At the beginning of this season, I was a staunch advocate of accelerating Kyle Schwarber’s ascendance to the Cubs’ big-league roster and everyday lineup. Schwarber put up monster numbers in the minor leagues, making even Kris Bryant’s dominance look pedestrian at certain developmental mile markers, and while there was an argument for allowing his defensive […]
Tag: Chris Coghlan
Seven Surprises from the 2015 Cubs Season
The Cubs have already surprised a lot of knowledgeable people by winning 97 games and making the playoffs this year. How did they do it? A lot of it was pretty predictable: Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant led the offense, while Jon Lester put together a very good season after a rocky start. But a lot of […]
How Chris Coghlan Updated to Version 2.0
When Chris Coghlan won the NL Rookie of the Year award for the Marlins in 2009, he was a high-contact singles hitter for whom a home run was a special occasion. Six years later, after a career crisis and unlikely revitalization, Coghlan is again a productive outfielder, this time with a skillset bearing little resemblance […]
That’s So Cub: A Look at the Top August Contributors and Moments
It’s the beginning of September, which not only means that kids head back to school and beer gardens become a lot less fun, but also that I, as I have since the beginning of time the beginning of the season, will sit down and write about the top Cubs’ contributors and moments from the previous month. If you want […]
Kyle Schwarber, Chris Coghlan, and Contributing on Both Sides of the Ball
The Cubs have made a big statement, through their actions over the last few years, about their commitment to building the organization internally, both through player development and by trading for young, cost-controlled players. This strategy has resulted in the team drafting, signing, or trading for young, budding stars such as Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Jorge Soler, […]
That’s So Cub: A Look at the Top July Contributors and Moments
It’s the beginning of August, which means not only that the dog days of summer are officially here, but also that I, as I have since the beginning of time the beginning of the season, will sit down and write about the top Cubs’ contributors and moments from the previous month. If you want a brief technical summary of […]
BP Digital Magazine: Cubs Midseason Update Edition
It’s been a fun season on the North Side of Chicago. For the first time since 2008, the Cubs are relevant, and their young core has them in position to make it to the playoffs—and possibly the promised land—come October. The starting pitching has been excellent, the bullpen inconsistent at times but with flashes of […]
That’s So Cub: A Look at the Top June Contributors and Moments
Today is July 1st, which means that my favorite holiday of the year—the Fourth of July—is just around the corner, that I will be moving back to Chicago from London tomorrow, and that I, as I have since the beginning of time since the beginning of the season, will sit down and write about the top Cubs’ […]
Fixing the Cubs Offense
The Cubs offense isn’t exactly lighting up the scoreboard. Despite a .711 team OPS in June (narrowly, the best of any month to date), they’ve scored only 100 runs in 26 June games. In fact, 74 games into their season, they’re on pace to score fewer than 650 runs for the campaign. They could keep […]
Chris Coghlan and Trading BABIP for Power
Photo courtesy of David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports Looking around the diamond these days, Cubs fans can be forgiven for feeling a little bit smug. Ensconced at six of the eight non-pitching positions are players who have either been an All-Star (Anthony Rizzo, Starlin Castro, and Miguel Montero) or been a BP Top Twenty prospect (Kris […]