Cubs Flip Flop Rotation, Baseball’s Power Surge, Love for Happ and Young, and Other Bullets

Apr 06, 2017

We had a bunch of appointments this morning, so The Wife and The Littlest Girl and I are hanging out at a Potbelly while I feverishly type these Bullets. It’s actually the place – same booth! – where I wrapped up my offseason/World Series opus this past weekend.

The Cubs have changed up their rotation for next week, opting to flip-flop Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta the next time through, allowing Lester to face the Dodgers, who were brutal against lefties last year. Arrieta goes on normal rest against the Brewers on Sunday, Lester now starts the home opener on Monday.

[adinserter block=”1″]

Dan Szmborski looks at the dramatic home run spike in baseball in 2016, and considers what it means for the league if it happens to carry forward into 2017. The players most positioned to benefit from an overall, uniform, and otherwise not-quite-precisely-explainable jump in the home run rate are players who are otherwise predisposed to hit homers. In turn, the teams with a lot of those types – especially in a ballpark conducive to homers, and with a pitching staff that can manage homers – stand to benefit most if we are in a new era of dramatically increased home run rates. For example, based on Szymborski’s ZiPS calculations, the Rockies would be the single biggest beneficiary of a league-wide home run jump, not only because of their home park, and not only because of their lineup and rotation, but also because they currently project for that sweet spot of wins (82 to 84) where an increase of a couple wins can significantly increase a team’s chances of making the playoffs. It’s a really interesting read, and will be something to consider if we see homer rates still way up there by the end of April – it could make the Rockies a good surprise bet for a Wild Card spot.

The Cubs, whose playoff odds are already enormous, don’t benefit as much as several other teams in this calculation, by the way, but they do still see a projected win jump in ZiPS from 98 to 99 wins. Given the lineup, the ballpark, and the rotation, this makes sense.

Earlier, Michael wrote about Kris Bryant being the Face of Baseball, and, what do you know – he’s front in center in another MLB spot:

Baseball is back, but there's always time for MORE! This is #MLBTapSportsBaseball2017: https://t.co/XAgnW7SQru pic.twitter.com/wBZbhB4h1A

— MLB (@MLB) April 5, 2017

[adinserter block=”2″]

Jesse Rogers has a Q&A with Bryant, and it’s a great read. Bryant gets into his work this offseason to get back to going the other way when necessary, and his improvements against changeups. I thought perhaps the most interesting response, though, was when he was asked about his younger teammates in spring camp: “I like looking at the guys in the minor leagues. Ian Happ, Chesny Young. I told them all the time – they’re my favorite players. I love watching them play the game. Chesny, I mean, never heard of him, and he comes out here … he’s great. He hits every ball hard, fields every ball clean. I’m super impressed with both of them, and I think they’re big leaguers right now.” That’s been something of a consensus opinion on those two, who will be manning the middle infield for AAA Iowa, starting today.

Speaking of which:

Good luck to our #Cubs @MiLB affiliates in 2017! #MiLBOpeningDay17 #ThatsCub pic.twitter.com/340XBxpJIy

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 6, 2017

Among the many wonderful things going on over at our sister site The Ten-Yard Line (it’s BN, but for Bears), Luis looks at the latest mock drafts out there.

Ever look at the “new and interesting” section on Amazon? It’s a rather wild selection of stuff, and pretty good if you’re just looking to kill a few minutes perusing crazy and random stuff. For example, here’s the gadgets section. I could (sigh, and did) spend 10 minutes just flipping through those things.

We had a pretty darn busy day around here yesterday despite the rainout, so you may have missed, for example: the final minor league rosters, a robust set of MLBits, much more fun about Albert Almora’s fantastic catch, the Cubs released seven minor league pitchers, Addison Russell has a Pokémon affection, and much more.

written by

Brett Taylor

Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

more cubs news

Chicago Cubs

Still Thinking About That Incredible Christopher Morel Play

I don't want to overreact to a relatively brief stretch of success, and I certainly don't want to jinx anything. But Christopher Morel has looked pretty darn solid at third base the last couple weeks, hasn't he? Maybe some of...

Brett Taylor

Apr 17, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Enhanced Box Score: Cubs 5, Diamondbacks 3 – April 17, 2024

UNCLENCH. They did it. There was 9th inning drama, because of course there was, but Drew Smyly was able to get the job done, pitching for the third consecutive day. Cubs win the game, Cubs win the series. Cubs win...

Michael Cerami

Apr 17, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Cody Bellinger’s Third Homer of the Year Breaks the Tie in Arizona!

Thank god. I was starting to think Brandon Pfaadt was Cy Young in disguise or something. I can't stand (or understand, for that matter) how this guy carves up the Cubs while getting destroyed by almost everybody else. But at...

Michael Cerami

Apr 17, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Watch Owen Caissie Launch His First Triple-A Home Run (Off a Lefty, Too!)

Owen Caissie is just one of several Cubs top prospects at Triple-A Iowa this season, but after a monster Spring Training performance (following an equally impressive Double-A debut last season), he's got a lot of eyes on him this summer....

Michael Cerami

Apr 17, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Cubs Call Up a Couple of Fresh Arms from Iowa

In discussing the potential for a Cubs move today for a fresh arm, I wondered if they'd go down and grab someone already on the 40-man roster or if they'd shift Julian Merryweather over to the 60-day IL to make...

