Chicago Cubs
2015 Win/Loss Record:
97-65, 3rd in National League Central, 2nd Wild Card
Last Postseason
Appearance: 2015
Last World Series
Championship: 1908
Key Arrivals: Ben
Zobrist (2B/OF), Jason Heyward (OF), John Lackey (P)
Key Departures: Starlin
Castro (IF), Austin Jackson (OF)
Manager: Joe
Maddon, 2nd year, W/L 97-65 (878-794 in 12 seasons with Angels, Rays
and Cubs)
Overall Review: After a bit of a
sluggish start, the Cubs played well enough to finish with the third best record
in all of baseball. They would have finished first in any of the other five divisions,
but instead finished third in the NL Central. Thanks to the second wild
card added in 2012, the Cubs made it to the postseason, defeated the Pirates in
the Wild Card game, then upset the Cardinals in the NLDS before ending the
season with a whimper by getting swept by the Mets in the NLCS.
Although they were picked to win
the World Series 25 years ago by the writers of Back To The Future II, the Cubs
still have the longest championship drought in professional sports at 107
years. This could be the year the Cubs finally end that drought as they have
talent that can rival any team in baseball. After acquiring free agents Jason
Heyward and John Lackey from the Cardinals, Chicago not only strengthened their
team but weakened a division rival as well.
Offense: What a talented bunch this is.
Let’s start with first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who led the offensive charge in
2015 by batting .278, smashing 31 home runs and adding 101 RBIs. Rizzo was an
All-Star and finished fourth in MVP voting. Third baseman Chris Bryant also had
a stellar year, batting .275, hitting 26 homers and falling one short of a 100
RBI season at 99. Bryant won the NL Rookie of the Year Award and should
continue to play well in 2016.
Heyward joins the Cubs line up
after one year in St. Louis after spending five seasons with the Braves. In
2015, he batted .293, hit 13 homers and added 60 RBIs. Ben Zobrist will most
likely play second base, but he can also play in the outfield, if need be. At
the plate, he batted .276, hit 13 home runs and added 56 RBIs while splitting
the season with Oakland and the World Champion Royals. This will be Zobrist’s
first season in the National League, but a player of his calibre shouldn’t have
any trouble adjusting.
Pitching: The Cubs have the reigning Cy
Young Award winner in Jake Arrieta, who led the National League in wins (22),
complete games (4) and shutouts (3). He also had a miniscule 1.77 ERA while
striking out 236 batters. He will be joined at the top of the rotation by Jon
Lester, who had a rather disappointing season in 2015 after being the big
free-agent pick up before the year began. He had an 11-12 record with a 3.34
ERA and 207 strike outs in 205 innings. He’ll be looking to turn it around this
year. John Lackey joins the starting staff from the Cardinals, where last year
he went 13-10, 2.77 ERA and 175 strike outs. The other two starters will b Kyle
Hendricks and Jason Hammel but one has to wonder when the next former Red Sox
pitcher will join the team.
Hector Rondon will be in his
third year in the closer’s role. Last year he was 6-4, with 30 saves and a 1.67
ERA. He struck out 69 in 70 innings pitched. Bullpen help will come from Pedro
Strop (2-6, 2.91, 81 and three saves), Travis Wood (5-4, 3.84, 118 and four
saves) and Justin Grimm (3-5, 1.99, 67 and three saves.)
Prediction: The Cubs will be
competitive once again. They should finally overtake their arch rivals, the
Cardinals, but will have a little more trouble with the Pirates. While the Cubs
will be the sentimental favourite again, they will finish second in the
division behind Pittsburgh. However, both teams may be good enough to finish
one-two in the overall standings.
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