Chicago Cubs

 Chicago Cubs.. Where do we start

I agree Carpio!
Even at 75% he is a heck of a ball player.

Glad to see you’re feeling better and posting again. 

Z.  I can’t agree more about ADAMES’ and HOPKINS’ defense.  ADAMES is too nonchalant.     As far as hitting goes I’m looking forward to an uptick once the weather warms up.     YELICH will never be 100% but I would settle for 75%.

I don’t know where you dug that up or what it’s even about because it doesn’t show anything. Even if those numbers are correct it only reflects the first 30 some games and reflects a small sample size of what the player is capable of.

How many Gold Glove awards has Adames won?

The picture I posted is from Baseball Reference and reflects the numbers by the active players in the league to date. I could post others that reflect the same thing. 

I guarantee you that if any other team would have to choose between the two, it wouldn’t be a tough choice 

You don't say what year that's from but this is 2024 to date! Adames also higher in 2023!
Point being, how can you say Adames is a defensive liability?

Again your comments don’t take the facts into consideration. 

Interesting analysis but Adames a defensive liability? His fielding % is .977 this year, higher than Swanson. He's always been considered a very good defensive SS, great arm , quickness etc. 2023 was his best year defensively!  

Carpio…I wouldn’t expect anything different from a Brewer fan, but that’s okay and I respect your enthusiasm.
The Brewers definitely need Yelich back in the lineup, but I don’t think he will be your savior.
Two things that I think will make this tough for the Brewers. One, they don’t have the depth in pitching like they’ve had in the past. We have only played a little less than a quarter of the season and while some of their pitchers have done well, they haven’t yet had many games against the better teams in the league.
 The second thing is their offense. They have hit well in some games to this point, but as their schedule gets tougher they will not have the same success. The only true threats they have is Yelich, Contreras and maybe Turang. The rest of the lineup has some holes. Adames and Hopkins can be decent hitters, but both are very inconsistent.
The Brewers defense is pretty solid although I think Adames and Hopkins are liabilities. Hopkins has never been a good defensive first baseman and he only played regularly in Philly when Harper was out.
It will be a fun and interesting season for both teams, but I think the Cubs are built better for the long haul.

ill change that Z.    I predict that the Brewers will take the division but by no more than 1 game.  I have never seen 2 clubs so closely matched.  Yelich is the key as he will account for the timely hits.   McGill might come into play also.     It’s going to be an interesting season.

Wacky, The Cubs have been without 3 starting pitchers and 2 relief pitchers for most of the season so far. The loss of so many pitchers has caused them to rely on pitchers playing out of their intended roles and using their bullpen more than most teams in the league.
It’s been well documented by many that despite these losses, the Cubs have done extremely well at keeping pace with the league and the division. They’ve had a tougher schedule than anyone else in the division and that will continue through this month.
As far as expectations go. The expectations are for the Cubs to win the division and get in the playoffs. I haven’t heard of anyone making perditions for anything more than that.

With CC, we have an even keel guy that rarely shows any emotion.  Of any kind.  Agree with Z on that.

Cubs could have saved a bunch of money by just buying an Ai computer with massive computing abilities to run stats and analytics 24-7.  Both it and CC would show about the same emotions.  And both would barely praise or lift up their team in any meaningful way.  On the other hand, both would also not tear them down too bad when they play poorly or screw up either.

I hope you understand that this is partly how I feel and partly tongue-in-cheek.    

Great win last night!  Go Cubs Go!

Cubs are on pace to go 96-66 despite missing their opening day pitcher and one of their best hitters for most of the first 37 games.  They have blown saves in several games due to bullpen woes.  That can happen even to teams like the Astros with Hader this season.  Had the bullpen saved just two of those blown opportunities, the Cubs would be on a 105-57 pace.  How many wins did fans expect this season?

Yes, I believe some fans have set their expectations too high.  Enjoy the season, it is off to a better start than most.

Regarding CC, maybe my expectations are too high, but I do expect great things from him this season.
I'll cut him some slack I guess.

I agree that he didn’t shower him with praise, but he was to the point and acknowledged his pitching qualities. The media has been praising his performances saying that he is the best FA signing in the league and that’s not just the Chicago talking heads. We definitely got a gem and he brings a lot to the team.

I mostly agree with you Zman, it's just that CC missed a chance to truly extol the virtues and accomplishments of Imanaga's debut MLB season...
I mean Shota doesn't mess around nor miss a beat.
He picks apart each at bat like a surgeon.
Shota is right up there with Valenzuela's debut and his first season ERA.

Great win for sure!
Shota is fun to watch work on each hitter. He’s one of the most animated pitchers I’ve seen. The HR he gave up was an excellent piece of hitting by Profar. That pitch was low and out of the zone and he went down and got it. 

Good to have Bellinger back and not missing a beat. Big game for quite a few Cubs as mentioned. The bullpen was outstanding and kept it close.

CC is a pretty even keel manager. He’s not going to get too up and he’s not going to get too down. I thought he gave Shota a lot of praise in the interview.

Big game tomorrow afternoon. Wesneski against Cease is a great matchup.

Go Cubs!