This piece, written by BP Wrigleyville’s Isaac Bennett, forms part of our in-house coverage of the Cubs in the playoffs, “Second City October.” Additional Game Four coverage can be found here. The Cubs entered tonight’s Game 4 of the National League Championship Series in a familiar position. Last year against the Cardinals, they needed to […]
Author: Isaac Bennett
Second City October: Finding Confidence In The Cubs’ Depth
I loved Aramis Ramirez. For nearly a decade he solved the Cubs’ riddle known at the hot corner, a vacuous wasteland for much of three decades after being vacated in the early ’70’s by the incomparable Ron Santo. Ramirez could hit anyone’s best heat, while still punishing breaking stuff that had even the slightest hint of loose spin. […]
Things That Scare Me; Things That Don’t
Being something resembling a serious analyst essentially requires an immediate surrendering of your “fan card.” It is for good reason, as fans tend to see things through their own biased lenses, failing to care about rational analysis during emotional moments. At BP Wrigleyville, the majority—but not the entirety—of the staff are Cubs fans. We aren’t […]
Jason Hammel’s Tenuous Hold on a Postseason Future
Jason Hammel’s 2016 season has had its ups and downs — more downs, lately, than ups — but on the whole it hasn’t been helped by the fact that he’s been part of what has been a historically good starting rotation. Hammel currently ranks 40th in ERA (minimum 100.0 IP) for starting pitchers across all of […]
Kris Bryant: Most Improved (!) Player?
We’ve all been captivated by Kris Bryant in a number of different ways this season. His baserunning has been oustanding; he’s collected 4.3 BRR this year, good for 17th best in all of baseball. His athleticism and defensive versatility fit perfectly with Joe Maddon’s mad-scientist tendencies on defense. His defensive ability at third base has […]
Bijan Rademacher: Talented Enough To Choose
A regular topic of chatter on the website of Collectively Guided Intellectual Peoples—also known as Twitter—is that of position switching: as in, could a given position player pitch effectively, or can a pitcher handle the bat well enough to be a regular position player? We were stunned by the majestic nature of a Jake Arrieta […]
Matt Murton: Journeying Through Baseball With A Purpose
“I was purposed to play…it was my calling, and I don’t think that’s by chance. Because of that, what I’ve been given with all of the experiences I’ve had in the game, I’ve been given the opportunity to really not only enjoy this game, but there is also an opportunity to give back. The biggest […]
Trevor Cahill’s Role: The Backup Man With a Plan
As last season fades into a distant memory while a new one takes its place in the minds of fans, you can be certain that the reasons for failure are still fresh in the minds of the Cubs’ front office. The Cubs’ inability to hit the Mets’ vaunted pitching staff in the NLCS led Theo […]
Ranking Russell Over Bryant: Midseason Update
We’ve now all seen enough of Kris Bryant and Addison Russell to understand just how special they are individually. To have them playing at the same time, on the same team, on the same side of one infield is a tremendous blessing; one we shouldn’t take for granted, as we may never see a left-side combination […]
Brian Matusz: Living Out A Childhood Dream
I’ve never known a child who didn’t have dreams. Whether it’s wanting play baseball professionally, wanting to be a princess, or perhaps wanting to be a garbage collector (as my nephew currently aspires to be), there seems to be no limit to what you believe you can achieve when you’re five years old. The requisite skill, royal lineage, […]