Entering Sunday's series finale versus the White Sox, the Cubs were attempting to extend their win streak to ten games, go 20 games over .500, and gain a game on the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central standings. All of this sounds great. However, White Sox ace Chris Sale had something else in mind.The lefty held the Cubs to just one hit and no runs, striking out 15 in only 7 innings of work. Sale was able to extinguish the Cubs' on-fire bats, and the White Sox picked up the W.
My initial reaction was sadness and bitterness. I was bummed that the streak had to end, and maybe even more bummed that it had to end at the hands of the White Sox, of all teams. But then I remembered what this season is about: growth. That helped me to appreciate the amazing stretch the Cubs have been on, winning 15 of their last 17.
After spending a week at spring training, talking to players, watching the games on TV, and doing all kinds of research I could, prior to Opening Day, I arrived at the conclusion that the Cubs would somewhere between 83 and 85 games. While many websites and magazines were calling the Cubs contenders, like this Grantland piece, and others correlated the 2015 season to that of the 2015 season in Back to the Future II, I was a little more skeptical, "realistic," as I would have called myself at the time.
This year was all about answering questions about the team for the future, finding out who will fit each position as we move in to a new era of Cubs' baseball, and giving the young players chances to grow at the Major League level. In my head, I decided that finishing above .500 would be a successful and exciting season. While the Cubs certainly have a bright future, and many stud young players, I just couldn't see them being ready yet. I couldn't see a 73-89 team flip its record backwards, and go on a deep playoff run. It just wasn't a fair expectation for such a young team, that has never been there before.
And here we are. The Cubs now own a 3.5 game lead over the Giants in the second NL Wild Card spot, while starting FOUR rookies in their lineup every day. While there is still a month and a half of baseball left to be played, the Cubs are in the mix, and have a legitimate shot to make the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
I went to Thursday's game against the Brewers, and it had a different feel from other games I have been to in recent years. Not because the Cubs launched 5 homers. Not because Wrigley Field sold out on a Thursday afternoon game against a bad team. But instead, there was something in the air. There was a hope that had been rekindled around the ballpark, and an excitement that hasn't been there in a long time. Many fans are starting to "believe" again.
Now for those of you that are reading, some of you might be stopping me right now and saying, "Oh here we go again. The last thing you want to do is believe, because they're the Cubs, and the Cubs are going to break your heart." Now, this is where it comes back to what I said earlier. This year is different. When former general manager Jim Hendry assembled the 2003, 2007 and 2008 Cubs' teams that made the playoffs, he did it through making big acquisitions. He overpaid Alfonso Soriano and Ted Lilly in free agency, he traded for Aramis Ramirez and Kenny Lofton, etc. The teams that he put together had a very tight title window. It was a "win now or bust" strategy, that proved not to work, seeing as the Cubs only got a few cracks at winning, fell short, and then got stuck with bad contracts and mediocre teams. Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have put the Cubs together in a way, that while they may look good now, they aren't even close to how good they can be.
Remember only three years ago (feels a lot longer than that) when the Cubs called up a highly-touted first baseman prospect, who put together a nice rookie campaign, then followed it up with very lackluster numbers in 2013 (.233 BA)? That player is Anthony Rizzo, and since then, he has been the second-best first baseman in the National League, and this season, is a legitimate threat to win NL MVP.
What's the moral of that story? While the Cubs look good now, and they show a lot of promise, imagine how good they are going to look in two, three, four years from now, when their young guns start to hit their prime, and some blossom in to stars. The Cubs still have Albert Almora and Javier Baez in the minors, both are some of the best prospects in baseball. Not to mention pitcher CJ Edwards. While the Cubs currently have the fourth best record in the MLB at 67-49, keep in mind that they also have the third lowest team batting average, hitting a dismal .241. Imagine what that team batting average is going to look like in a few years with some fine seasoning?
Another thing to think about is how rare it is for a team to win it all with no recent playoff experience. It's kind of like if you ask a girl out. If you've already had a girlfriend, you've been there before, and you have way more confidence than when you hadn't dated before. It's the same for sports. A lot of the time, we'll see a team show up in the playoffs, and they end up losing to a team that's been there before. So even if the Cubs lost in the playoffs, just playing playoff games would be a huge win for this team.
This season has been a bonus season for the Cubs. It's kinda like a prequel to a great movie. The prequel may be really good, but its laying the groundwork for something that's even better. And barring bad injuries, the Cubs are going to be better.
That isn't to say that they don't have a chance this year. They do. But if it's October, and you're watching the Cubs, and they lose, don't be heartbroken. Don't be mad. Because this just the start of something beautiful. Enjoy, my friends.
No comments:
Post a Comment