Cubs 2017 Let's Win Two!

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

Schwarber, Bryant, Rizzo is a brutal top of the order for opposing pitchers.

Wouldn't be surprised to see Zobrist come up for his first AB in several games this season with the Cubs already up 3-0 with nobody out.

Several times? I would

Yeah that's pretty much just putting pressure on Rizzo to clear the bases multiple times with 3-run, 0-out bombs.

I'll put the over-under on that for the season at 2, and enjoy the stressful, 30 pitch innings where a pitcher somehow goes 1-2-3 the first time through those three, before....having to face them a second time.

[Saul Goodman]

Schwarber, Bryant, Rizzo is a brutal top of the order for opposing pitchers.

Wouldn't be surprised to see Zobrist come up for his first AB in several games this season with the Cubs already up 3-0 with nobody out.

Several times? I would

Yeah that's pretty much just putting pressure on Rizzo to clear the bases multiple times with 3-run, 0-out bombs.

I'll put the over-under on that for the season at 2, and enjoy the stressful, 30 pitch innings where a pitcher somehow goes 1-2-3 the first time through those three, before....having to face them a second time.

And then it's 8-0 Cubs in the third inning and the opposing starter has assumed the fetal position on the mound, crying.

His name is Carlos Martinez.

[Saul Goodman]

Come to think of it, my favorite games last year were when the Cubs would just bludgeon the shit out of their opponent. More of those this year, please. I want the other team's pitching staff sorry they ever heard of baseball before the first seventh inning stretch of each series. I want nothing less than the dynastic juggernaut we all deserve.

[CT III]

Schwarber, Bryant, Rizzo is a brutal top of the order for opposing pitchers.

Wouldn't be surprised to see Zobrist come up for his first AB in several games this season with the Cubs already up 3-0 with nobody out.

I'd be more surprised if he came up for his first AB and it was 3-0 and there was an out.

[Saul Goodman]

Schwarber, Bryant, Rizzo is a brutal top of the order for opposing pitchers.

Wouldn't be surprised to see Zobrist come up for his first AB in several games this season with the Cubs already up 3-0 with nobody out.

I'd be more surprised if he came up for his first AB and it was 3-0 and there was an out.

He'll be hitting fifth once Jason Heyward starts drinking the blood of the non-believers.

[Oleg]

Baseball, man.

Spring Training games start today.
Cubs on WGN tomorrow afternoon.

[Chuck to Chuck]

Schwarber, Bryant, Rizzo is a brutal top of the order for opposing pitchers.

Wouldn't be surprised to see Zobrist come up for his first AB in several games this season with the Cubs already up 3-0 with nobody out.

I'd be more surprised if he came up for his first AB and it was 3-0 and there was an out.

He'll be hitting fifth once Jason Heyward starts drinking the blood of the non-believers.

[SKO]

Come to think of it, my favorite games last year were when the Cubs would just bludgeon the shit out of their opponent. More of those this year, please. I want the other team's pitching staff sorry they ever heard of baseball before the first seventh inning stretch of each series. I want nothing less than the dynastic juggernaut we all deserve.

He's a garbage pitcher but still the time they made Alfredo Simon throw 49 pitches and leave a start after recording just two outs in the first inning was one of my all time favorites. They were just fucking merciless.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

Come to think of it, my favorite games last year were when the Cubs would just bludgeon the shit out of their opponent. More of those this year, please. I want the other team's pitching staff sorry they ever heard of baseball before the first seventh inning stretch of each series. I want nothing less than the dynastic juggernaut we all deserve.

He's a garbage pitcher but still the time they made Alfredo Simon throw 49 pitches and leave a start after recording just two outs in the first inning was one of my all time favorites. They were just fucking merciless.

I remember that game and agree that the goddamn cold-blooded and ruthless way they can go out and expect to win at least 40 games just by dominating so many at-bats, and rendering the game effectively over before the 6th inning even starts, when 4 runs by then will be a disappointment, makes me very warm.

I had thrown out Schwarber-as-leadoff on a larf last summer, in a sort of it-seems-to-make-sense-but-seems-so-unsuual-it-probably-won't-happen idea, but the more you think about it,  the more it makes sense, and the fact that Joe is actually doing it is goddamn exciting.

