Expectations were high as Jake Arrieta took the mound at Wrigley Field for the first time since his latest gem in a series of dominant starts. That gem just happened to be his first career no-hitter, so everyone was asking ‘How can he top that?’ Even though he gave four puny humans permission to reach […]
Author: Stan Croussett
Getting to Know Willson Contreras
There is a profile among baseball players that I really like. Whenever I spot guys who have the tools that flash big-league potential, yet are being held back by inconsistencies and/or polish, I want to see how they work to iron those out. That’s one of my favorite parts of winter ball. Cubs Double-A catcher […]
Capping the Crunch: How the Cubs’ Deadline Deals Might Resolve Their Winter Dilemmas
Predicting the actions of the Chicago Cubs’ front office is usually a simple task, not because I’m somehow informed as to what they’re going to do ahead of time, but because Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein think practically. They often go for the safe move. They think of a situation and every single angle from […]
Joey Votto Has Been Good to the Cubs
You read that headline right. Joey Votto has been good for the Cubs. Let me take you back a bit. It was 2008 and the Cubs were coming off a playoff season. There was hope for a good year, at least for the 15-year-old version of me. I had grown attached to a young catcher […]
Christmas in July
I was born in 1993 in the Dominican Republic. More specifically, I lived my early years in a campo of Cotui in the province of Sanchez Ramirez near the center of the island. If you look up satellite pictures of Cotui on Google Maps, you’ll see some nice things. That isn’t where I’m from. You […]
The Adjustments of Javy and Mendy
Baseball is a game of adjustments. We’ve all heard that line. We’ve heard it so much that I wouldn’t blame someone for saying it’s a cliché. But it isn’t a cliché. It’s true. Baseball is a game of adjustments, especially at the major-league level. One trick ponies—whether they’re position players or pitchers—tend to have limited […]
What the Cubs May Do with Their Soon-To-Be Rule 5 Eligible Prospects
Photo courtesy Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports I’m anxious. We all know that the Cubs have the best farm system in MLB thanks to guys like Kris Bryant, Jorge Soler, Addison Russell, and the other half-dozen names you’ve been bragging to your coworkers about. But there are other guys, really talented guys, who give the […]