Marketers know the trick about hype is that a little goes a long way. Too much hype becomes a vehicle for disappointment. Jason Heyward, the highest paid Cub in history playing on the most eagerly anticipated team of 2016, is sitting securely in the excessive hype danger zone. And, unfortunately for him, it feels like […]
Category: Articles
Know Your (2016) Enemy: St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals have been the model of consistency for as long as can be remembered by most fans. They went through a lull in the 1990s, making just one playoff appearance on the back of an 88-win season in 1996 and posting a winning percentage of just .488 for the decade. But Walt Jocketty took […]
Know Your (2016) Enemy: Pittsburgh Pirates
If marriage has taught me anything, it is the importance of expectations. If on a weeknight, I surprise my wife by breaking out of the mold of my boring old self and recommend we go to our favorite gastropub for burgers and drinks—rather than staying home and working as I am inclined to do—it is guaranteed that […]
Rhodes, Mateo, and More: Former Cubs Playing in Japan in 2016
One of the things I’ve learned about recently is Cubs fans’ strange obsession with nostalgia, especially from dark eras in franchise history. In an effort to meet that need, I’ve already written one nostalgia-fueled piece on this site—my debut here at BP Wrigleyville. But why stop there? Why don’t we bring back more (mostly bitter) memories of the […]
What’s PECOTA’s Beef with the Cubs’ bullpen?
Soon, we won’t have to do this. Soon, there will be actual baseball, and actual results to look at instead of (or more likely, in addition to) the projections. It’s still March, though, so I’m still spending a lot of time over at the Depth Charts, trying to get a feel for how this season […]
Know Your (2016) Enemy: Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers, after years of rough draft classes and tough breaks, are finally in rebuilding mode, and it’s pretty obvious they’ve got a long way to go. But thanks to new management, a good draft last year and a few decent trades, there’s at least a little light at the end of this dairy-infused tunnel. […]
Cactus Catchup: Bee-lieving in the Cubs
We’re nearing the last few days of Spring Training, and the Cubs are gearing up for the regular season. A couple of mild (and freak of nature) injuries aside, the Cubs look healthy, and, despite a recent streak of Spring Training losses and ties, it’s all about figuring out who goes where. Here’s a recap […]
Back Tap: How Miguel Montero Rediscovered His Opposite-Field Power
When the Cubs acquired Miguel Montero in December 2014, I was higher on the move than most. I had even written an article encouraging precisely that course of action, a few weeks beforehand. I pointed to Montero’s phenomenal numbers as a pitch framer, but also to the fact that the Diamondbacks had overused him, contributing […]
Life at the Margins: A Cubs Championship, Probably
Over at the main site, our Editor-in-Chief, Rian Watt, writes a weekly-ish column called Life at the Margins. In this week’s edition, he explores the seven times since 1945 the Cubs have come closest to a championship. We thought you’d enjoy a preview here: The Cubs currently have a 12.3 percent chance to win the World […]
Know Your (2016) Enemy: Cincinnati Reds
At any given point, there are a number of teams going through rebuilding periods; in fact, it happens quite often. That’s simply how the game works: sometimes you’re rebuilding, sometimes you’re contending. But with their rebuilding phase currently in full effect, no team currently presents as stark a contrast to the rest of their division as the Cincinnati […]