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Cubs look to be scary good in 2017
After ending a 108 year championship drought, Cubs fans
can be forgiven if they are thirsting more.
The Cubs have done everything they can to set themselves up for a long
run, but is it enough to repeat?
After winning their first world series in 108 years, the
Cubs have a huge monkey off their back.
In years gone by the Cubs were battling not only the other team also
their history. That dragon has been
slain. (Too many mixed metaphors?)
The Good News
The Cubs are a young team and should get better. Kris Bryant was great as a rookie and got
even better in his second year. Addison
Russell, Wellington Castillo should also build off last year. In addition, Kyle Schawarber and his big bat
should be available for the whole season.
And, finally, Jason Heyward can’t be as bad as he was last year, can he?
According to one of the first books coming out of Reno,
the over and under for Cubs regular season wins next season is 95.5. They just have the most talent in baseball.
One of the perks of winning is it gives a team more
revenue. If the Cubs have the financial
means to buy talent at the trade deadline if need be. That’s a handy thing for them to have in
their hip pocket.
The Bad News
Even if the Cubs are the best team in baseball, the
randomness of MLB’s playoffs greatly restricts the chances of the best team
repeating. As was seen in the Cubs 2015
playoff series against the Mets, a hot pitching staff, and/or a hot hitter
(Daniel Murphy) can turn a short series.
While the Cubs return a roster largely intact, Dexter
Fowler and David Ross are gone. Joe
Maddon said of Fowler last season, “You go, we go.” Well as White Sox announcer, Hawk Harrelson
would say, “he gone.” In addition to
being the Jon Lester Whisper, David Ross had a settling effect on the Cubs as a
whole. It’s hard to quantify how many
games that’s worth.
While the Cubs have plenty of financial resources, their
farm system is somewhat depleted. It’s
not in dire shape, but isn’t as robust as it was last year when they used
Gleyber Torres and others to pick Aroldis Chapman.
The Cubs starting pitching was very healthy for the most
part last season. That’s not something
that can be counted on. The Cubs have
been picking up as many arms as possible, but it may not be enough if Lester,
Arrieta, Hendricks or Lackey goes down for a sustained period of time.
Wade Davis is being counted on to anchor the Cubs pen,
but he and Hector Rondon and Pedro Strop are went down with injuries at
different times. Joe Maddon seemed to
lose confidence in his pen during the playoffs, perhaps rightfully so.
The Bottom Line
All things considered, the Cubs are still my pick to win it all in
2017.
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