Author: jstuursma19

Top 10 of The Decade: #5

by jstuursma19, posted in Decade, Top 10

5. Chicago Cubs win World Series after 108 year drought

Photo by MLB

My Cubs roots run deep. From the moment I was born, I was immersed in the culture and fandom of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. I grew up imitating the Moisės Alou’s cockeyed stance, shaking my head to Carlos Zambrano’s temper tantrums, and living for Sammy Sosa’s homerun leaps. I still remember the gut wrenching 2003 NLCS series. Having a World Series seem like a sure thing with a Cubs game six 3-0 lead in the late innings, only to watch it slip through our fingers with the Florida Marlins eight run eighth inning. And then the absolute devastation of a game seven loss at home. I remember going to sleep in my parent’s bed that night in my Sammy Sosa jersey, crying myself to sleep with my mom. Being a Cubs fan was full of heartbreaks; that was until the 2016 World Series game 7.

I watched game 7 as a sophomore at the College of Wooster, a small college just north of Columbus. Because of the location, I watched that game in a room full of Cleveland Indians fans wanting nothing more than for the Cubs to break my heart once again. But an extra inning Ben Zobrist double and a final out from Kris Bryant to Anthony Rizzo brought me one of the best moments of my life. The room of Indians fans quickly cleared out and there I sat, long after the game was over, wrapped in my W flag, soaking in every moment of the celebration. I took that time to call all my family and friends who had faithfully stood by this team through all the tough times. I remember specifically calling my Grandpa, an 80 year old man who had dedicated his life to the Cubs franchise. He even bought a house in Arizona where he had owned season tickets to Cubs spring training for the past 25 years. He was in tears when I called him, and I couldn’t help from tearing up myself with overwhelming joy. Our lovable losers and finally become champions, a moment that will live on forever.

Photo by MLB

Cubs Uneventful Offseason and 2020 Outlook

by jstuursma19, posted in MLB

The 2016 season brought Chicago Cubs fans their biggest triumph in franchise history. After 108 years, the Cubs finally broke through and won a World Series in dramatic fasion, coming back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Cleveland Indians in the 2016 World Series. But since this historic night, the Cubs have slowly reverted back to those lovable losers we all hoped were a thing of the past. In 2017, the Cubs were overmatched in a NLCS series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The series was far from competitive as it lasted only five games and saw the Cubs get outscored 28-8. In 2018, the Cubs managed to lose a five game division lead in the month of September, forcing a game 163 against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs lost game 163 as well as the wild card play-in game for an early postseason exit. In 2019, the Cubs were competitive in the division all year long until that dreaded month of September rolled around again. The Cubs went 11-16 in September including a nine game losing streak, all at the hands of division opponents (Baseball Reference). When the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, fans were expecting a dynasty with the great core of young talent and the answer to our prayers in Coach Joe Maddon. However, with the progressive drop off since 2016, it may be time to start reevaluating the team and making changes to right the ship for the future.

The 2019 offseason got off to a hot start for Chicago as Joe Maddon was let go and quickly replaced by rookie manager David Ross. Ross was a pivotal part of the Cubs 2016 World Series as a player. His most significant contribution came in game 7 when he smoked a fastball from Andrew Miller over the centerfield wall. But David Ross will now be watching games from the dugout as he transitions into the coaching world. With the coaching staff for 2020 figured out, the Cubs now turn their offseason attention to the roster. The Cubs came into the offseason in need of middle infield and bullpen depth as well as another arm or two in the rotation; however, the offseason has been eerily quiet for the Cubs. This offseason has featured big names coming off the board early with Strausburg, Rendon, and Cole all signing big contracts. Yet the Cubs have not made any sort of competitive move. So how should the quiet offseason thus far be interpreted? I beleive that the Cubs have no intentions of spending big this offseason, but are instead packing it in with what they already have and preparing for the 2020 season. Not to say that they won’t sign a couple lower tier free agents, but fans should not expect big things from the Cubs this offseason, and here is why:

The Chicago Cubs are already among the biggest spenders in the major leagues with a 2019 payroll that was second only behind the Boston Redsox. A majority of their payroll remains in tact going into 2020. They have committed salaries at just over $137 million, estimated arbitration player salaries at $48 million, and pre-arbitration salaries at $5 million. Add in some extra expenses and around $15 million in player benefits and the Cubs are estimated to have a payroll of around $220 million, already over the 208 million luxury tax for 2020 (Andraki). This leaves little room to operate in free agency as the team has already elected to let Cole Hamels walk (signed with the Braves) and have been hesitant in signing back Nick Castellanos to the team. With the payroll already over the luxury tax, I believe the Cubs are setting their sights on the 2020 free agency. By this time, they will have unloaded the overpaid contracts of Jon Lester, $20 million, Tyler Chatwood, $13 million, and Craig Kimbrel, $16 million. So if the Cubs are staying quiet this offseason, what are the goals and expectations of 2020?

  • Get David Ross comfortable: The 2020 season will be big for the Cubs, not competing for a World Series, but determining where the future of the franchise goes. It will allow first year coach David Ross to get his feet wet managing a team for the first time without large expectations weighing him down. Being a coach at any level is a transition, but this is magnified at the major league level. It’s not just about coaching in the big leagues; it’s about being able to establish a coaching style, creating a comradery amoungst the players, dealing with injuries and players rest, and protecting the arms of your pitching staff. There is so much more that goes into managing a major league baseball team outside of actually coaching the games and practices. 2020 will be a big year for David Ross to learn the ropes and get comfortable in his new role.
  • Trade or Pay?: The time is soon apporoaching where the young core of the Chicago Cubs is going to get PAID. There isn’t going to be room in the budget to pay everyone the bigger contracts they deserve, so 2020 allows the Cubs time to trade a couple of these players instead of letting the walk in free agency. The guys at the top of this list are Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber. Kris Bryant’s young career has already come with many accolades including a Rookie of the year and MVP award in consecutive years. But since his MVP season in 2016, he’s had some difficulties staying healthy, leading to some drops in power numbers and RBIs. Not to mention, Bryant filed a grievence against the Cubs claiming there was some manipulation in how they handled the beginning of his MLB career. Add in all these factors, and it might be time to part ways with the slugger, if the right packages is obtained in return. Schwarber is coming off his best full season in the bigs and seems destined to play in the American League. Coming up through the organization as a catcher/outfielder, Schwarber has found his home in Left Field for the Cubs. His lack of experience and ahtleticism have led to below average outfield play from Schwarber. Ideally, he is a player that should be penciled in at the DH spot each game. For the right package, Schwarber could be another canidate for the Cubs to trade rather than pay in the next year.
  • Young Guns: The Cubs featured some players towards the end of last year that had success for the first time in the MLB. These include guys like Alec Mills, Nico Hoerner, and Robel Garcia. Mills made some spot starts for the Cubs late in the season because of an injury to Cole Hamels as well as coming out of the pen and was a bright spot for the Cubs at the end of the year. In four starts and 36 innings pitched, Mills accummulated a 2.75 ERA and had a 10.5 K/9. With the exit of Hamels, Mills could fight for a rotation spot this year, but is also auditioning to be a part of the franchise in the future. Nico Hoerner filled in for the injured Javier Baez last year and shocked everyone with the success he had. In his first big league action, Hoerner hit .282 with 22 hits and 17 RBIs in just 20 games played. With the exit of Ben Zobrist and Addison Russell, infield depth will be a necessity. Hoerner looks to cement his spot on the major league roster with a solid 2020 season. Garcia is another canidate to take on some innings in the infield. With the absence of Zobrist and disaster season of Daniel Descalso, Garcia was thrust into the lineup in the middle of the year. Garcia was up and down throughout the middle of the season showing off some power with a .500 slugging percentage (ESPN). Garcia will have more opportunities in the 2020 season to try and become a more consistent part of the lineup.

Unfortunatley, the frustrations that the Cubs fans have had over the last few years look like they will continue in 2019. The bigger contracts that helped the Cubs win a 2016 World Series are now taking their toll as the Cubs have been unable to be aggressive in free agency. But remain positive Cubs fans. This will be a year for our rookies to step up and get experience, our young stars to emerge, and our first year head coach to gain important experience for future postseason runs. It will be a bump in the road that will allow our franchise to be even more successful in the future. Forever, Go Cubs Go!

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