I know lineup construction is overblown and over-discussed, but there is value to a true Leadoff Hitter and Dexter Fowler is one of the 10 best leadoff hitters in baseball, and it sucks that he's gone because he does 3 things which made him so great at the top of  the game:   1) He sees a lot of pitches, which not only serve to chart the pitcher onto an uncomfortable course and drive up his pitch count but also gives the guys behind him a chance to observe what a pitcher has. 2) He will consistently reach base at an above-average clip and 3) every now and then he'll pop one over the wall--Game 7 merely being the most illustrative example of this, but a not unusual for him in any event.  Basically, some sort of Ricky Henderson Standard (without the threat of advancing bases on his own...though I don't think Ricky was stealing as much when he was still an effective leadoff hitter as late as 2001 when I saw him lead off a game by homering off Kerry Wood).  On paper, you'd think Zobrist would be the natural successor to Fowler here, based on those qualities--but for whatever reason, Zobrist hasn't brought the same valuable production to leadoff that he has elsewhere in the lineup during his career.  In fact, during the Cubs' only true bad stretch last year--an admittedly longer-than-usual one when they went 5-15 before the All-Star Break--Zobrist led-off in Fowler's place, who was out with an injury, and the offense simply wasn't the same.  And maybe it won't be the same with Schwarber at the top either, but it's easy to imagine how it could be, or could maybe even be better, and in any event we're going to find out one way or the other and I'm kind of excited to see it play out.

[SKO]

Come to think of it, my favorite games last year were when the Cubs would just bludgeon the shit out of their opponent. More of those this year, please. I want the other team's pitching staff sorry they ever heard of baseball before the first seventh inning stretch of each series. I want nothing less than the dynastic juggernaut we all deserve.

He's a garbage pitcher but still the time they made Alfredo Simon throw 49 pitches and leave a start after recording just two outs in the first inning was one of my all time favorites. They were just fucking merciless.

I remember that game and agree that the goddamn cold-blooded and ruthless way they can go out and expect to win at least 40 games just by dominating so many at-bats, and rendering the game effectively over before the 6th inning even starts, when 4 runs by then will be a disappointment, makes me very warm.

I had thrown out Schwarber-as-leadoff on a larf last summer, in a sort of it-seems-to-make-sense-but-seems-so-unsuual-it-probably-won't-happen idea, but the more you think about it, it makes sense, and the fact that Joe is actually doing it is goddamn exciting.

I know lineup construction is overblown and over-discussed, but there value to a true Leadoff Hitter and Dexter Fowler is one of the 10 best leadoff hitters in baseball, and it sucks that he's gone because he does 3 things which made him so great at the top of  the game:   1) He sees a lot of pitches, which not only serve to chart the pitcher onto an uncomfortable course and drive up his pitch count but also gives the guys behind him a chance to observe what a pitcher has. 2) He will consistently reach base at an above-average clip and 3) every now and then he'll pop one over the wall--Game 7 merely being the most illustrative example of this, but a not unusual for him in any event.  Basically, some sort of Ricky Henderson Standard (without the threat of advancing bases on his own...though I don't think Ricky was stealing as much when he was still an effective leadoff hitter as late as 2001 when I saw him lead off a game by homering off Kerry Wood).  On paper, you'd think Zobrist would be the natural successor to Fowler here, based on those qualities--but for whatever reason, Zobrist hasn't brought the same valuable production to leadoff that he has elsewhere in the lineup during his career.  In fact, during the Cubs' only true bad stretch last year--an admittedly longer-than-usual one when they went 5-15 before the All-Star Break--Zobrist led-off in Fowler's place, who was out with an injury, and the offense simply wasn't the same.  And maybe it won't be the same with Schwarber at the top either, but it's easy to imagine how it could be, or could maybe even be better, and in any event we're going to find out one way or the other and I'm kind of excited to see it play out.

I think Joe would ideally like to get Heyward into the leadoff spot eventually. 2015 Heyward would be a fantastic leadoff hitter. He just has to go out and prove that guys still exists before Joe moves him up in the lineup.

