It’s extremely difficult to think of a player who has the ability to change the game on a dime in the way that Javier Baez can. In the past few weeks, the injury to Addison Russell has seen the door open to an everyday role for Baez, with the impact being felt at the plate, […]
Author: Randy Holt
Has 2017 Been the Best Case Scenario for Albert Almora?
As the 2017 season got underway, one of the more questionable elements of the active roster was Albert Almora Jr.’s place on it. With the signing of Jon Jay, the likelihood that Ben Zobrist would see some time in the outfield, and the existence of Kyle Schwarber and Jason Heyward, it remained to be seen how much […]
Javier Baez: Acknowledging The Good Over The Bad and The Ugly
It has taken about 1,100 plate appearances at the Major League level, but we’re finally getting a sense of who Javy Baez is. Not that his skill set wasn’t always relatively apparent. But in his age 24 season in which he’s already logged almost 340 of those PAs, there’s finally some semblance of balance in […]
Kyle Schwarber’s Battle with BABIP
Kyle Schwarber is not as bad as the bulk of his numbers this season would seem to indicate. In fact, there’s one really telling stat that lends hope to the idea of Schwarber being quite a bit better than his statistics have advertised this year. Because he is hitting .181 and reaching base at a .299 clip […]
Is a Larger Role in the Cards for Albert Almora Jr.?
Before the season began, one would have hoped that what we would’ve heard more about Albert Almora Jr. than whether he flipped off Donald Trump during the Cubs’ White House visit or not. But as the end of July approaches, that’s where we stand with the young centerfielder, as his impact has been relatively minimal. […]
Ian Happ Not Entirely Overmatched on Defense
In a first half packed with disappointment and mediocrity from all aspects of the roster, Ian Happ has represented a true bright spot for the Chicago Cubs. He’s hit up and down the lineup, leading the team in isolated power, at .290, and trailing only Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo in OPS (.870). While it […]
Kris Bryant Is Still Getting Better
Maybe it’s the general lack of explosiveness on offense. Maybe it’s the low batting average. Maybe it’s the struggles of the team overall. Or maybe it’s the ankle injury that had some writing him off for far longer than just the two days he actually missed because of it. Regardless of the cause, it seems […]
Javier Baez: Slight Mechanical Adjustments a Cause for Hope
Javier Baez had a really nice game in Sunday’s series finale against the Cincinnati Reds. The next time the Cubs take the field, Javier Baez might have a not-as-nice game. Such is the life with a player that possesses both enormous upside and fundamental flaws in his approach and his mechanics. Just when you think he […]
Justin Grimm Showcasing More Than A Return To Form
The frustration of fans on the North Side has found its way around the roster throughout this up-and-down 2017 campaign. Almost nobody has been safe from the blame game for a team lingering around .500, including many members of a bullpen that has been a strong element of a largely inconsistent club, ranking third in […]
Willson Contreras’ Offense Is On The Rise
As frustrating as this season has been on the North Side of Chicago, many continue to hold out hope that at any given moment, this Cubs team is going to break out in a big way. We’ve seen some signs of it, though it has yet to materialize into anything resembling consistency, especially on the […]