The 2016 Chicago Cubs won the World Series due to a variety of factors, but their defense was something they could truly hang their hat on. Their historically good defense led the league, by a large margin, with a .731 Defensive Efficiency Rating, according to MLB.com, and a .745 Defensive Efficiency, according to our Baseball […]
Author: Randy Holt
Albert Almora Is Real and He Is Spectacular
I’ve thought and written quite a bit about Albert Almora, Jr. the last couple of offseasons, pondering his overall role and whether there was a long-term place for him in the Cubs’ outfield. A crowded group that came into the season featuring Jason Heyward, Kyle Schwarber, Ian Happ, and Ben Zobrist already, there were legitimate […]
What Is Going On With Addison Russell?
The struggles of some players can be characterized as relatively black and white. Addison Russell’s come with a ton of gray. With an offense that has been somewhat hot and cold early in the season, no player has brought about the consistent frustration that Russell has, at the plate, on the basepaths, or occasionally in […]
Why Is The Outside World So Down On Kyle Schwarber?
Maybe it was the Mets series in 2015. Maybe it was a wildly down half year that resulted in a demotion to Triple-A in 2017. Maybe it was a misplay and then a broken shoe over the weekend in St. Louis. Regardless of what caused it, there isn’t a ton of optimism to go around […]
Anthony Rizzo’s Slow Start Not Much More Than Bad Luck
The early numbers do not paint a pretty picture for Anthony Rizzo. His recent body language also doesn’t indicate too many positives for the Chicago Cubs’ cornerstone. But as frustration has mounted, and even continues after back-to-back games with home runs, there’s still very little to worry about in regard to the Cubs first sacker. […]
Is It Too Early to Throw Around the Elite Tag for Javier Báez?
Javier Baez is known for throwing around insanely quick tags with those lightning-fast hands of his. But is it too early to be throwing around something of our own? Baez has gotten off to an extremely fast start for a Cubs offense that has demonstrated many things for us to be excited about early in […]
On The “Right” Way & Javier Baez’s Continued Evolution
After a personal hiatus from all things writing, what better way for me to get back into the saddle than to focus on the primary object of my affection: Javier Baez? The Cubs’ infielder has given us no shortage of things to talk about (some of which he’s responsible for and some of which he’s […]
Is There a New Ceiling for Kyle Schwarber?
Since he was drafted in 2014 out of Indiana, and subsequently called up in 2015, Kyle Schwarber has always represented something of a polarizing player for the Chicago Cubs. Is he a catcher or is he a DH? Can he play the outfield at an average level? Is he all power at the plate? There […]
Does Kyle Schwarber’s Improved Fitness Mean Improved Defense?
Kyle Schwarber has been a popular topic during Cubs’ spring camp to date, primarily due to his astounding transformation from a burly outfielder/hopeful catcher to a slim & sleek only-outfielder. Coming off of the year that he had, in which he slugged 30 homers but ran into some unbelievably bad luck (.214 BABIP), Schwarber’s production […]
Should We Be Questioning Addison Russell’s Defense?
While it’s not a majority opinion in any sense, there are definitely those who believe that the long-term future of the Chicago Cubs at shortstop lies in the hands of Javier Baez, rather than Addison Russell. There is, frankly, a legitimate element of this that stems from Russell’s reported issues away from the field, but […]