Storyline: This just could be the year! The Cubs have a balanced lineup, a great player in Jason Heyward, a terrific pitching staff, and ownership that invests in the team.
Before 1945 the Chicago Cubs had a stellar baseball team. They won 16 National League pennants and two World Series. Then “something” happened.
Local bar owner, Billy Sianis, decided to bring his pet goat, Murphy, to Game Four of the 1945 World Series v. the Detroit Tigers. Due to Murphy’s foul odor Sianis was asked to take his pet and leave the ballpark. As Sianis left, he angrily declared: “Them Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more.”
Eerily, his promise has remained true all of these years. The Cubbies have not appeared in the World Series since then and the team hasn’t won a championship since 1908.
Superstition? Maybe so. But this season the Cubs may have all the right pieces to end the curse. Winning an NL pennant is not out of the question and neither is the concept of finally bringing home another World Series.
The Cubs have a balanced lineup, a great player in Jason Heyward, a terrific pitching staff, and ownership that invests in the team.
Dexter Fowler (photo, Twitter.com)
Balanced Lineup
The thing about the Cubs is that everybody in the lineup can hit the ball well. Just ask the Cardinals. During Game 3 of the NLDS last year six Cubs ‘went yard’ against four different Cardinals pitchers, including aces Michael Wacha and Adam Wainwright. The Cubs won, 8-6. Leading the way in the lineup is 3rd baseman, Kris Bryant, and 1st baseman, Anthony Rizzo. Last year this pair had 200 ribbies and homered 55 times. But the Cubs will also have solid contributions from Ben Zobrist, Miguel Montero, and Dexter Fowler. Zobrist is an excellent switch-hitter and has great anticipation at 2nd base. Montero, isn’t playing at the level did with the D-Backs (where he was a two-time All-Star), but he’s still a great defensive catcher with healthy batting average (.248 last season. Fowler has great range in center field and is also a good leadoff man. The 30-year-old scored 102 runs and drove in 46 runs last year for the Cubbies.
Jason Heyward
Jason Heyward (photo, USAToday)
Heyward was in rival territory last year, playing right field for the St. Louis Cardinals. Now Heyward has brought his big bat and Gold Glove north to the Windy City, having signed an 8-year, $184 million contract with the Cubs. Heyward is coming off the best season of his career—flirting with a .300 batting average with an astonishing .359 on-base percentage. In the field Heyward’s UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating) absolutely embarrassed other outfielders: he had a staggering 96.2 rating. Heyward also has terrific field vision, range, and anticipation. To say that Heyward is a just a good baseball player is a huge understatement.
Stellar Pitching Staff
Jack Arrieta (photo, abc7chicago.com)
The only thing missing from this picture is a flame-throwing relief pitcher named Sam “Mayday” Malone (minus the alcoholism, of course). The Cubs acquired former Cardinal and Red Sox pitcher John Lackey during the offseason. Now the Cubs have the best starting pitching staff in the NL, if not the majors. At the top of the rotation is Jake Arrieta, the defending NL Cy Young winner. Arrieta has a variety of pitches, but the main pitch is his blazing fastball paired with a slider with excellent break and movement. After Arrieta comes two former Red Sox teammates, Jon Lester and John Lackey. The duo has four All-Star Game appearances between them. Rounding out the bottom of the rotation are Travis Wood and Jason Hammel. The only thing lacking is a good setup and closing pitcher. If the Cubs could acquire a great closer, like Trevor Rosenthal of the Cardinals, then the Cubs will go from probable NL champion to NL champion.
Great Ownership
Tom Ricketts, owner, Chicago Cubs (photo, USAToday)
Why haven’t the Cubs won over the years? It’s not the Curse of the Billy Goat. It’s not Steve Bartman, the Cubs fan, who endured all kinds of grief after he caught a ball during Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS against the Florida (now Miami) Marlins. The problem has been the ownership. Over the years Cubs’ owners have neglected the ball club, despite having fans that show continuous support. Owners “rolled in the dough” from a consistently-packed Wrigley, but they didn’t put the kind of money needed to build the franchise. Well, now the owners have finally done that. Just look at the results! The Cubs have a stellar lineup, an excellent pitching rotation, and, as always, a loyal fan base to support it. What a great recipe for World Series Number Three!
Watch out, NL Central! The Curse of the Billy Goat will finally be broken! And, as a die-hard Cardinals fan, there’s nothing worse I would rather admit.
