When Chicago signed Zobrist prior to the 2016 campaign, it had a similar impact for the lineup. Zobrist's style of hitting -- he had nearly as many walks (228) as strikeouts (237) in his time with the Cubs -- provided a great example for the young hitters around him. He made the All-Star team in '16 and then won the World Series MVP Award. It was Zobrist's go-ahead double in the 10th inning in Game 7 that put Chicago on its path to a parade a century in the making.

8. Pedro Strop
Seasons: 2013-19

Getting Jake Arrieta in the 2013 trade with the O's was enough of a heist for the Cubs, but they also acquired one of the best relievers in club history in that deal. Strop, who is famous among Cubs fans for wearing his hat tilted slightly to the left, appeared in a team-leading 411 games in the past decade. That puts him sixth on the club's career list, too. Strop's 2.90 ERA in that stretch is the lowest mark among the seven Cubs pitchers in history with at least 400 appearances. That included posting a 2.61 ERA from '14-18.

9. Kyle Schwarber
Seasons: 2015-19

Selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2014 Draft, Schwarber has launched 110 homers with 244 walks, 255 RBIs and 265 runs in his career to date. He has belted some of the more famous homers in recent Cubs history, too. Atop that list would probably be his shot to the top of the right-field scoreboard at Wrigley Field in the '15 NL Division Series against the Cardinals. His return from injury in time for the '16 World Series will forever be a part of Cubs lore.

10. Willson Contreras
Seasons: 2016-19

With apologies to the likes of Jason Heyward, Dexter Fowler and Starlin Castro, Contreras rounds out this list. He caught more games than any other Cubs catcher in the last decade and developed into one of the Majors' best offensive catchers in the process. Contreras has an .821 OPS in his career to go along with 67 homers and 227 RBIs in 436 games. He started behind the plate for the NL in '18-19, making Contreras the first Cubs catcher to start in consecutive All-Star Games since 1936-37 (Gabby Hartnett).