If everyone put up their career AVG OBP this year Heyward (.346), Bryant (.377), Rizzo (.362), Schwarber (.353), Zobrist (.358), Contreras (.357), Russell (.314) would score a metric fuckton of runs and you've have to get all of the way down to the 7 spot before you hit a guy that has a below league average OBP, and even then Addison made huge strides in plate discipline last year and walked at a near double-digit pace. Seven regulars with an OBP ~350 or better would be utterly insane in today's game and also completely unsurprising from this group. It wouldn't even represent a career high for anyone other than Russell.  That .362 also way under-sells Tony because he hasn't been the same guy since 2014, when he learned how to hit lefties and has since managed an OBP of .385 or better every year.

Javy and Almora seem unlikely to join that group but if your weak link in terms of OBP is a super-utility gold glove caliber defender at multiple positions who can also murder a baseball and then the other guy is an elite defender in center you're probably going to be OK.

I know we all know all of this but man it's still fun to spell it all out sometimes. The Cubs have more fucking talent than they know what to do with. I'll never get tired of thinking about that.

[Oleg]

Come to think of it, my favorite games last year were when the Cubs would just bludgeon the shit out of their opponent. More of those this year, please. I want the other team's pitching staff sorry they ever heard of baseball before the first seventh inning stretch of each series. I want nothing less than the dynastic juggernaut we all deserve.

He's a garbage pitcher but still the time they made Alfredo Simon throw 49 pitches and leave a start after recording just two outs in the first inning was one of my all time favorites. They were just fucking merciless.

I remember that game and agree that the goddamn cold-blooded and ruthless way they can go out and expect to win at least 40 games just by dominating so many at-bats, and rendering the game effectively over before the 6th inning even starts, when 4 runs by then will be a disappointment, makes me very warm.

I had thrown out Schwarber-as-leadoff on a larf last summer, in a sort of it-seems-to-make-sense-but-seems-so-unsuual-it-probably-won't-happen idea, but the more you think about it, it makes sense, and the fact that Joe is actually doing it is goddamn exciting.

I know lineup construction is overblown and over-discussed, but there value to a true Leadoff Hitter and Dexter Fowler is one of the 10 best leadoff hitters in baseball, and it sucks that he's gone because he does 3 things which made him so great at the top of  the game:   1) He sees a lot of pitches, which not only serve to chart the pitcher onto an uncomfortable course and drive up his pitch count but also gives the guys behind him a chance to observe what a pitcher has. 2) He will consistently reach base at an above-average clip and 3) every now and then he'll pop one over the wall--Game 7 merely being the most illustrative example of this, but a not unusual for him in any event.  Basically, some sort of Ricky Henderson Standard (without the threat of advancing bases on his own...though I don't think Ricky was stealing as much when he was still an effective leadoff hitter as late as 2001 when I saw him lead off a game by homering off Kerry Wood).  On paper, you'd think Zobrist would be the natural successor to Fowler here, based on those qualities--but for whatever reason, Zobrist hasn't brought the same valuable production to leadoff that he has elsewhere in the lineup during his career.  In fact, during the Cubs' only true bad stretch last year--an admittedly longer-than-usual one when they went 5-15 before the All-Star Break--Zobrist led-off in Fowler's place, who was out with an injury, and the offense simply wasn't the same.  And maybe it won't be the same with Schwarber at the top either, but it's easy to imagine how it could be, or could maybe even be better, and in any event we're going to find out one way or the other and I'm kind of excited to see it play out.

I think Joe would ideally like to get Heyward into the leadoff spot eventually. 2015 Heyward would be a fantastic leadoff hitter. He just has to go out and prove that guys still exists before Joe moves him up in the lineup.

If everyone put up their career AVG OBP this year Heyward (.346), Bryant (.377), Rizzo (.362), Schwarber (.353), Zobrist (.358), Contreras (.357), Russell (.314) would score a metric fuckton of runs and you've have to get all of the way down to the 7 spot before you hit a guy that has a below league average OBP, and even then Addison made huge strides in plate discipline last year and walked at a near double-digit pace. Seven regulars with an OBP ~350 or better would be utterly insane in today's game and also completely unsurprising from this group. It wouldn't even represent a career high for anyone other than Russell.  That .362 also way under-sells Tony because he hasn't been the same guy since 2014, when he learned how to hit lefties and has since managed an OBP of .385 or better every year.

Javy and Almora seem unlikely to join that group but if your weak link in terms of OBP is a super-utility gold glove caliber defender at multiple positions who can also murder a baseball and then the other guy is an elite defender in center you're probably going to be OK.

