How do you greet a friend? With a hug? A handshake? A kiss? Whatever it is, in all likelihood it involves contact. Oftentimes, this greeting, however it’s made, can be very telling; it’s a small but crucial bit of information. That’s item one. Item two? Studies show that newborns thrive on skin-to-skin contact with both mother and […]
Author: Sahadev Sharma
Cubs Enter Critical Offseason with Greatness on the Horizon
The Cubs are entering the most important offseason of the Theo Epstein era, perhaps—for this organization—the most important offseason of all time. While last winter was no doubt crucial—and the Cubs’ brass passed that test with flying colors in their acquisition of Jon Lester, Miguel Montero, and Dexter Fowler (among others)—this time around the front office will […]
Eventually, Every Party Ends
My son hates leaving parties. The second I broach the topic and let him know that our departure is imminent, the tears start to well up and it’s hard to stop. My response is always the same. “Sawyer, nobody likes to leave a good party. You think I like to leave a party? But eventually, […]
Playoff Prospectus: The Cubs Have a Running Problem — NLCS Game Three
This piece, by BP Wrigleyville’s Editor-in-Chief Sahadev Sharma, first appeared at the Baseball Prospectus main site and is available free for all to enjoy. We’ve posted a sneak preview here. The Cubs bullpen, which has been stout this postseason, gave up three runs. The offense, a group that carried them in the second half, was once […]
Heat Gets the Headlines, but Command Is Key
The Cubs are good at hitting fastballs. They rank second in the NL with a .399 slugging percentage against pitches 96 mph and greater. The Cubs are bad at hitting fastballs. They rank 13th in the NL with a .230 batting average against pitches 94 mph and greater. Anthony Rizzo hit .372 against pitches 96 […]
Playoff Prospectus: NLCS Preview — Cubs vs. Mets
This piece, by BP Wrigleyville’s Editor-in-Chief Sahadev Sharma, first appeared at the Baseball Prospectus main site and is available free for all to enjoy. We’ve posted a sneak preview here. Do I have to say it? Are you really going to make me say it? Fine, I’ll say it: These are not the same Mets that […]
How the North Siders Created a New Cubs Culture
All we really have as an organization is each other. —Theo Epstein There were moments during Tuesday’s NLDS clincher when things could’ve easily slipped away. The Cubs were down 2-0 before they’d even stepped to the plate and they were opposing a pitcher who’d held them hitless for five innings just a few days before. […]
Playoff Prospectus: Party Time in Wrigleyville — NLDS Game Four
This piece, by BP Wrigleyville’s Editor-in-Chief Sahadev Sharma, first appeared at the Baseball Prospectus main site and is available to everyone for free. We’ve posted a sneak preview here. The plan all along was for this Cubs team to be built on offense. After clinching a trip to the club’s first NLCS in a dozen years, […]
An off Night for Arrieta, but Not for the Team
I think it’s safe to say that Jake Arrieta wasn’t as crisp on Monday evening as we’ve gotten accustomed to. Of course, the Cubs bats were able to pick him up with a historic offensive performance, but it was a little startling to see Arrieta walk off the mound with just two outs in the […]
Bryant Looking to Get off the Ground
Kris Bryant doesn’t hit into double plays. It’s just not his thing. In 650 plate appearances this regular season, Bryant grounded into seven double plays. His 34.2 percent groundball rate is 14th lowest in baseball for players with at least 400 plate appearances. He’s also deceivingly fast and always busts it out of the box, […]