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When Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer initiated their mission to bring a World Series Championship to the Chicago Cubs, they began by analyzing the organization in both current and future terms. They looked at their MLB roster and the status of their farm system as dictations on where their plan would or should go and the expediency their plan can take. What they found was not necessarily a bare cupboard, but more of a kitchen cabinet stocked with items such as spam, corned beef hash, a few cans of vegetables, corn kernels to be popped and the like. Epstein and ...
After finishing the regular season well below .500 for the second consecutive year, the Chicago Cubs invested in their future by hiring Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer in October 2011. The move also ushered in a wave of much-needed change throughout the organization, and indicated that a lengthy and potentially arduous rebuilding process was now underway. However, simply knowing that Epstein and Hoyer were running the organization didn’t necessarily make the Cubs’ 101-loss season any easier to stomach.But thanks to a strong amateur draft in June and a few under-the-radar prospect acquisitions at the trade deadline, a new and improved ...
It is obvious to Chicago Cubs fans that their biggest need this offseason is pitching: starting and relief. The Cubs are ranked seventh in the MLB in both opponent OPS and staff ERA, as well as K\9. They are also dead last in K\BB ratio. Luckily for the Cubs and their fans, GM Jed Hoyer knows where the club needs the most improvement. “We certainly have to be aggressive with starting pitching over the winter,” Hoyer said. “I think that hardly makes us unique among major league teams. We will certainly have competition to find starting pitching but we certainly ...
The 2012 season for the Chicago Cubs was as disastrous as we all thought. It was actually two games worse than either I thought or hoped. I'm not sure where reality lies, so it's a distinct possibility that my heart's wishes clouded my brain's logic in thinking they would not lose 100 games.They did. I'm sadder for it.I do believe the Cubs are moving in the right direction. I think the young team of Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer are exactly what we need. An infusion of young energy is a welcomed change from the stuffy atmosphere that's been plaguing ...
The Chicago Cubs have a long list of things that need to be fixed in order to avoid another 100-loss season.From better depth pitching, to more consistent hitting in the lineup; the Cubs need a major overhaul in almost every department of the game.Every department except for one: Cubs' manager Dale Sveum should be back for at least a few more seasons.It's easy to point a finger at the manager when his team is well below their expected success level, but in the case of the Chicago Cubs, this was expected to happen.These are the five reasons why Dale Sveum ...
The Chicago Cubs can actually be a contender for the pennant in the 2013 season.Disappointment is in the blood of Cubs fans, so most won't believe it until they see it. The Cubs are going to have to prove through the first half of the season that they are contenders.The Cubs can do just as the Washington Nationals did this year, coming out of nowhere to surprise people with a division title. The Nationals did it with a few key acquisitions before and during the season; and they got great pitching.Chicago can have all of that as well.Here are five keys ...
WGN-TV announced the television personality Bob Brenly will not return as a broadcaster next season and will seek a broadcasting position in a different market. Brenly took over as a color analyst when Steve Stone left in 2004, and was also a radio broadcaster for two years in the 1990s.Fox News reported that Arizona Diamondbacks broadcasters Mark Grace and Daron Sutton will not be returning to the booth next season, leaving many to believe that Brenly will be seeking that position. Brenly won a World Series as manager with the Diamondbacks in 2001.Len Kaspar, his broadcast partner and play-by-play analyst, ...
The Chicago Cubs have been accustomed to losing seasons over the past few years. But 101 losses is another thing entirely. No team ever takes those campaigns in stride—even franchises with a 108-year World Series drought weighing on them. Without mincing words, the Cubs were positively dreadful in 2012. Triple-digit losses were bad, but so were near dead-last team rankings in both hitting and pitching in the National League. For perspective, the Cubs finished 36 games behind the first-place Reds. Other accolades include a 12-game losing streak, allowing 17 runs in a single game and being shut out 16 times. ...
As the MLB playoffs follow their usual exhilarating, unpredictable path fans of those teams not in the tournament slowly begin to turn their eyes toward the pending free agency period. Who will their team sign or trade for? Who will be brought back or allowed to sign elsewhere? As for the Chicago Cubs, their fans will be more inclined to ask the question posed in the former as opposed to the latter. This offseason the Chicago Cubs have a nominal number of traditional free agents at a current total of four—Shawn Camp, Randy Wells, Blake DeWitt, and Alex Hinshaw. They ...
The offseason couldn't have come any faster for the Chicago Cubs.After a 61-101 record, third worst in franchise history, the Cubs will look to pick up the pieces this offseason during free agency.President of baseball operations Theo Epstein has stressed the importance of not rushing in order to build a championship team. Instead, they have to find prospects and develop them through the Cubs' system, which can be time consuming.But it wouldn't hurt to pick up a few good players this offseason when the Cubs desperately need help to avoid another 100-loss year.Starting pitching will be a prime target for ...
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