Oh, the Cubs. The 1908 World Series winners, but nothing since. 104 tough years have gone by, and no series has happened on the north side of Chicago. But, it could happen soon. The Cubs have some young blood in Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo, who have proven can play at very high levels. Still, there are some issues here.
Offense: The Cubs offense has been terrible. Batting .239 as a team (12 in NL), the Cubs have not been able to get hits. And their .296 OBP? It's 13th in the NL. And, this hasn't turned into runs (109 runs, 12 in NL). And, only Nate Schierholtz (.305 AVG) and Wellington Castro (.307 AVG) have averages that are over .300. But, their .413 SLG is 3rd in NL. So, the Cubs just seem to score by getting extra base hits. Grade: D+ (Terrible average, hard to get on base) Pitching Totals: The Cubs pitching has been very good, especially in the rotation. They rank in the top 10 in the NL in 9 pitching categories. Rotation: The Cub rotation has been very, very good so far. With four pitchers with ERAs under 3.50 (Samardzija, Villanueva, Wood, Feldman), the Cubs rotation has held strong with the bad offense. The WHIP has been good in the rotation too (1.17, 0.93, 0.91, 1.61, 1.28). With numbers like these, the Cubs should be right in most of their games. Bullpen: Kevin Gregg has been a very good closer for the team (4/4 in save opportunities), after Carlos Marmol and Kyuji Fujikawa didn't pan out for the position. But, there are always downsides. Besides James Russel (0.00 ERA, 16 GMS), the Cubs have nobody in their bullpen with an ERA below 4.00 with at least 2 apperances. There's an issue there. Grade: B- (Bullpen Issues, Starting Rotation still unproven) Other Stats and Info: --28.4 Average Age (Very Young) --450,338 Total Attendance (7th in NL) (Through May 5) --8 games out of first in NL Central (Through May 5) Prediction: Bust (68-94, 5th NL Central) The Cubs have offensive issues and need to bolster their lineup before they have any chaces of making the playoffs.
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Ah, the Phillies. How will they finish? 87-75? 90-72? Who knows? As for their first 30 games, they are 14-16, sitting 3.5 GB the Atlanta Braves. Let's break down the Phillies, and try to understand if they'll be a boom or a bust.
First, we look at the hitting. Howard and Utley both homered last night for the 49th time in their careers. But, the Phillies only managed 4 runs and the bullpen nearly blew the game in the 7th inning. The Phillies have 111 runs so far, placing them 11th in the NL. Their .304 OBP is 12th in the NL. And beside triples, the Phillies are not in the top 3 in any offensive category. Only Michael Young bats over .300, and Domonic Brown, Michael Young, Chase Ultey, and Ryan Howard have OBPs over .300 (minimum 93 PA, 3.1 PA per game). Offensively, this could be a tough year for the Phillies. Their early play has been backed by some good pitching, which is why they aren't further down in the standings. If their offense can't contribute well enough, it may be hard to put them as a boom. The Phillies have had their ups and downs pitching wise. With a 4.30 team ERA (13th in NL), the Phillies don't look like the team that had "four aces" just a few good years ago. In the starting rotation, the Phils just have three guys with an ERA of below 4 (Jonathan Pettibone, Cliff Lee, Kyle Kendrick). And Roy Halladay, John Lannan, and Cole Hamels? Their ERAs are 6.75, 6.14, and 4.78, respectively. But, the Phillies are 8th in the league with 224 strikeouts. Their bullpen, though, has been pretty good. Bastardo, Adams, and Papelbon have been a good 7th, 8th, and 9th punch. Pap is 5/5 in save opportunities thus far. This is the bright spot in the Phillies roster. Are the Phillies a boom or bust? If they can get good pitching, and get enough runs per game, the Phils could make a playoff run. But, as for now, they aren't doing that. Prediction: Bust (75-87, 3rd NL East) This article starts a new segment on my website. For 15 days, I'll be writing about one team and their chances to go to the playoffs, or possibly even further. This segment will be called "Boom or Bust".
The schedule for "Boom or Bust" goes as follows: Day 1: Phillies Day 2: Cubs Day 3: Astros Day 4: Nats Day 5: O's Day 6: Padres Day 7: Mariners Day 8: Yankees Day 9: Royals Day 10: Angels Day 11: Rangers Day 12: A's Day 13: Rockies Day 14: Red Sox Day 15: Giants |