On April 10th, the Cubs will play their first real game at Wrigley since the World Series, and they’ll do so against the Dodgers. The rematch of the NLCS should be a well-played series between two evenly-matched teams. This offseason, many comparisons of the two teams have been made, and the consensus seems to be […]
Category: Articles
Past Bullpen Compositions and What Maddon Is Looking For
With Cubs pitchers and catchers having reported to Arizona just last week, the honeymoon period of the Cubs’ World Series victory draws to a close and the competition for spots on the 2017 25-man roster begins. One of the more interesting battles figures to be between the Cubs’ bullpen arms, all jockeying to grab one […]
Projecting John Lackey at 38 and Beyond
John Lackey enters 2017 at 38, after 14 years and almost 2700 innings in the major leagues. The sample of starters who have been pitching at that age, let alone having success, is relatively small. Lackey’s made it there; what then should—or could—we expect from him? The projections naturally give us a starting point. PECOTA […]
Composite Top Prospect List
As an extreme prospect nerd, the months leading into the season is always one of my favorite times of year. Prospect ranking is extremely subjective, perhaps more of an art than a science, so it’s no big surprise that rankings often differ quite greatly from one another. While there is usually a bit of consensus […]
Sam Jones And The Golden Toothpick
It’s always ones of baseball’s greatest gifts to fans (and writers) when one game or moment stands as a summary of a player’s career. Popular plays include Jeter’s flip in game 3 of the 2001 ALDS, “The Catch” by Willie Mays, and Nolan Ryan punching Robin Ventura. In 1955, Cubs pitcher Sam Jones created another […]
Cactus Catchup: All Quiet on the Mesa Front
In to every life a little rain must fall, even in the valley of the sun. The Cubs finished their first weekend of full squad workouts with a few days of rain, moving hitters indoors and limiting outdoor activities to playing catch. Here at BP Wrigleyville’s Worcester (MA) Bureau, where we are staring out the windows at […]
Dispatch from 2124 (108 Years From Now)
The world is a very different place than it used to be. That is, except on the baseball diamond. Sure, the rules have changed slightly and legends have come and gone, but inevitably baseball has remained exactly what it has always been since its inception. It’s a distraction. It’s a national pastime. It’s a game […]
Cactus Catchup: The Walk Before the Squat
This post-World Series offseason was the shortest in Cubs history, but in many (many) ways it felt very long. On Tuesday, though, at least a light semblance of baseball returned, and to the relief of fans everywhere. The Cubs are back in Mesa, and that means the return of our Cactus Catchup series, in which we’ll […]
2017 is make or break for Hector Rondon
While the magic that was the Chicago Cubs 2016 World Series run is still a vivid memory in the minds of fans, one thing that isn’t looked back on as fondly is the strain put on the Cubs relievers down the stretch. The same strain that nearly cost the Cubs a victory in Game Seven against […]
Going “All In” on Willson Contreras in 2017
It seemingly took all of a few minutes into spring camp for the Cubs to make their intentions clear for their young catcher Willson Contreras. His transition to the role as the Cubs’ no. 1 catcher will also feature a role serving as Jon Lester’s personal backstop. This is significant news for a catcher coming […]