After a one month absence, Ryan and Isaac get together to chat about the recent HAPPenings with the Chicago Cubs. Jake Arrieta’s strong start against Milwaukee is discussed, which leads into more trade discussions about starting pitching. The guys also discuss the hot bats of Ben Zobrist and rookie Ian Happ, and later go into […]
Tag: Ben Zobrist
Is This the Start of Ben Zobrist’s Decline?
Good old Ben Zobrist. You always know exactly what you’re getting from him: great patience, solid average and power, and the kind of positional flexibility that helps Joe Maddon sleep at night. His TAv has been over .280 for six straight years; his wRC+ has never been below average since he became a major league […]
Ben Zobrist’s Aging Curve
This past month, the Cubs have discovered that one of the nice things about returning most of the core from a 103 win World Series champion is that there isn’t a lot of Spring Training drama. With most of the roster decisions already decided by mid-February, it’s up to the beat writers to create their […]
Who should lead off for the Cubs in 2017?
The Chicago Cubs’ high-powered offense contributed to much of their success in 2016, and much of the third-ranked 808 runs they scored was due to the production of Dexter Fowler at the top of the order. Fowler had been the lead-off man on the North Side since he was acquired in 2015 and for two […]
A Playing Time Nightmare
Perhaps you saw the ending to Puerto Rico’s Tuesday night victory over the Dominican Republic in the second round of the World Baseball Classic. Perhaps you witnessed Javier Baez make another improbably good and unreservedly fun play. Perhaps you even questioned the veracity of that play’s result. But then again, perhaps you didn’t. For those […]
Signs Point to Defensive Growth in Cubs’ Outfield
The Chicago Cubs have received a great deal of praise over the past calendar year for their defense, and it’s with good reason that they’re constantly lauded for what they achieve with the leather. This is especially true of the infield. When you’re talking about a group that includes Gold Glover Anthony Rizzo, a player […]
Don’t get too attached to Ian Happ
During the rebuilding years, an essential part of being a fan of the Chicago Cubs was falling in love with the current batch of prospects and following their progress through the minors with almost as much (or more) fervor as the big league team. While there isn’t quite the embarrassment of riches down on the […]
Player Profile: Ben Zobrist
Ben Zobrist Position: Second base, occasional corner outfield 2016 Stats: .272/.386/.446, .306 TAv, 18 HR, 96 BB, 82 K, 631 PA, -9.4 FRAA, 4.1 WARP Year in Review: The Cubs front office had made it vehemently clear that in 2016 they desired a lineup with a strong, patient plate approach. It was almost hidden between the lines in […]
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 […]
More Dollars Than Sense In Atlanta Makeup Game
For most of the first half, the Cubs gave us a season relatively free of neurosis and paranoia. Then the last two weeks of the first half happened. And all of a sudden, it was like the soundtrack to Wrigley Field’s pregame hype video changed from Imagine Dragons’ “Warriors” to the theme from Curb Your Enthusiasm. […]