A lot has been written about how good the 2016 Cubs are. The articles began immediately after the Mets quickly dispatched of them in the 2015 NLCS. They increased significantly after the Cubs signed Jason Heyward and John Lackey away from division rival St. Louis. We’ve all marveled at some of these numbers and have thoroughly enjoyed watching the Cubs beat …
Cubs 5, Nats 2 (5/5/16)
OSS: “Zobrist high-fiving so hard that he nearly fell down is a pretty good microcosm for the season.” – umbra Three up: Zobrist had most of the RsBI today, with a bases clogged single in the fourth and an insurancey two run homer in the eighth. The Cubs ended up needing those extra runs, as the Nats finally broke through in …
Cubs 6, Pirates 2 (5/4/16)
OSS: What is best in life? To crush your enemies, to drive them before you, to hear the lamentations of their fanbase. Three up: Ben Zobrist was the WPA hero of the day, mostly due to a three run homer in the third inning that ended up as the nominal GWRBI. You just can’t make any mistakes against this Cubs lineup …
Cubs 7, Pirates 1 (5/3/16)
OSS: Fuck, this team. Three up: I don’t even know who to single out here, the Cubs are kicking ass and taking names from one of their main competitors for a playoff spot despite having three of their top position players out for injuries of varying severity. Tim fucking FedEx, the backup-backup-backup catcher was the top position player in WPA. Arrieta walked two batters …
Cubs 7, Pirates 2 (5/2/16)
OSS: Cubs rack up Cole’s pitch count for the second game in a row and chase him early. Three up: Anthony Rizzo paced the Cubs in WPA on the day, mostly due to a game tying double in the third inning and another in the fifth. It is great to see the hits dropping for him again. David Ross had the other …
Cubs 7, Brewers 2 (4/28/16)
OSS: Cubs draw double digit walks, but lose Bryant to a mild ankle sprain. Three up: The Cubs drew 11 walks against the Brewers, who were unable to find the strike zone the whole game. All of the starters got on base at least once, but they were led by Anthony Rizzo who drew three walks and hit a double in the …
Predicting Tommy John Injuries
Bradley Woodrum and others on MLB Trade Rumors have spent hundreds of hours working on a way to predict Tommy John injuries. The Cubs risk factors are pretty good to look at for the most part. Risk+: This is merely a representation of how far above average or below average the player’s risk is. Here, 0% indicates a league-average risk; 100% …
2016 Cubs Payroll Update (12/12)
The Cubs had a busy week and it's been awhile since I updated the payroll chart. The contract terms for Jason Heyward aren't yet available so I just used his annual average value of the contract. Player 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Jon Lester 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 Jason Heyward 23.00 23.00 23.00 …
Cubs sign Jason Heyward
It appears as though the Cubs have signed Jason Heyward. Multiple sources indicate Heyward has indeed chosen Cubs over Cards, Nats. — Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubCub) December 11, 2015 And from Heyman. Cubs get heyward — Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 11, 2015 Wow. That's so awesome. More to come. Though the signing is not yet confirmed by the Cubs, the contract …
Cubs and Cardinals among finalists for Jason Heyward (Rumor)
Jason Heyward talks progressing, sources tell @Ken_Rosenthal and me. #Cubs, #STLCards, others among finalists to sign him. @FOXSports — Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 10, 2015 If the Cubs do in fact sign Heyward, are they the best team in baseball entering the 2016 season?