The Cubs minor leagues have produced some great bats in recent years: Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Ian Happ, Albert Almora, Javy Baez. Where the Cubs have struggled to develop talent has been on the pitching staff. Where that might change is top prospect Adbert Alzolay. The right-hander, who signed out of Venezuela in 2012, has […]
Author: Tommy Meyers
Player profile: Rene Rivera
One of the most under the radar mid-season acquisitions by the Cubs was an absolute home run. Well, at least as much of a home run as a late August waiver claim for a third string catcher can be. That acquisition was third strong catcher Rene Rivera. Position: Catcher 2017 Stats (With Cubs): .341/.408/.591, .327 TAv in 50 plate […]
Cubs Target Profile: Brandon Morrow
While many of my other pieces this off-season have focused more on middle relief or setup options, this one will focus on the back end of the Cubs bullpen. One of the most interesting stories of the 2017 season, specifically the postseason, was the enormous success of Brandon Morrow for the Dodgers following five straight […]
Cubs Target Profile: Joe Smith
The Cubs bullpen conversations will span far and wide for the Cubs this off-season, but one of the better fits they might find is former Cub Joe Smith. You might remember Smith from his brief stint with the Cubs in 2016. Now I’m not saying that Smith is the reason they won the World Series […]
Cubs Target Profile: Seung Hwan Oh
The logic with the Cubs and Oh remains roughly the same as it was when I wrote about Pat Neshek, with one very large difference. While Neshek is coming off perhaps the best season of his career, Oh is coming off a very down year in 2017. This is precisely the reason that I think he […]
Cubs Target Profile: Pat Neshek
After a poor off-season, the Cubs will look to bolster a talented, but inconsistent bullpen heading into the 2018 season. One emphasis you’ll see as the Cubs add to the pen is finding guys who keep walks to a minimum. For the 2017 season, the Cubs bullpen led all of baseball with an 11.2 percent […]
Cubs Offseason Target: Curtis Granderson
Position: Outfielder 2017 Stats: .212/.323/.452, .285 TAv, 26 home runs How He Fits: You might be thinking to yourself, “The Cubs are already loaded in the outfield, why do they need Curtis Granderson?” Well that is certainly true, but there will be a veteran outfield spot on this team that might be need to be filled if […]
Breaking Down the September Call-Up Options
September 1st is just a few weeks away, and that means the Cubs will have the opportunity to bolster their roster with some help from the minor leagues. Here is a quick breakdown of the potential guys the Cubs could bring up and the likelihood of their call-up. The Spot Start Options Eddie Butler, RHP We’ve […]
The Unexpected Return of Dillon Maples
Coming into the 2017 season, if I had mentioned the name Dillon Maples, the reactions probably would have ranged from “Oh what could have been” to “That guy is still in the Cubs system?” After being drafted in the 14th round by the Cubs in the 2011 draft, the Cubs signed him for a steep […]
Game 77 Recap: Nationals 6, Cubs 1
What you need to know: It was a battle of the last two Cy Young winners in the nation’s capital and, you guessed it, the Cubs gave up another first-inning run, their 65th of the year. That was just the start, as things got sloppier from there. To be precise: two errors, another couple defensive […]