While Jeimer Candelario and Ian Happ are dominating the headlines with the Iowa Cubs, starting pitchers are drawing rave reviews at Tennessee, Myrtle Beach, and South Bend. At this rate, there will be more pitchers than hitters on the top Cubs prospects lists by the end of summer. And based on the number of pitchers the […]
Category: Articles
Game 11 Recap: Pirates 8, Cubs 7
What you need to know: The Cubs gave Jake Arrieta a 4-0 lead in the first inning, and eventually the Cubs led 6-2 into the late innings. But the bullpen could not hold the lead, and a three-run blast from Andrew McCutchen put the Pirates ahead in the late innings. Despite the best efforts of a late […]
The Early Development Of Cubs Marketing
When William Wrigley took a majority share of the Cubs in 1921, he transformed the way baseball was advertised. He dedicated himself to increasing the game’s appeal and pulling in a diverse audience. Through the introduction of Ladies’ Day and the radio broadcast of every Cubs’ game, Wrigley’s innovations redefined both baseball and marketing. The […]
Game 10 Recap: Pirates 4 Cubs 2
What You Need to Know: David Freese recommenced his career-long effort to irritate Cub fans, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI. This included the game-tying single in the Pirates’ sixth after the Cubs had just taken a 2-1 lead in the previous inning. Francisco Cervelli followed with a two run double and the […]
High Leverage Stolen Bases and Reliever Usage
$228 million. That’s how much money was spent on three elite relievers this past offseason, which one could argue is less than absurd amount of prospect/young player value that contending teams have been forced to give up during the past eighteen months in order to shore up their respective bullpens. This reliever bull market is further […]
Game 9 Recap: Cubs 4 Dodgers 0
What You Need To Know: Behind solo home runs from Addison Russell and Anthony Rizzo and a solid start from Brett Anderson, the Cubs shut out the Dodgers 4-0 today to win their third straight series to open the 2017 season. Next Level: There has been a lot written about the Cubs unbelievable 2016 defensive performance and […]
Kyle Schwarber Leading Off: It’s Working
It was an interesting thing watching the (I guess you’d call it) fallout from Joe Maddon announcing during the spring exhibition season that Kyle Schwarber would set the table for the Cubs in 2017. While it wasn’t met with a ton of opposition, it has led to countless breakdowns across media outlets and the blogosphere. […]
Game 8 Recap: Dodgers 2, Cubs 0
What you need to know: Prior to tonight’s game, the Cubs received their 2016 World Series rings. This followed Monday night’s flag raising ceremony which celebrated the team’s first title since 1908. As BP Wrigleyville’s resident Dodgers fan, I am starting to wonder if Los Angeles will have to wait over a century for their next […]
Cubs Won’t Bolster Rotation At The Trade Deadline
When looking at the big picture for the Chicago Cubs moving forward, it’s pretty obvious that they will need to supplement their pitching staff relatively soon. While they have a lot of talented options on the team right now—top-tier starters and quality depth in the bullpen and down on the farm—losing three-fifths of their rotation […]
Jason Heyward’s Swing Changes Already Evident
You knew that Jason Heyward was going to be under a microscope in 2017. After the Cubs handed him the contract that they did, only for him to morph into a helpless presence at the plate in 2016, he was going to be under intense scrutiny for every soft groundball to second base in the […]