A college ambiance accompanied me for Game One of the NLCS as I joined an unsurprisingly, but definitely out of character, raucous Ravenswood scene at a local establishment. Sports bars ride the crescendos of the main event, and if you look back into your memories and squint, you can see yourself manifested as a patron […]
Author: Mauricio Rubio Jr.
Bottoms Up
It was August of 2013, and the Cubs were nowhere near a playoff spot. It was just another game in a seemingly endless morass of meaningless competition against a team that was far superior in almost every aspect. The Cardinals were in town and they were in the middle of kicking the crap out of […]
NLDS Game 2 Recap: Showed Up
In Game One, the Cubs were pulled back into reality a bit after experiencing the highs that come with winning a win-or-die game against Gerrit Cole. John Lackey completely shut the Cubs offense down, Jon Lester performed valiantl, but the Cardinals got their timely hits in, and Pedro Strop had another meltdown against a team […]
Scouting Report: Gerrit Cole
Gerrit Cole Physical Profile Big, tall, workhorse body; dominating presence on the mound; low three-quarters arm slot with elite-level arm speed. Raw Stuff Fastball – 94-98 with serious run lower in the velocity band; sinks it when needed; excellent extension with elite command. Slider – 86-88; 10-4 movement; plus command; hard double-plus breaking action with […]
Young Cubs: Transitions And Goodbye For Now
This is the last Young Cubs update of the year. Let’s not get overly sentimental or sappy here; there’s an exciting MLB playoff chase to watch and these kids will (mostly) be here when we reconvene in April. Let’s get to it: Top 10 Name Level Stats Gleyber Torres Hi-A Myrtle Beach .287/.346/.376, 3 HR, […]
The Ballad of Jon Lester: Start 27
This start as a song: My Pal Foot Foot – The Shaggs’ art resembles music just enough to be classified as such. At first blush this loosely composed collection of sounds is grating on the ears almost to the point of being offensive, but then you hear the undercurrent of what’s going on and realize […]
Young Cubs Special Edition – The Arizona Fall League
Arizona’s brick red landscape is paved with unfulfilled potential and broken promises; the kinds of stories that you read about years later and wonder what the hell you were thinking exactly. Arizona is also home to the types of stories that make you want to believe in projection, plus bat speed, elite fastballs, and breaking […]
Young Cubs: Almora Stays Hot, Johnson Notes, Baez Dazzles
Sorry for skipping the week wrap, here’s an extra meaty edition to make up for it. Top 10 Name Level Stats Gleyber Torres Low-A South Bend 3-for-19, 7 SO Ian Happ Low-A South Bend 2-for-18, 2 RS, 1 RBI, 6 SO Billy McKinney Double-A Tennessee 7-Day DL Albert Almora Double-A Tennessee 9-for-21, 4 RS, 1 […]
Young Cubs: Torres and Happ Struggle, Villanueva Homers, and Enter DJ Wilson
Not a lot of time left in the minor-league season, le’ts get right into it: Top 10 Name Level Stats Gleyber Torres Low-A South Bend 1-for-12, 1 RS, 1 BB, 4 SO Ian Happ Low-A South Bend 2-for-14, 2 RS, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SO Billy McKinney Double-A Tennessee 7-Day DL Albert Almora Double-A […]
Young Cubs: Blackburn, Tseng, Baez and Edwards Jr.
Kyle Schwarber leaves the top ten lists as he is now beyond the 130 plate appearance threshold for rookies. Ian Happ enters as the next logical choice for inclusion in the top ten. Let’s get into it. The Week That Was Top 10 Name Level Stats Gleyber Torres Low-A South Bend 1-for-12, 1 HR, 2 […]