Last summer I watched Jake Arrieta no-hit the Dodgers, and it was awesome. But it wasn’t as exciting as Carlos Zambrano’s no-no seven years prior. That one had all the drama going for it: an emotionally erratic hurler with control issues, coming off extended rest, aiming to snap a 36-year dry spell by Cubs pitching. […]
Tag: joe maddon
“I Want Us To Think Well”: Joe Maddon’s Biggest Spring Concern
Something is different in Cubs’ camp this year. For the first time in recent memory, Chicago has a team that can reasonably be expected to win a World Championship when the book closes on 2016. If they don’t win a championship, in fact, it’ll be because something went wrong with a very good team (as it […]
How Far Can You Actually Take That Pesky Washington Nationals Comparison?
Good news, Cub fans! After a breakout 2015, in which the team won 97 games, hired a new, exciting manager and called up most of their top prospects (all of whom, of course, excelled once in the big leagues), Chicago has just gone and had the best offseason of any major league team! They signed Ben Zobrist […]
How Joe Maddon Has Added Hidden Value to the Cubs
“Particular managers may make it easier for teams to sign and retain players, while others make it harder.” — Baseball Between the Numbers, Baseball Prospectus Joe Maddon doesn’t step into the batter’s box every night and hit 450-foot rockets into the right-field bleachers. He doesn’t gun down runners at home plate. And he doesn’t get lost […]
Cubs Manager Profile: Joe Maddon
Position: Manager 2015 Stats: 97-65; Best Onesie Party Ever Some people don’t like to give managers credit for anything a baseball team accomplishes during the season. It’s the players, the argument goes, that step onto the field and determine whether a team wins or loses on any given day. The manager simply decides who plays where […]
Upgrading the Run Defense: A Team Effort
A few years ago, I decided to prank my wife for her birthday. She’d been complaining about how bad her camera was (a previous gift from yours truly—and most definitely not a prank) and she wanted something that took better pictures. Which meant—hint, hint—a new camera. So her birthday rolled around and she opens her card […]
Playoff Prospectus: Missed Opportunities Haunt Cubs: NLDS Game 1 ($)
This piece, by BP Wrigleyville’s Editor-in-Chief Sahadev Sharma, first appeared at the Baseball Prospectus main site and is exclusively available to BP subscribers. We’ve posted a sneak preview here. Let’s be clear: I don’t believe in second-guessing managers. I spend a lot of time around clubhouses during the season, and one of the many things I’ve […]
Joe Maddon and the Potential for a Bullpen Game in the NLDS
Joe Maddon has recalibrated our understanding, as Cubs fans, of a manager’s ability to run a baseball team. For every stroke of statistical savant, there’s the nurturing development side that Maddon facilitates. He rides his bike, keeps it loose, and keeps baseball in perspective. The fans expected Maddon to reach the .500 mark in Year One. […]
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 […]
The Playoffs, through Horn-Rimmed Glasses
On the day of his introduction as Cubs manager, Joe Maddon declared, “I’m gonna talk World Series this year.” Since that beginning, the eminently quotable Maddon has continued to embrace bold predictions while keeping the young Cubs loose yet focused, and players like Anthony Rizzo have echoed the confident tone set by their philosophical skipper. And, at last, […]