2015 Cubs
Mets Sweep Cubs
That happened...
Thanks everyone for everything all year.
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The Cubs are down 0-2 to the Mets in the NLCS
Well, shit.
Cubs Eliminate Cardinals
The Cubs defeat the Cardinals in four games to advance to the NLCS. Discuss!
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Cubs Win NL Wild Card Game
Arrieta and the Cubs make it look easy, and the Pirates stick to the script. Now onward to St. Louis. Game One of the NLDS starts Friday at 5:30pmCT: Lester vs. Lackey.
Go Cubs!
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Projecting End-of-Season Statistics
The Cubs will play their 54th game tonight, which will put them at the one-third mark of the baseball season. I thought it would be interesting to see what each player’s full season stats would be if we project out based on these first two months. For most players, it was as simple as taking their current stats (as of yesterday prior to the game) and multiplying by three. But for players who started in the minors or were injured, I have taken that into consideration and examined the percentage of days they have been on the roster when making the calculations. For Soler, I removed three weeks’ worth of stats to account for his current injury. The normal caveats, of course, apply. Players can get injured at any time, fall into slumps, or get hot, and so these will most definitely not look the final lines for a lot of these players. But it should provide a quick sense of how good/bad of a season players are currently having.
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Can the Cubs Really Improve Enough to Make the Playoffs?
The Cubs won 73 games last year, which was the most the team had won since 2010 and a respectable improvement on the 66 wins from 2013. But 73 is still a long way from the playoffs. It took 88 wins to make it last year and looking back the last 25 years that is almost always what it takes (other than about a dozen odd exceptions). Yet many pundits are giving the Cubs a strong chance of climbing all the way to the playoffs, and Cubs fans, of course, are hopeful of such a rise. So what does it look like when a team climbs from a win total in the low 70s one year to the high 80s the next? Is it about free agent acquisitions, recovery from injuries, or maturing young talent? Is there a typical path that teams take and are the Cubs on that path?
To answer these questions, I examined all playoff teams over the past 25 years (since 1990) and noted the number of wins they had the prior year. I excluded years 1994-1996 given the strike-shortened schedules that made comparisons difficult. Overall, there were 166 playoff teams in that span, and most were in the playoffs or had solid records the prior year (the average was 87 wins). There were, however, 41 teams that finished below .500 the year before. Of those, there were 16 teams that had 73 wins or less. This includes the Cubs three times. I touch on all 16 teams below to highlight some the paths teams have taken and conclude with thoughts on whether or not such a jump is realistic for the 2015 Cubs.
Recent comments
crunch (view)
luke little rejoins the MLB party...
crunch (view)
hendricks IL...lower back...
given recent backlash by MLB, i doubt this is a phanton IL.
wtf...also drew smyly to IL...right hip...
crunch (view)
boston, houston, miami...lots of potential suitors for a backup 1st/DH who won't be pain if they need regular ABs
Childersb3 (view)
BOS 1B Casas just hit the IL. Maybe Cooper goes there.
Cooper leaving does open a 40man spot. Probably for an arm at some point.
Horton?
Maybe Caissie
crunch (view)
now that cooper is gone, who's going to the IL? seems like it will probably be a pitcher at this point.
crunch (view)
can't wait to see what A-ball fringe corner OF/1st he'll be traded for...
Childersb3 (view)
Cooper DFA'd
Arizona Phil (view)
Players on the 40 can be recalled and be placed on the MLB Taxi Squad for one day, like for example if a club is unsure if a player might or might not be placed on the IL ("game time decision"). Like maybe Happ, for example.
Also, a player on the MLB Taxi Squad must be returned to his optional assignment the next day if he is not officially recalled to the 26-man roster.
The player is NOT paid at the MLB split rate and does NOT accrue MLB Service Time while he is on the Taxi Squad. Also, it is not considered to be an official recall / option back if he is not added to the 26-man roster.
Arizona Phil (view)
Wesneski has not spent 15 days on optional assignment since he was optioned so he cannot be recalled unless he is replacing a player being placed on the IL or other MLB inactive list (Paternity, Bereavement / Family Medical, et al), a player who is traded, or a player who is claimed off waivers.
crunch (view)
excited to see more power in the lineup.
HOU going with 3 righty starters vs the cubs and their only lefty pen arm is hader.
unless busch has a mystery injury, we should see busch+mervis working all 3 games.