Uncustomed Heroes of 2019: Cubs

Bit of a step backward for our heroic Cubs.

This team...could not win away from home. They just couldn't. They were 33-48 on the road, and they couldn't keep this from stopping them. It was very sad, even if they made a lot of impressive steps forward.

Kyle Schwarber did his usual thing. He hit 38 home runs, a personal best, with a .250 average, another personal best, and 92 RBIs, also a high. But, he also struck out 156 times...which was ALSO a career high.
Why Him in 2019?: 38 home runs.
2020 Prediction: Hopefully he hits a bit more for average.

 Albert Almora was sent down to the minors this year, and I'm still not sure why. He had a reasonably strong year, and is still a great defender, despite his batting numbers taking a dip this year.
Why Him in 2019?: His call-down makes it possible for the Castellanos deal.
2020 Prediction: More playing time, and an improvement in terms of batting average.

 This was the year of Yu Darvish's comeback, where after a slow start he finally got back to his old tricks, with a 2.76 average and 118 strikeouts in the second half alone.
Why Him in 2019?: Might have been the only constant force of good in the Cubs rotation this year.
2020 Prediction: The ERA lowers even more, the wins rise, and the Cubs have themselves a Cy Young candidate. Like they wanted all along.

 The Cubs' backup catcher, Victor Caratini, became a bench force and lineup presence in the wake of Willson Contreras' injury. In 95 games, he hit .266 with 34 RBIs. Not bad at all.
Why Him in 2019?: Proves the Cubs have found a new backup catcher since losing Grandpa Rossy.
2020 Prediction: More concrete backup numbers, and an audition to start somewhere in 2021.

 Ben Zobrist's year was...tumultuous to say the least. He missed a ton of time due to his messy divorce proceedings, but once he returned, he was mostly his old self, hitting .284 in 21 games.
Why Him in 2019?: Comeback story of the year, even if it didn't involve cancer.
2020 Prediction: Either he winds up on a bench for a month, or he retires.

 One of the more important bullpen arms the Cubs had this year was Steve Cishek, far removed from his botched closing numbers after his breakout in Miami. Cishek became a great middle relief man, with a 2.95 ERA in 64 appearances.
Why Him in 2019?: Proved he can still be of use in relief.
2020 Prediction: A contender will sign him, and he will disappoint them.

 Speaking of disappointments, Craig Kimbrel in Chicago everybody. The closer everybody thought was indestructible finally had a human year after sitting out for a contract. The numbers he waited for? A 6.53 ERA with 13 saves in 23 appearances.
Why Him in 2019?: [plays Paramore's 'That's What You Get' faintly in the background]
2020 Prediction: Fuller year, better numbers. This will be a year more reminiscent of Kimbrel's heyday. You'll be hearing Stranglehold a lot in Wrigley this year.

 And...the big trade deadline acquisition. Nicholas Castellanos. Man, was this a smart pickup for the Cubs. Castellanos took off like a train, hitting .321 in 51 games, with 16 home runs and 36 RBIs (more than Almora in 130 games).
Why Him in 2019?: Might have been the biggest post-trade glow-up in the MLB this year.
2020 Prediction: Gets a juicy contract to play somewhere fancy for a few years. Will possibly touch his 2019 numbers once.

 Jonathan Lucroy's 2019 season was...odd. His Angels numbers were down from his usual averages, both offensively and defensively, and post-Cubs trade he performed...less-than-adequately, hitting .189 in 27 games, despite some early clutch RBIs.
Why Him in 2019?: Lucroy ends the decade in the same place he started it- with no expectations.
2020 Prediction: Dare I say it...backing someone up.

Nico Hoerner was my favorite feel-good story of the year for the Cubs. Addison Russell, Javier Baez and Daniel Descalso all get injured. The Cubs need a shortstop (Zo'll take 2nd), so they go into DOUBLE-A, to a guy who thought his season was over after an injury, and say 'Hey, Nico, you free to play short for a few games?'. So in comes Nico Hoerner, a year after being drafted, and he does amazingly, hitting .282 in 20 games, with 17 RBIs. The man is 22 and he's playing like a pro. I love to see it.
Why Him in 2019?: Proves that rookies can be ready at any time.
2020 Prediction: Will start in AAA, will probably get called up mid-year and continue what he started this year.

Coming Tomorrow- In between Card Show posts, some musings about a surprisingly impressive Diamondbacks team.

Feel Good Cubs

I'll give the Cubs credit. Every year since their come-up in 2015, they've held a different approach. In 2015, they were the lovable underdogs; in 2016, they were the all-powerful overlords; in 2017, they were advantageous, charming, but ultimately doomed. And this year? This year they're just a fun, inoffensive, good team to watch.

It's a team's worth of plain goodness; nobody's doing truly terrible (save for a DL-prone Yu Darvish), nobody in the lineup is batting worse than .240, and nobody is dragging the team down. Everything feels compact, consistent, congruent...as if they've done this sort of thing before.

The trick to a team like this, still winning in its fourth incarnation, is allowing other players to take center stage. This year, it's Albert Almora's turn. Brought up simultaneously with Willson Contreras, and promptly overshadowed by him, Almora has exceeded expectations in a year ruled less by power than by efficiency--Almora is not only an impressive defensive outfielder, but he's batting .331 right now with 80 hits. Without being a power hitter, he's commanding the plate whenever he's there, and becoming one of the more consistent performers in the lineup.

