When I was a kid growing up in Guatemala, I collected baseball cards. I had too many of them, so I had to come up with a system to decide which cards made it into a book I kept, and which ones sat stacked in a drawer, alone and unloved. If a player was “good,” […]
Category: Articles
Opposing Starters in Hot Water Facing Cubs
The Cubs have been one of the best teams in Major League Baseball to start 2016. That point isn’t debatable, nor is it a revelation. The pitching has been arguably the best in the majors, and the defense is elite. The offense has outscored everyone (they are tied for first in the majors in runs scored despite […]
Game 27 Recap: Cubs 5 Nationals 2
I’m not saying the Cubs are going to win 110 or more games. All I’m saying is that the way to win 110 or more games is to sometimes get one when you’re a long way from full strength and the opposing starter is on top of his game and you’re sending your fifth guy […]
Series Preview: Washington Nationals, May 5-8
The 2016 Chicago Cubs are essentially the 2015 Washington Nationals. The 2016 Nationals are finally playing the way everyone expected the 2015 Nationals to play: well. The 2016 Cubs were hoping to avoid the fate of the 2015 Nationals. Confused yet? All you need to know is that the 2016 Chicago Cubs are what the 2015 Nationals […]
Ahead of the Curve As Always, Theo’s Plan Finds Imitators
“Tanking” is one of the buzzwords of the 2016 season as several also-rans are blowing up their big league teams in an attempt to rebuild and not bothering to hide their intentions. After one month of baseball, for example, it’s clear that if Bryan Price tried to hand Reds players shirts that said “Try not […]
Game 26 Recap: Cubs 6 Pirates 2
Top Play (WPA): Sometimes, it’s the play you expect to see at the top that ends up there. Today was one of those days. Although he hasn’t exactly come out of the gate guns blazing, Ben Zobrist has been a steady presence in the Cubs’ lineup, and it was his three-run home run in the third inning (+0.297) that […]
The Sustainability of Jason Hammel’s Early Success
In nearly any other year, more of the space here at BP Wrigleyville would be devoted to lauding the early success of Jason Hammel, who, in some ways, has outshone his colleagues in the starting rotation, but we are in the midst of a pitching showcase from Jake Arrieta that is otherworldly, so the work of […]
In May, Cubs Will Face New Challenges
The Cubs currently have a run differential of +83. The next best team’s run differential? +40. The North Siders finished April with a 17-6 record. They won seven of 10 home games. They saw Jake Arrieta throw his second career no-hitter. They currently own the second best bullpen and rotation in the NL. They aren’t just […]
Game 25 Recap: Cubs 7 Pirates 1
Can routine dominance become boring? From 1991 through 2005, the Atlanta Braves won 14 consecutive National League East division titles. During the first nine of those seasons, they finished lower than fourth in NL home attendance just once. In the next five seasons, they never finished higher than sixth in attendance, and twice finished tenth. Braves […]
That’s So Cub: April’s Top Contributors and Moments
April was a hell of a month for the Chicago Cubs. They lost Kyle Schwarber for the season, called Munenori Kawasaki up to the big leagues, lost him to Triple-A Iowa shortly thereafter, and tied a 109-year-old record for wins in the month (17). Let’s take a look back at the month’s top performers, and […]