Baseball. It's back! The Cubs kick off the season with a warmup four game set against the Marlins, widely expected to be a disaster this year. Derek Jeter's calm eyes have overseen a PR debacle as the Marlins sold off everything that wasn't nailed down, only because they couldn't find a buyer for the nails. The only surprise is that …
NL Central Offseason Whip-Around: Milwaukee Brewers
I've been my usual lazy self and not paid much attention to the goings on around the league this offseason. At least MLB has obliged by keeping things pretty quiet. Finally we take a look at the Brewers, who started winning ahead of schedule last year and missed out on some pieces they could have used to bootstrap that process. …
NL Central Offseason Whip-Around: Cincinnati Reds
I've been my usual lazy self and not paid much attention to the goings on around the league this offseason. At least MLB has obliged by keeping things pretty quiet. Next we'll take a look at the Reds, who have Joey Votto and a quietly decent bullpen and not much else. 2017 Record: 68-94 2018 Projected Record: 72-90 Top projected …
NL Central Offseason Whip-Around: St. Louis Cardinals
I've been my usual lazy self and not paid much attention to the goings on around the league this offseason. At least MLB has obliged by keeping things pretty quiet. Next we'll take a look at the Cardinals, who somehow still employ Mike Matheny. 2017 Record: 83-79 2018 Projected Record: 87-75 Top projected hitter (ZiPS): Marcell Ozuna, 3.1 Top projected …
NL Central Offseason Whip-Around: Pittsburgh Pirates
I've been my usual lazy self and not paid much attention to the goings on around the league this offseason. At least MLB has obliged by keeping things pretty quiet. I'll start by taking a look at the Pirates, whose window has firmly shut. After three straight playoff appearances (and no series/WC wins), the team is back in the sadly …
Spring Training Game 6: Athletics @ Cubs
Sorry I'm late. No dinner for me. Almora Jr. CF Baez 2B Rizzo 1B Russell SS J-Hey RF Gimenez C Navarro DH "Gorgeous" Peter Bourjos CF Bote 3B Starting Pitcher: Kyle Hendricks Semien SS Joyce RF Lowrie 2B Davis LF Olson 1B Piscotty DH No, not that Fowler CF Pinder 3B Maxwell C Starting Pitcher: Paul Blackburn (who I've always liked …
Victor Caratini is fairly interesting
View PostSecond Look: New Cubs Pitchers
It’s no secret that the Cubs have struggled to draft and develop pitching, so it’s nice that they have been willing to spend freely to fill in the gaps. Sahadev wrote about the team’s struggles in December (subscription required, h/t Fangraphs), with a pretty remarkable chart. The problem with this chart is pretty simple: contenders are not particularly interested in …
Spring Training Game 2: Rangers vs. Cubs
After yesterday's exciting 2-1 defeat to the Brewers, the Cubs dust themselves off, assemble (mostly) a big-league caliber lineup, and host the Texas Rangers. Listen on 670 the Score and watch nowhere (it isn't on mlb.tv). Lineups Almora Jr. CF Chris Brian 3B Rizzo 1B Contreras C Heyward RF Russell SS Baez 2B Gimenez DH (have to have a bat like …
Cubs Spring Training Game #1: Brewers vs. Cubs
Baseball is back. Kinda. Listen here and watch here. Cubs Lineup: Happ CF Schwarber LF La Stella 3B Caratini C Navarro 1B (lol) Bote 2b (lol) Hannemann RF (lol) Zagunis DH Freeman SS (lol) SP: Michael Roth (lol) Brewers Lineup: Broxton CF Yelich LF Santana RF Aguilar 1B Perez 3B Pina DH Sogard 2B Arcia SS Rebel Scum Jett Bandy C …