That's not to discredit Javier Baez, the current offensive leader, or Kyle Schwarber, finally having a consistent year, or even Ben Zobrist who's been working wonders from off of the bench. The beauty of this team is that when everything's working, everyone gets a chance to shine. Yes, Kris Bryant is still the marquee man, but it's not his team entirely- it's a group effort. Jason Heyward found this out quickly upon joining the team, and wondering why his numbers didn't translate well to the Chicago lineup. Now that he's had some time to rebuild, and focus more on hits and less on power, he's more effective.

Heck, right now the Cubs have the winningest starter in baseball. Jon Lester's got 11 wins, and is showing no signs of slowing down, which is an amazing feeling.

Right now, even if the Brewers have the current edge, the Cubs have the more consistent roster- more people are doing well right now all across the board. And I hope it stays this way.

Coming Tomorrow- The reigning MVP. One of the most fun players in baseball.

Division Series Update: Two Down, Two to Go

The first hurdle has been passed, and the Houston Astros are officially the team to beat in the AL. The Indians, in this series with New York, have proved that they're relatively human, and they can be beaten. The Sox only chased Houston one game, and the Astros still managed to eliminate them, by being two steps ahead and as powerful as they've been all year. It'll be interesting to see how they take on either the Yankees or Indians.

As for the departed...

Sad to say, the Sox never really had a chance. They were the odd men out, the third option of two vastly superior division leaders, and they would have been eliminated no matter who they played. They put up a good fight, and Andrew Benintendi had a nice run at things yesterday, but in the end it boiled down to the same thing it boiled down to last year...they don't have near enough to compete.

Meanwhile...

People are saying there was no doubt that this could happen. Well, I had doubts. If you'll recall, I predicted the Diamondbacks to beat the Dodgers so badly they'd be catapulted into the World Series. Looking back on this three game sweep, I should have been a bit more optimistic in the Dodgers' abilities, and less reliant on that big slump they had towards the end. They've definitely still got it, and the pitching, even with Clayton Kershaw giving up home runs, is shutting them all down. It's looking like this NLCS miiiiiight be a rematch, but I'm thinking whoever they play, they're likely to have the high ground.

And, as for the departed...

As powerful as the Diamondbacks could be this season, it turned out to be their own division that did them in, and in a year where three teams wanted desperately to compete, it would have been tough for them to get a word in edgewise, especially with the Dodgers' season. I think people like Paul Goldschmidt, Zack Greinke and David Peralta were definitely able to extend this team's season by a week, and they should be very proud of how far they came...and very concerned, as they're expected to go further next year.

Alright. Enough certainty. Let's go into the ones still going on...

First of all, HOW ABOUT THOSE NEW YORK YANKEES? Second game in a row where the odds were against us, and we tore through. It did help that Trevor Bauer was on short rest (which seems to be a theme with him), but people like Greg Bird, Aaron Judge and Todd Frazier have been annihilating the ball, and Luis Severino had an amazing night on the mound. Wednesday night is for all the marbles, and it'll be Corey Kluber, who we...roughed up Friday night, and Sonny Gray, who people also have a tendency to rough up. I'm gonna be hoping for the best, but also...even if the Indians win, I can root for them. They're cool.

And in the NL,

I think the message I'm getting here is that maybe the Nationals aren't really cut out for the postseason, no matter the year. Either that, or the Cubs have just been getting hot at the right time, as even with Max Scherzer on the mound, Albert Almora and Ben Zobrist went wild, pushing the Cubs over the Nats, and allowing for a lead going into Game 4 today. The Cubs will have Jake Arrieta on the mound. The Nats will have Tanner Roark. At a glance, Arrieta is the safer bet, but you honestly never know.

Tonight, we may have a full NLCS matchup. I'll alert you with details if so.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2016: Cubs

In spite of all the darkness that has inhabited 2016...the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. So...at least something amazing like that happened this year.

There's gonna be a ton of customs in this one, because there were a lot of spare parts and extra players that made this team great this year, so I'm not gonna hold back.

Miguel Montero was supposed to be the starting catcher this year, but thanks to superior performances from David Ross and Willson Contreras, Montero was sidelined to a backup position. He came through with some nice moments in the postseason, but his future with the team is in question.

Albert Almora came up in mid-July, and became one of the many prospects that ended up propelling the Cubs into the postseason. He didn't play as often as Contreras, but did some good things, and may be either a steady backup or somewhere else in 2017.

Jorge Soler didn't have as strong a season as his 2015, but he did a nice enough job as an extra outfielder, and hopefully will improve in the future. The outfield is beginning to look crowded, and Soler needs to secure space before Theo decides he's not needed.

Last year, Chris Denorfia was in the role of Bench Player Extraordinaire. Now it's Matt Szczur, who didn't play every day, but still did his nut to keep the momentum going, especially off the bench. Not sure what this means for his 2017, but he was a crucial part of the team's depth in 2016.

Mike Montgomery is gonna tell his kids that he saved the last inning of the Cubs' first World Series since 1908. Even if he was in a limited relief role for most of the series, he still has that claim to fame.

Didn't think I'd be making a Kyle Schwarber custom this year, to be honest, but he came back to Chicago in October, and brought his power with him, giving some classic moments, and proving that he's crucial to the team, while at the same time showing that the team could be great without him. He'll probably have a great 2017, and it'll be great to see him in a full season.

Speaking of full seasons...Kris Bryant took his first one and brought home an MVP and a World Series title. This season proves that he is definitely here to stay, that he's a talent the Cubs should hold dear to their hearts, and that the NL may have found its Trout-esque figure of absolute talent. Kris Bryant was unbelievable this year, and hopefully he'll continue to be.

Coming Tomorrow- The sadly limp Arizona Diamondbacks.