I know we all know all of this but man it's still fun to spell it all out sometimes. The Cubs have more fucking talent than they know what to do with. I'll never get tired of thinking about that.

All of this.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

Come to think of it, my favorite games last year were when the Cubs would just bludgeon the shit out of their opponent. More of those this year, please. I want the other team's pitching staff sorry they ever heard of baseball before the first seventh inning stretch of each series. I want nothing less than the dynastic juggernaut we all deserve.

He's a garbage pitcher but still the time they made Alfredo Simon throw 49 pitches and leave a start after recording just two outs in the first inning was one of my all time favorites. They were just fucking merciless.

I remember that game and agree that the goddamn cold-blooded and ruthless way they can go out and expect to win at least 40 games just by dominating so many at-bats, and rendering the game effectively over before the 6th inning even starts, when 4 runs by then will be a disappointment, makes me very warm.

I had thrown out Schwarber-as-leadoff on a larf last summer, in a sort of it-seems-to-make-sense-but-seems-so-unsuual-it-probably-won't-happen idea, but the more you think about it, it makes sense, and the fact that Joe is actually doing it is goddamn exciting.

I know lineup construction is overblown and over-discussed, but there value to a true Leadoff Hitter and Dexter Fowler is one of the 10 best leadoff hitters in baseball, and it sucks that he's gone because he does 3 things which made him so great at the top of  the game:   1) He sees a lot of pitches, which not only serve to chart the pitcher onto an uncomfortable course and drive up his pitch count but also gives the guys behind him a chance to observe what a pitcher has. 2) He will consistently reach base at an above-average clip and 3) every now and then he'll pop one over the wall--Game 7 merely being the most illustrative example of this, but a not unusual for him in any event.  Basically, some sort of Ricky Henderson Standard (without the threat of advancing bases on his own...though I don't think Ricky was stealing as much when he was still an effective leadoff hitter as late as 2001 when I saw him lead off a game by homering off Kerry Wood).  On paper, you'd think Zobrist would be the natural successor to Fowler here, based on those qualities--but for whatever reason, Zobrist hasn't brought the same valuable production to leadoff that he has elsewhere in the lineup during his career.  In fact, during the Cubs' only true bad stretch last year--an admittedly longer-than-usual one when they went 5-15 before the All-Star Break--Zobrist led-off in Fowler's place, who was out with an injury, and the offense simply wasn't the same.  And maybe it won't be the same with Schwarber at the top either, but it's easy to imagine how it could be, or could maybe even be better, and in any event we're going to find out one way or the other and I'm kind of excited to see it play out.

I think Joe would ideally like to get Heyward into the leadoff spot eventually. 2015 Heyward would be a fantastic leadoff hitter. He just has to go out and prove that guys still exists before Joe moves him up in the lineup.

If everyone put up their career AVG OBP this year Heyward (.346), Bryant (.377), Rizzo (.362), Schwarber (.353), Zobrist (.358), Contreras (.357), Russell (.314) would score a metric fuckton of runs and you've have to get all of the way down to the 7 spot before you hit a guy that has a below league average OBP, and even then Addison made huge strides in plate discipline last year and walked at a near double-digit pace. Seven regulars with an OBP ~350 or better would be utterly insane in today's game and also completely unsurprising from this group. It wouldn't even represent a career high for anyone other than Russell.  That .362 also way under-sells Tony because he hasn't been the same guy since 2014, when he learned how to hit lefties and has since managed an OBP of .385 or better every year.

Javy and Almora seem unlikely to join that group but if your weak link in terms of OBP is a super-utility gold glove caliber defender at multiple positions who can also murder a baseball and then the other guy is an elite defender in center you're probably going to be OK.

I know we all know all of this but man it's still fun to spell it all out sometimes. The Cubs have more fucking talent than they know what to do with. I'll never get tired of thinking about that.

All of this.

Not even the cannon blow that was the Schwarber injury stopped them last year, so yeah...I'm finally getting excited for 2017.

[Brownie]

I know we all know all of this but man it's still fun to spell it all out sometimes. The Cubs have more fucking talent than they know what to do with. I'll never get tired of thinking about that.