Michael Cerami

Apr 17, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Pre-Gamin’: Cubs vs Diamondbacks – Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

CUBS LINEUP — How many rubber matches can one team have? After two wild games to start the series, the Cubs are looking to win their second-consecutive series this afternoon in Arizona. Jordan Wicks is on the mound for Chicago....

Michael Cerami

Apr 17, 2024

Gunnar Henderson Adley Rutschman Orioles

Chicago Cubs

MLBits: Orioles Can’t Stop Hitting Home Runs, Learn Jac Caglianone’s Name, More

If you have an MLB.TV subscription: I suggest you try to catch a Baltimore Orioles game soon. The Orioles lineup is chock-full of young talent, and they're absolutely mashing the baseball right now. They're fun to watch if you can...

Patrick K. Flowers

Apr 17, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Cubs Farm Report | April 17, 2024: PCA Goes Yard, Cade Horton Dominates, More

Pete Crow-Armstrong showed some life on Tuesday with a solo home run for the Iowa Cubs, but it was Luis Vázquez who played hero for Iowa in the end. Plus, Cade Horton dominated for the Smokies once again. That and...

Patrick K. Flowers

Apr 17, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Baseball America Has Added Another Chicago Cubs Prospect to Their Top-100 List

If you have been paying attention at all, I think it's going to be very easy for you to fill in these blanks: https://twitter.com/BaseballAmerica/status/1780601113198383137 Yes, that'd be Jefferson Rojas, the still-18-year-old shortstop for the High-A South Bend Cubs, currently hitting...

Brett Taylor

Apr 17, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Cade Horton Dominated Once Again at Double-A, So What’s the Plan There?

As he's done nine times before, Cade Horton dominated in his latest outing for the Tennessee Smokies. It took him just 47 pitches to cruise through 4.0 innings of work and carve up the Rays' Double-A squad. https://twitter.com/MLBPipeline/status/1780387010039210247 Horton has...

Brett Taylor

Apr 17, 2024

Chicago Bulls

You Have to See Coby White’s Epic Sequence Against the Hawks

Whether or not he gets the hardware, Coby White is the NBA's Most Improved Player. The Chicago Bulls guard has fully embraced his bigger workload this season, showing improvements in almost every aspect of his game. This was on full...

Elias Schuster

Apr 17, 2024

Chicago Bulls

Oh, Uh: Jimmy Butler “Feared” to Have MCL Injury, Will Undergo MRI

The Miami Heat have some serious concerns after their Play-In Tournament loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night. According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Jimmy Butler is "feared" to have suffered an MCL injury in his knee. An MRI...

Elias Schuster

Apr 17, 2024

How to Watch

Giants vs. Diamondbacks: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

On Thursday, Michael Conforto and the San Francisco Giants (8-11) begin a series versus Ketel Marte and the Arizona Diamondbacks (9-10) at Oracle Park, with first pitch scheduled for 9:45 PM ET.Keep reading to see how to watch the San...

Data Skrive

Apr 17, 2024

Picks

San Francisco Giants vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Series April 18-21: Odds, Starting Pitchers & Predictions

In the opener of a four-game series, on Thursday, April 18 at 9:45 PM ET, the San Francisco Giants will host the Arizona Diamondbacks.Giants vs. Diamondbacks Series Info Diamondbacks @ Giants Time: Thursday, April 18 at 9:45 PM ET Giants...

Data Skrive

Apr 17, 2024

Picks

Chicago Cubs vs. Miami Marlins Series April 18-21: Odds, Starting Pitchers & Predictions

In the opener of a four-game series, on Thursday, April 18 at 7:40 PM ET, the Chicago Cubs are hosting the Miami Marlins.Cubs vs. Marlins Series Info Marlins @ Cubs Time: Thursday, April 18 at 7:40 PM ET Cubs Starting...

Data Skrive

Apr 17, 2024

Chicago Bulls

WATCH: DeMar DeRozan WOWS with Huge Slam Against the Hawks

DeMar DeRozan is almost 35 years old and led the NBA in minutes this season. I want you to remember that as you watch what you're about to see. The Chicago Bulls' veteran forward was tearing apart the Atlanta Hawks...

Elias Schuster

Apr 17, 2024

How to Watch

How to Watch Cubs vs. Marlins: Live Stream or on TV

On Thursday, Jameson Taillon will start for the Chicago Cubs (11-7) against Andrew Jacob Puk and the Miami Marlins (4-15), with first pitch scheduled for 7:40 PM ET at Wrigley Field.Keep reading to find out all the details on how...

Data Skrive

Apr 17, 2024

NBA Picks

Kings vs. Pelicans Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets for NBA Playoffs Game 1 – Friday, April 19, 2024

The New Orleans Pelicans are slight 1-point underdogs heading into Game 1 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Sacramento Kings at Smoothie King Center on Friday, starting at 9:30 PM ET on TNT. The matchup has...

Data Skrive

Apr 17, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Still Thinking About That Incredible Christopher Morel Play

Brett Taylor

Apr 17, 2024

Picks

Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians Series April 15-18: Odds, Starting Pitchers & Predictions

The Boston Red Sox are playing the Cleveland Guardians in a four-game series, and are trailing 2-0 -- the action resumes at 1:35 PM ET on Thursday.Red Sox vs. Guardians Series Info Guardians @ Red Sox Time: Monday, April 15...

Data Skrive

Apr 17, 2024

Cubs Flip Flop Rotation, Baseball’s Power Surge, Love for Happ and Young, and Other Bullets

Read More

more cubs news

Latest News

more cubs news

Most Popular

Most Popular

Latest News

Most Popular

Most Popular