Position: Relief pitcher, likely starter in 2017 2016 Stats: 100 IP, 2.52 ERA, 3.89 DRA, 90 cFIP, .262 oppTAv Year in Review: Every successful team needs a few of the players who are willing to shoulder the unglamorous grunt work in order to make a run at a championship. The task of turning an unparalleled regular season […]
Category: Articles
Player Profile: Jon Lester
Position: Starting pitcher 2016 Stats: 202.7 IP, 24.8 K%, 6.5 BB%, 2.44 ERA, 3.10 DRA, 90 cFIP, 5.3 WARP Year in Review: What more could you ask of Jon Lester in 2016? One more literal glove flip? Another walk-off squeeze bunt? A less nerve-wracking Game 7 relief appearance, ideally not featuring a wild pitch that […]
Offseason Plan: Lefty Relievers
As the Chicago Cubs head into the holidays after a fairly active winter meetings, we take a look at the next complementary piece. The bullpen as of today includes newly-acquired Wade Davis as their closer with primary setup men Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop, and Carl Edwards Jr. The is a very good, but entirely right-handed ground. […]
Transaction Analysis: Brian Duensing
This piece, previewed here, is part of Baseball Prospectus’ “Transaction Analysis” series, which covers all trades and signings around the league. It originally ran on December 5. The Cubs reached into the archives and grabbed a left-handed reliever in Duensing. He gave fans in Minnesota plenty to be happy about earlier in his career, and […]
PLAYER PROFILE: ANTHONY RIZZO
Position: First Base, first in Cubs fans’ hearts. 2016 Stats: .292/.385/.544, .334 TAV, 7.o WARP Year in Review: How do you review something that Hollywood couldn’t do justice to in a movie script? A century of futility artfully ending as the dashing leading man slips as he fires the ball into the trustworthy mitt of his affable […]
Player Profile: Pedro Strop
Position: RP, slightly cocked to the left 2016 Stats: 41.1 IP, 32.1 K%, 8.0 BB%, 2.85 ERA, 2.39 DRA, 1.4 WARP Year in Review: The above numbers are… good. Strop had, statistically, his best season as a major leaguer in 2016, with career bests in strikeout and walk percentage. His 2.39 DRA was good for […]
The Bullpen’s New 1-2 Punch
And just like that, the Cubs have three of the last four pitchers to record the final out in a World Series. Even with the departure of Aroldis Chapman, Chicago possessed a cadre of formidable bullpen holdovers. Pedro Strop and Hector Rondon had, after all, handled the duties of closing out games for much of […]
Player Profile: Carl Edwards Jr.
Position: RP, Closer 2016 Stats: 36 IP, 37.7 K%, 10.1 BB%, 3.75 ERA, 2.46 DRA, 1.0 WARP Year Career in Review: Did you watch the World Series documentary on FS1 the other day? For me, it was a chance to revisit the highs and lows of some very emotional games. Other than shaving a couple […]
Player Profile: Jake Arrieta
Position: Starting pitcher 2016 Stats: 197.1 IP, 23.9 K%, 9.6 BB%, 3.10 ERA, 4.02 DRA, 3.0 WARP Year in Review: 2016 was a banner year for the Cubs. Of course, I don’t simply mean that metaphorically — there will be a literal banner raised come April 2017 to celebrate the team’s first World Series championship […]
Player Profile: Jon Jay
Position: Center field 2016 Stats: .291/.339/.389, .271 TAV, 1.6 WARP in 373 plate appearances Year in Review: Jon Jay was the first main acquisition of the Cubs’ 2016 offseason. Jay, as most remember, was drafted in the second round by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006. His best season in the minors was in 2008 […]