Even more, we don't know where their ceiling is. It could be where they are, which means they're pretty awesome, or it could be higher which means we could be making up for some lost time with the World Series Trophies.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

I know we all know all of this but man it's still fun to spell it all out sometimes. The Cubs have more fucking talent than they know what to do with. I'll never get tired of thinking about that.

Even more, we don't know where their ceiling is. It could be where they are, which means they're pretty awesome, or it could be higher which means we could be making up for some lost time with the World Series Trophies.

I've been a proponent of a notion I've developed of "historic normalization" and the Cubs just happen to be prone to it, that's all.

From 1876 until 1946, they were, year-in and year-out, one of the three or so best teams in the history of the major leagues, a major brand, winners of several NL pennants in the 19th century and on top of that the third team to appear in 10 World Series in the 20th, after only only the Giants and Yankees and ahead of the Dodgers and even the Cardinals (!).  The only chink in this franchise's armor until then, it would seem, would be this nagging run of always losing the World Series (they were the first franchise to lose 5, 6 and 7 straight World Series, 7 remaining as the record that they snapped last year) but that was a discussion for another day, another narrative.

Because of this unparalleled nearly 3-Quarter of a century dominance, with very few valleys--no 5 year stretches of second division finishes etc.-- the franchise's bill came due..and it immediately ushered in 2 decades of their longest string of mediocrity until that point--say, 1946 to 1966.  This was followed by a brief and exciting--but ultimately pennant-less--blip in the very-late 60's through the very-early 70's, before another horseshit decade from '72 until '82 resumed, then the "modern" 30 year or so run of staggered, inconsistent year-to-year excitement, close-calls and plenty of individually shitty seasons...in short, another near 3-Quarter century of consistent and on balance rather awful baseball....swinging the pendulum so far the other way that in fewer than 2 generations the Cubs went from being associated as a historic pre-eminent brand to being associated as the brand of historic  ineptitude.

And now the pendulum's about to swing back.  5 chammenships in a row, bitches. Set your sights.

[Canadouche]

Come to think of it, my favorite games last year were when the Cubs would just bludgeon the shit out of their opponent. More of those this year, please. I want the other team's pitching staff sorry they ever heard of baseball before the first seventh inning stretch of each series. I want nothing less than the dynastic juggernaut we all deserve.

He's a garbage pitcher but still the time they made Alfredo Simon throw 49 pitches and leave a start after recording just two outs in the first inning was one of my all time favorites. They were just fucking merciless.

I remember that game and agree that the goddamn cold-blooded and ruthless way they can go out and expect to win at least 40 games just by dominating so many at-bats, and rendering the game effectively over before the 6th inning even starts, when 4 runs by then will be a disappointment, makes me very warm.

I had thrown out Schwarber-as-leadoff on a larf last summer, in a sort of it-seems-to-make-sense-but-seems-so-unsuual-it-probably-won't-happen idea, but the more you think about it, it makes sense, and the fact that Joe is actually doing it is goddamn exciting.

I know lineup construction is overblown and over-discussed, but there value to a true Leadoff Hitter and Dexter Fowler is one of the 10 best leadoff hitters in baseball, and it sucks that he's gone because he does 3 things which made him so great at the top of  the game:   1) He sees a lot of pitches, which not only serve to chart the pitcher onto an uncomfortable course and drive up his pitch count but also gives the guys behind him a chance to observe what a pitcher has. 2) He will consistently reach base at an above-average clip and 3) every now and then he'll pop one over the wall--Game 7 merely being the most illustrative example of this, but a not unusual for him in any event.  Basically, some sort of Ricky Henderson Standard (without the threat of advancing bases on his own...though I don't think Ricky was stealing as much when he was still an effective leadoff hitter as late as 2001 when I saw him lead off a game by homering off Kerry Wood).  On paper, you'd think Zobrist would be the natural successor to Fowler here, based on those qualities--but for whatever reason, Zobrist hasn't brought the same valuable production to leadoff that he has elsewhere in the lineup during his career.  In fact, during the Cubs' only true bad stretch last year--an admittedly longer-than-usual one when they went 5-15 before the All-Star Break--Zobrist led-off in Fowler's place, who was out with an injury, and the offense simply wasn't the same.  And maybe it won't be the same with Schwarber at the top either, but it's easy to imagine how it could be, or could maybe even be better, and in any event we're going to find out one way or the other and I'm kind of excited to see it play out.

I just don't know where to begin.