There are times that I feel old. Granted, my soul has always been of the ancient variety, but lately my body and mind seem to be fighting each other in an attempt to supplant my soul as the oldest. I started working full-time when I was 18 years old, and spent the next several years being […]
Author: Isaac Bennett
New Names, Same Story: Cubs Place Three in BP Top 50
The days of occult-like fan-following of the Cubs’ minor-league system have ended. It was a mania brought about by multiple factors, the greatest of which were a miserable on-field product at the major-league level, and arguably more importantly a historically* brilliant collection of talent in their minor-league system. In the span of just over one […]
SKILL, NOT LUCK: KYLE HENDRICKS EDITION
When the idea was posed by the BP-Wrigleyville staff to break down the luck/skill quotient of each of the Cubs’ five members of the starting staff, I immediately volunteered for Kyle Hendricks. It seemed like a great idea at the time: after all, I’ve already written extensively about Hendricks this season, so it should have been a breeze… or so I […]
Game 77 Recap: Cubs 9 Reds 2
Monday’s game between century-old rivals featured something that had never been done before, done by someone who doesn’t quite seem real, as Kris Bryant collected five extra-base hits, including three home runs and two doubles. His performance was one of the greatest in history, as he broke the Cubs’ record for total bases in a game, became […]
Calling For Help From Our Old Friend, Chris Coghlan
When Dexter Fowler shocked the baseball world and returned to the Cubs during Spring Training in late February, it created a glut in the Cubs’ outfield. Jason Heyward was the premier offseason free agent signing, he would start in right field. Jorge Soler and Kyle Schwarber—the hotshot kids—needed regular playing time. Fowler would of course start […]
GAME 60 RECAP: CUBS 8 BRAVES 2
After winning 23 consecutive games in which Jake Arrieta started, the Cubs then proceeded to lose two in a row. They got back in the saddle behind seven strong innings of two run ball from Arrieta today, and a glut of hard contact from the offense didn’t hurt either. If they were to go on another […]
Revisiting The Cubs’ 2015 Draft, One Year On
The Chicago Cubs entered the final five games of the 2014 season in a tight battle, only it wasn’t the joyous type we witnessed last season. This particular fight was for draft position in the impending Rule 4 draft in June, a late season position the Cubs had found themselves each of the previous five years. The […]
Should The Cubs Trade For A Lefty Reliever?
The Cubs entered play on Sunday with a record of 39-15, so it requires squinting to pinpoint any areas that require improvement via trade. The most discussed area has been the starting rotation, but the longer the season wears on, the Cubs’ existing starters appear as desirable or more than most of the options likely to be on […]
The Unheralded Professor Defies Perception Again and Again
Perception is a powerful thing. It’s a tool we all use every day, without really knowing it or understanding how it guides our path through life. It can help us—when it directs us to an answer we couldn’t quite consciously articulate without it—or it can harm us, when it forbids us from breaking free of our […]
Albert Almora, Jr.: Captain of the Next Wave
Every so often, the good Lord reaches down and touches a ballplayer with the innate ability to react in an instant to the crack of the bat. It happens so quickly, the average person misses it as they glance at their phone or sip their beverage. A drop-step and whirl before beelining to a descending baseball […]