Coming into the season, one of the only positions to be solidified on a largely firm roster was that of centerfield. The Cubs brought in Jon Jay to serve as a left-handed option to compliment Albert Almora as he eased into the role of starting centerfielder. It was assumed that Jason Heyward would slot in […]
Author: Randy Holt
Miguel Montero: Examining His Early Role & Resurgent Production
I’ll be honest. I was not particularly excited about Miguel Montero as a member of this team, at least on paper, heading into the 2017 season. And there was likely a significant group that figured he’d be traded at some point after his strong words about (lack of) playing time and (lack of) communication that […]
The Continued Evolution of Addison Russell
It’s absurd to think about the idea of Addison Russell being an overlooked element of the Chicago Cubs. But with performances and personas like that of Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, and Javier Baez, it ultimately isn’t all that surprising. While three of those four have made their mark with their offense first, Russell […]
Time for Javy Báez to Hit the Reset Button
Let me preface all of this by acknowledging that we’re barely two weeks into the 2017 season, and with sample size in mind, it’s extremely difficult to make too much of an assertion about a lot of things at this point. This isn’t meant to be a hot take or a panicky one in any […]
Kyle Schwarber Leading Off: It’s Working
It was an interesting thing watching the (I guess you’d call it) fallout from Joe Maddon announcing during the spring exhibition season that Kyle Schwarber would set the table for the Cubs in 2017. While it wasn’t met with a ton of opposition, it has led to countless breakdowns across media outlets and the blogosphere. […]
Jason Heyward’s Swing Changes Already Evident
You knew that Jason Heyward was going to be under a microscope in 2017. After the Cubs handed him the contract that they did, only for him to morph into a helpless presence at the plate in 2016, he was going to be under intense scrutiny for every soft groundball to second base in the […]
Brett Anderson And Cautious Optimism
Before I delve into my main purpose here, isn’t optimism an interesting thing? Before November 2nd, 2016, optimism was a seemingly foolhardy concept for anything having to do with the North Side. But since then, we’re living in a new world where I can toss the word in the headline, even with the “cautious” qualifier, […]
Cactus Catchup: Schwarber, Cuts, and a Starting Rotation
Putting in Work Kyle Schwarber flashed some versatility at the plate on Wednesday. He led off the game with a bunt single and hit a two-run shot later in the game. While it remains to be seen how often we should expect to see the former from Schwarber throughout the season, it just goes to […]
Examining Justin Grimm’s 2017 Role in Chicago
Justin Grimm has always been a player that carries a lot of intrigue for me. At one point, his role was an uncertain one, because he had some elements of his game that were reminiscent of a guy who could slot into the rotation long-term. Of course, that never quite came to fruition. Instead, he’s become […]
Javier Baez and Playing the Game “The Right Way”
Allow me to step on my soapbox for a moment here. I am tired of folks screaming about baseball and “the right way” to play it. Whether it’s old school players and coaches who had the game pass them by years ago or traditionalists who still believe that RBIs are indicative of a player’s ability […]