October Here We Come

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The calendar has yet to shift to the month of September, but you can all but pencil in the Chicago Cubs for a second consecutive trip to the postseason. From 2010-2014, the Cubs endured five losing seasons which included them dropping 101 games in 2012. But last year under the guidance of former Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon, the Cubs took the field with young phenoms such as third baseman Kris Bryant, and first baseman Anthony Rizzo as they won 97 games en route to a berth in the National League Championship Series. And although that the Cubs fell short of making the World Series last October, they entered 2016 as one of the favorites to get there, while they are doing their part to meet the expectations.

The Cubs began this year with a record of 27-8 as they’ve been the team to beat in the National League. At the All-Star break, the Cubs were 53-35 and their entire infield were voted as starters for the Midsummer Classic. The second half of the MLB season has seen the Cubs once again catch fire as they are 29-10 and they haven’t lost more than two games in a row since July 9. And as the Cubs are currently 83-47, they’ve secured their second consecutive winning season, while they have a nice cushion to work with in the N.L. Central as the St. Louis Cardinals who are 14 games back with just 35 games remaining are their closest competition. The Cubs have to feel good about themselves as they are clicking on all cylinders with an eye on reaching the World Series for the first time since 1945, and winning it all which would be the organization’s first since 1908.

Theo Epstein

The Cubs turnaround began when Theo Epstein became the team’s president of baseball operations. In October 2011, Epstein joined the Cubs after a successful run as the general manager of the Boston Red Sox which included winning a pair of World Series Championships. Epstein got the Cubs back to the basics which meant rebuilding the organization’s minor-league system through trades and drafting. Within three months with the Cubs, Epstein acquired Rizzo from the San Diego Padres in a deal that saw him part with the likes of starting pitcher Andrew Cashner. In 2013, Epstein would acquire starting pitcher Jake Arrieta from the Baltimore Orioles, and in that same year, he would use the second overall pick of the Major League Baseball Draft on Bryant. In 2014, Bryant made a blockbuster trade with the Oakland Athletics that saw the Cubs receive infielder Addison Russell as he parted with starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija. And just like it was in the film Field of Dreams, “if you build it, they will come” as that is what Epstein has done with the Cubs.

When Epstein first arrived in Chicago, the Cubs were an organization in disarray that nobody from the outside wanted to touch with a 10-foot pole. But by the end of the 2014 Major League Baseball season, people that were associated with the sport were more than willing to catch a flight to O’Hare International Airport as the Cubs bandwagon began to grow.

Joe Maddon

Once Maddon had opted out of his contract with the Rays, he was more than willing to talk turkey with Epstein after they had battled each other in the American League East. Maddon’s style of keeping a clubhouse loose while also developing the young and talented Cubs roster was important. And once the Cubs began to show their potential last year, so did the baseball world. Last off-season the Cubs signed outfielder Jason Heyward and second baseman Ben Zobrist to contracts to give Chicago one of the deepest lineups in baseball. The Cubs also signed veteran starting pitcher John Lackey, and last month, flame throwing relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman was acquired from the New York Yankees to give Chicago a lights out closer that will be vital in the playoffs.

Now the Cubs have everything in place to make a run at the World Series as they have a powerful lineup that puts pressure on opposing pitchers. So far this year the Cubs are second in the National League in runs scored (663), third in slugging percentage (.434), and fifth in home runs (165). Bryant is becoming the superstar that most people expected him to be as he is batting .303 with 35 home runs and 89 runs batted in as he is on pace to become the first Cubs players to be named the N.L.’s MVP since Sammy Sosa in 1998. Rizzo isn’t that shabby either as he is batting .297 with 25 homers and 91 runs batted in. And the combination of Rizzo and Bryant fits right into a city such as Chicago that is very familiar with great sports tandems such as Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, and Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.

Jake Arrieta

Arrieta is the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner and although that he more than likely won’t win 22 games like he did in 2015, he still leads the N.L. in wins with 16 as he is one of the few bona fide aces in baseball.

There’s a buzz around the Cubs that hasn’t been there for quite some time as this team’s fan base travels well on the road, while there isn’t an empty seat to find at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. The Cubs are on pace for their first 100-win season since 1935, but this team will be defined by whether or not that they’ll be able to get those 11 victories in October that have eluded them for more than 100 years.

Source: Baseball-reference.com

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