David Ross Position: Catcher 2015 Stats: 72 G, 182 PA, .176/.267/.252, .203 TAv, -0.3 WARP Year in Review: We can now all officially exhale and say that, no, David Ross wasn’t exactly what many hoped for on the field in his debut year with the Cubs. Yes, we know what Ross can do, and […]
Tag: Offseason
Jason Heyward: Potential Offseason Target
Position: Right Field 2015 Stats: 610 PA, .293/.359/.439, .294 TAv, 9.2% BB%, 14.8% K%, 5.9 WARP How He Fits: There are times when expectations can cloud our reality. You compare a player to Hank Aaron and instantly visions of a middle-of-the-order bat sending 40-plus balls into the seats each season come to mind. However, through […]
Cubs Player Profile: Kyle Hendricks
2015 Stats 32 G, 180.0 IP, 3.95 ERA, 3.87 DRA, 22.6 K%, 5.8 BB% Year in Review “If broadcasters are right about the keys to pitching success—get ahead of hitters, change speeds, avoid walks—Hendricks is destined to be a booth favorite. The Dartmouth product doesn’t have great stuff but he commands it well, varying his […]
Julio Teheran: Potential Offseason Target
Julio Teheran Position: Right-handed Starting Pitcher 2015 Stats: 200.2 IP, 20.3 K%, 8.7 BB%, 2.0 WARP, 4.04 ERA, 4.21 DRA How He Fits: In the last edition of ‘The Beer List,’ my primary assertion was that intelligent front offices must find value wherever it may lie, and then have the courage to leverage those valuable assets when necessary […]
Austin Jackson: Potential Offseason Target
Position: Outfield 2015 Stats: (Cubs & Mariners) 527 PA, .267/.311/.385, 5.5% BB, 23.3% K, 1.7 WARP How He Fits: Austin Jackson came over to the Cubs from the Mariners on August 31st, playing mostly the corner outfield spots for the Cubs in the final month of the season. He earned a spot on the postseason […]
Alex Gordon: Potential Offseason Target
Position: Outfield 2015: .271/.377/.432, .299 TAv, 2.9 bWARP (limited to 104 games and 422 plate appearances after missing nearly two months with a groin injury) Customarily, I don’t like to ladle out hot takes, but this being Thanksgiving week, I want to share my bounty of steaming takes with you, the BP reader. Gather around, everybody, […]
Cubs Player Profile: Javier Baez
Position: Shortstop, Third Base, Second Base 2015 Stats: 28 G (74 MiLB GP), .289/.325/.408, .268 TAv, 0.4 WARP, 1 HR, 4 R, 4 RBI (MLB stats only) Year in Review: This feels like the only reasonable place to start: For everything he endured in 2015—injury, heartache, and the assured internal struggle of watching his friends succeed at the highest level before he […]
Jeff Samardzija: Potential Offseason Target
Position: Right-handed SP 2015 Stats: 214 IP, 17.9 K%, 5.4 BB%, 1.8 WARP, 4.96 ERA, 4.31 DRA How He Fits: There are two ways of thinking among Cubs fans on how Jeff Samardzija fits with the Cubs; some say he’s a tremendous fit, others say “no way.” But the simple fact is that one of […]
Building a Better Bullpen: Theo Epstein and Free Agent Relievers
In the early weeks of the offseason, with trade rumors galore and free-agent names like David Price and Jason Heyward being thrown around, it is a bit difficult to get excited about the Cubs’ offseason bullpen options. But—make no mistake—the Cubs do have interesting questions in the bullpen that they will have to answer. From […]
Cubs Player Profile: Travis Wood
2015 Stats 54 G, 100.2 IP, 3.84 ERA, 3.91 DRA, 28.2% K%, 9.3% BB% Year in Review If there is one thing baseball writers and analysts love, it’s spending hours on Twitter discussing their favorite television show (on a related note, head to @AndrewFelper for my vitally important thoughts on Fargo and Brooklyn Nine-Nine). If […]