NEWSLETTER
I gotta tell you, I feel a lot better getting into the HYPED-NESS of the day having gotten out my thoughts about the ending of this era earlier this morning. When I said I had to find a way to make peace with where things are, I really meant it. I want to enjoy this season of Cubs baseball – it’s been a minute since we had a full one! – and that starts with Opening Day.
The Chicago Cubs are BACK, and they are playing in a VERY WINNABLE DIVISION. That’s a great starting point as far as I’m concerned.
No, the projection systems don’t love the Cubs, and I get that. Yes, there are a lot of Cubs who have recent track records that suggests the downside risk is more clear than the upside potential. I get that, too.
HOWEVER, here are the things …
I think this rotation could be sneaky good. Kyle Hendricks is the man. Zach Davies has been solid and showed that he might’ve taken a huge step forward last year in San Diego. Jake Arrieta is back and looking very comfortable as a mid-rotation option. Trevor Williams is still young, has done it before, and clearly worked out some things this offseason/Spring Training. Adbert Alzolay can be dominant. Alec Mills is very good depth behind them. Shelby Miller might be resurgent.
And the defense behind them! The Cubs have what projects to be a very, very good defensive team. That’s going to make the pitching look all the better as a contact-oriented staff.
The bullpen won’t wow anyone on paper, but you’re talking about a group of guys that the Cubs have either already had success improving, or are the types that the Cubs have had so much success improving. And the depth behind them is really, really strong. Yeah, on any given day, the bullpen might blow one, so be careful going too over the top in your reactions about individual moments. But in the aggregate? I kinda love this bullpen. Craig Kimbrel is going to be really good. You’ll see.
Offensively, there is not a single spot in the typical lineup where the guy has no shot at being a plus bat. How many lineups in baseball can you say that about? I’m not saying it WILL happen, but every single one of Ian Happ, Willson Contreras, Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Joc Pederson, Javy Báez, Jason Heyward, and David Bote have shown they can be above-average offensively – some of them explosively so. They won’t all hit – it never really works out that way – but this is a good group of bats. And if guys like Rizzo and Bryant and Báez come out with a fire because of their down years and the lack of an extension? It could actually be a GREAT offense.
This is not a team that, on paper, rivals the best Cubs teams of recent years. The overall depth, particularly on the positional side, is not what you’d want it to be, and that winds up mattering every year. You just can’t bet on all the starting pitchers to max out. And last year showed us that the downside in some of the bats is really substantial. Oh, and if the Cubs lost someone like Contreras for a while? Oof. That alone could be a death blow.
But go look up and down the NL Central right now. Every single team has this kind of stuff to concern themselves with, and some of their holes are even more pronounced. This Cubs team absolutely can take the division and run with it, and who knows what comes from there. That is the bare minimum spot you want to be in on Opening Day, and the Cubs’ roster is there. I’m ready to see what happens.
And today’s starter – he’s owned this day before:
The last time it was Opening Day and Kyle Hendricks was starting for the Cubs, all he did was throw a shutout with nine strikeouts. pic.twitter.com/rUcTRYm0B6
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) April 1, 2021
