First, a confession. I did not like the David Ross signing when it happened in December 2014. For this reason, and maybe this reason alone, I am grateful that BP Wrigleyville did not exist at this time. I am fairly certain that I would have written a piece lauding the potential of a Welington Castillo/Miguel […]
Tag: Player Profile
Cubs Player Profile: Jake Arrieta
“I probably shouldn’t have gotten half an hour into this press conference without giving kudos to him for just an incredible, breakthrough season.” That was Theo Epstein, talking to the media the day after the Cubs had been eliminated by the New York Mets in the NLCS. He was referring to eventual Cy Young winner […]
Cubs Player Profile: Tommy La Stella
Position: 2B/3B 2015 Stats: 33 G, 75 PA, .269/.324/.403, .269 TAv, 0.2 WARP 2015 in Review: Acquired last winter from the Braves as middle-infield depth with a shot to compete for the starting second base job, Tommy La Stella quickly found himself ensconced in the team’s 60-day disabled list due to a strained oblique. Jonathan […]
Cubs Player Profile: Justin Grimm
Position: Relief Pitcher 2015 Stats: 49 2/3 IP, 3.53 DRA, 1.99 ERA, 32.8 K%, 12.8 BB%, 0.7 WARP Year In Review: This past summer was Justin Grimm’s second full year pitching out of the Cubs’ bullpen, and he played a vital part in solidifying what was the eighth-best bullpen in baseball by ERA. Grimm, 27, started 2015 on the […]
Cubs Player Profile: Pedro Strop
Position: Relief Pitcher 2015 Stats: 68 IP, 2.67 DRA, 2.91 ERA, 30.0 K%, 10.7 BB%, 1.6 WARP Year In Review: Nobody seems to take it too seriously, but the Cubs actually had an excellent bullpen in 2015—their 3.38 ‘pen ERA was fourth in the National League, behind the Cardinals, Pirates, and Giants—and Strop was a major contributor to […]
Cubs Player Profile: Anthony Rizzo
Position: First Base 2015 Stats: 160 G, 701 PA, .278/.387/.512, .328 TAv, 5.2 WARP Year in Review: This February, Rizzo came into spring training hoping to build upon a breakout 2014 season in which he slashed .286/.386/.527 over 616 brilliant plate appearances, slugging 32 home runs to go alongside a .335 TAv and 5.5 WARP, good for the 15th-best WARP […]
Cubs Player Profile: Neil Ramirez
Position: RP, Disabled List 2015 Stats: 14 IP, 3.21 ERA, 4.09 DRA, 25 K%, 10 BB% Have you heard the phrase “under-promise and over-deliver?” It comes to mind what I think of Neil Ramirez and his career so far with the Cubs. He came over as the PTBNL in the Matt Garza trade, which usually […]
Cubs Player Profile: David Ross
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]