The most fascinating players on the field on Wednesday night in Pittsburgh are likely to be Gerrit Cole and Jake Arrieta. They’re the aces, after all. They’re the huge names around whose matchup anticipation so nicely formed in the final days and weeks of the regular season. Starting pitchers take center stage during the postseason, if […]
Tag: Miguel Montero
Miguel Montero and the Vagaries of Variance
On Friday afternoon, Miguel Montero’s throw to second base tailed off into center field, allowing the Braves’ Andrelton Simmons to advance to third base. It was the sixth inning of a one-run game, and so I was understandably upset. So upset, in fact, that I lashed out with some ungentlemanly language, using an epithet (#Cubes) […]
These Old(-Er) Cubs: Veteran Presence on the 2015 Cubs
It takes a village, or so people always say. This is, of course, certainly true of the 2015 Cubs. The team is hot right now, and the focus has been on the rookie group of Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Jorge Soler, and Kyle Schwarber. There’s no question that the youngest members of the Cubs have […]
Will Miguel Montero Benefit from a Three-Catcher Rotation?
When discussing correlations in the baseball world, I’ve found that you’re pretty much never going to be able to convince everyone up front that you’re not pointing out a causal relationship. If you mention a correlation—no matter the sample size or your caveats—folks will invariably laud you as having discovered the explanation for something, or (on the other hand) […]
Them Wild-Eyed Boys That Have Been Away: How the Full-Strength Cubs Should Look
On Wednesday night, as the Cubs fought in vain to keep their winning streak alive in Pittsburgh, Miguel Montero and Tommy La Stella toiled in Tennessee. Their situations are very different. Montero is trying to hurry back from a sprained thumb that appeared it would steal most of his second half; La Stella is trying […]
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 […]
Rise and Fall and Rise: Miguel Montero and Sinkers
Last Thursday’s news that Miguel Montero will open the second half on the 15-day disabled list with a hand injury was certainly disappointing. While his OPS has dropped more than 100 points in the past month, he remains an above league-average hitter (.272 TAv and 104 OPS+), who provides power, an ability to draw a […]
A Quartet of Carnage
If you follow the Cubs at all—and I’m assuming you must, if you’re coming to this site—then you’re well aware what their issues have been of late: the offense. During this recent stretch of run-scoring ineptitude, there have been multiple culprits, but it’s a trio of vets and a young rookie who have stood out. […]
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’ […]
That’s So Cub: A Look at the Top May Contributors and Moments
Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports Yesterday was June 1. This means, I am semi-reliably informed, that it was President’s Day in Palau, and also that it’s time for me to take a look back at the month that was—in this case, May—and provide for you, dear readers, a summary of the top Cubs’ contributors […]