Let’s get straight to the point: here’s a look at some stolen base numbers from last season. Feast your eyes! Team Stolen Base Ranking (Win Ranking) Team Stolen Base Leader(s) MLB Ranking 1 (29) Cincinnati Reds Billy Hamilton 2 2 (18) Arizona Diamondbacks A.J. Pollock 4 3 (10) Houston Astros Jose Altuve 5 4 (24) Miami Marlins […]
Category: Articles
Spoiler Alert: The Cubs’ Bench Options in 2016 Are Good
Something that is so often overlooked when determining how solid a club is going into a new season is the strength of its bench. Though a bench may not be filled with the star-studded names you see on the backs of shirseys (or even, you know, jerseys) in the stands, the players it houses sometimes end up being the “dark […]
Expectations, Narratives Changing at Wrigley as Ownership Evolves
The first time I went to Wrigley Field was in April of 2003. It was cold. Quite cold, in fact, but the atmosphere was not. Fans were relaxed—warmed up by cold beer—and I got to see Kerry Wood strike out 13 Pirates in a 4-0 shutout. We were newcomers to the party, but the instant […]
From Altman to Murton: A Brief History of Cubs in NPB
Readers, I have a confession to make: I own a Matt Murton shirsey. This is, of course, an elliptical way of saying that I’ve got a soft spot for the redheaded outfielder. And so naturally, I was ecstatic when the Cubs signed Murton to a minor-league deal early yesterday morning. And although Murton will likely start his […]
Ranking Russell over Bryant: A Year Later, Does It Hold Up?
It isn’t always easy to remember that just 10 short months ago Kris Bryant and Addison Russell had yet to debut in the major leagues. The joy and surreal nature of the 2015 season left indelible memories that we won’t soon forget, but it also served to firmly establish each of these young men as fixtures on […]
Paper Champs: Thinking of 2004 on the Dawn of 2016
Expectations are a funny thing. The Cubs went from expectations of another rebuilding year in 2015, with only the possibility of contention, to expectations something near to “World Series or bust” in just one year’s time. I started planning my first trip to Wrigley Field last October, when I expected the Cubs to beat the Mets. My […]
Miggy the Mentor
We are good. That’s the first thing that many Cubs fans learned about Miguel Montero, who was traded from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Cubs in December of 2014. Montero, now somewhat famously, rushed to Twitter that day to let everyone know how excited he was to be with the young squad of blossoming hitters. […]
Hello Again, Old Ginger Friend: What Might Matt Murton Be for the Cubs?
Time is, indeed, a flat circle. Last Wednesday night, reports emerged that the Cubs have signed Matt Murton to a minor league deal, thus reuniting with the Georgia Tech product for the first time since 2008. Upon hearing of the expected reunion, Cubs Twitter descended into what can only be described as bouts of sheer happiness. So, let’s talk about Matt […]
Kyle Schwarber, Catcher
There’s a certain joy in baseball players that make the game look easy, but for me, nothing tops a player who is obviously putting all of their available effort into performing at their highest possible level on the field. Kyle Schwarber is the archetypal example of that type, and like many of those players, he […]
Why Aren’t the Cubs Shifting All That Much?
In the fourth game of the 2015 National League Championship Series, down 3-0 in the series, the Cubs had their backs against the wall. And in the top of the first inning, Lucas Duda set the tenor of the game when he drilled a three-run shot into center field on a full count offering from starter Jason […]