When this era of success at Wrigley Field comes to an end, and sportswriters are writing their farewell pieces and reminiscing about the memorable moments, there’s a good chance that player development and the pipeline of young talent that Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer, Jason McLeod have built will be central to the overall storyline. And […]
Tag: Adjustments
Ben Zobrist: A Tale of Three Seasons
The Chicago Cubs entered the 2016 season as the consensus favorite to win the World Series, with no shortage of intriguing options on the mound and in the field. For me, the area that stood out above the rest was the growth and development of the offense. After the always dependable (but still only 26-year-old!) Anthony […]
Javier Baez, Refined
The prospect of some positional comfort going into his mid-30s, after years of being moved all over the diamond, helped lure Ben Zobrist to the Cubs this past offseason. He had been promised the starting second base job and a reunion with his old skipper, a situation in which he was poised to succeed, but […]
In The Background, Rizzo Continues to Improve
Consistency can be mundane. Among a plethora of new and exciting things to talk about on the North Side these days, all with their own idiosyncrasies, and all shedding new light on this ever-changing club, consistency often takes a back seat. Anthony Rizzo is the perfect example of that. His elite plate approach, packed with […]
Grounded: A Close Look at Jason Heyward’s Disappointing 2016 at the Plate
My first exposure to Jason Heyward came, as it did for many Cubs fans, in the first at-bat of his career—a home run off of then-Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano. At the time, I remember being rather disappointed with the event itself (Zambrano’s final line for that game: 1 1/3 innings pitched, six hits, and eight earned […]
Bryant’s Sophomore Statement: Warm is the New Hot
“We have Kris Bryant, and you don’t.” Typically, it’s a trademark majestic bomb that motivates the popular fan jibe, but on June 27, 2016, it was three of them, plus two doubles thrown in for good measure. On that night, at least, Kris Bryant’s awesome offensive firepower was the story du jour. But closer observation revealed a more striking trend. Through a purposeful effort […]
Calling For Help From Our Old Friend, Chris Coghlan
When Dexter Fowler shocked the baseball world and returned to the Cubs during Spring Training in late February, it created a glut in the Cubs’ outfield. Jason Heyward was the premier offseason free agent signing, he would start in right field. Jorge Soler and Kyle Schwarber—the hotshot kids—needed regular playing time. Fowler would of course start […]
The Best is Yet to Come: Soler in Context
“I heard him say ‘thank you’ at Starbucks. I thought that was a big step.” Initially chuckle-inducing, it didn’t take long for the profound meaning behind Joe Maddon’s comment to sink in. Now four years into his contract with the Cubs, Jorge Soler’s adaptation to life in the U.S. is not only noteworthy, but still […]