CubsPS+ - A North Side Numbers Game

Episode 38 - Hendricks, the Pen & the Curious Case of Miles Mastrobuoni

This week I cover a few topics impacting the Cubs right now. The episode opens with my thoughts on the return of Kyle Hendricks and then I get into the slowly (maybe too slowly) changing face of the Cubs bullpen. After that, the big topic - why do Cub fans hate Miles Mastrobuoni so much? I break down Mastrobuoni’s numbers and make a comp to a memorable Cub from 2015-2017 who had a similar start to his career.

Episode 37 - From Branch Rickey to Driveline & Beyond: The Ongoing Evolution of Player Dev with Ben Lindbergh

Welcome in to Episode 37! The #37 makes this the Travis Wood episode!
The Cubs opened the weekend by designating Eric Hosmer for assignment, a move we’ve all been talking about for a few weeks. Nico Hoerner made his return in Philadelphia and the Cubs were a mixed bag over the weekend – winning a blowout Friday, getting blown out Saturday and wasting another fantastic outing from Justin Steele today and – in the process – continuing to struggle with men on base and getting big outs from the bullpen. On the plus side, Christopher Morel is all the vibes and can’t be human at this point.
I’ll get back into those issues next week, but today, I’m thrilled to be joined by Ben Lindbergh, longtime host of the Effectively Wild podcast from FanGraphs and co-author of two books, “The MVP Machine” and “The Only Rule is it has to Work”. Ben and I talk about player development and how things have changed since he and Travis Sawchik published The MVP Machine 4 years ago – changes in technology and process, what things were once advantages and are now table stakes and how players are empowered more than ever before thanks to all the data and measurables at their fingertips.
Ben is always a great listen, so sit back and enjoy his unique perspective.
Are you ready? I’m ready. Here. We. Go!
Where to find Ben:
Twitter: @BenLindbergh and @EWPod
Effectively Wild Podcast (co-hosted with Meg Rowley of Fangraphs)
Ben’s work at The Ringer
The MVP Machine: How Baseball’s New Nonconformists are Using Data to Build Better Players (co-authored with Travis Sawchik)
The Only Rule is it has to Work (co-authored with Sam Miller)

Episode 36 - Run Differential, Luck and Winning (Losing) in the Margins

The Cubs are surprisingly among the league leaders in run differentials, yet sit on this off day with an 18-19 record. In this episode I dig into run differential and how it plays into playoff chances. Tied in with run differential is the baseball idea of “luck” (no, not black cats & dark magic), so I talk about baseball luck and how the Cubs can make their own. When a team plays a lot of close games, the winning and losing comes in the margins, so what do the Cubs need to do to flip the script in close games? Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

Episode 35 - Talkin’ Baseball with Cubs Baseball Scientist Dr. Mike Sonne

The Cubs aren’t playing as well as they were the last time I sat down to have a conversation with y’all, so let this week’s episode be a nice distraction from all the concerns about what’s going on with the team on this road trip (1-5 heading into today’s finale against the Nationals). This week I was thrilled to talk baseball with Cubs baseball scientist Dr. Mike Sonne, a PhD with a lot of biomechanics expertise who the Cubs hired last October. We talk about the role of baseball science within the Cubs’ system and how things have gone in his first 6 months.

Episode 34 - Wins, Roster Growth & Catching Metrics

The Cubs continue to play good ball and are now beginning a 10-game stretch against the Marlins and Nationals, hopefully they can continue to win series. This week I look back at what the Cubs have been doing over the last week and talk about the roster changes made in the last couple of days and what those might mean going forward. I get into some players who have already shown some performance extremes and then I break down some catching metrics between Yan Gomes and Tucker Barnhart.
Are you ready? I’m ready….Here! We! Go!

Episode 33 - Talking Power with Greg Huss: Power, Roster Construction & BASH

This week I’m thrilled to welcome back friend of the pod Greg Huss of Northside Bound and the Cubs on Deck Podcast. Greg is always a great listen and, as always, he brought great energy and deep knowledge of Cubs prospects. 
We talk primarily about power - power bats and swing & miss power arms - that the Cubs have in the system ready for the big leagues and how those guys play into roster construction for a major league roster seen as light on power. When might we see Matt Mervis or Christopher Morel in Chicago? Can the Cubs use arms from Iowa’s power ‘pen to get more swing & miss at the major league level?
Late in the episode Greg talks about his newly released offensive metric, BASH, which is designed to help compare offensive prospects across levels, while factoring in performance, age and park factors.
You can find Greg at Northside Bound (Northsidebound.com), on Twitter @OutOfTheVines and the Cubs On Deck podcast can be found through your pod catcher of choice. 

Episode 32 - Cubs Hot, Happ Extended…But What About Hosmer?

It’s been a really good stretch for the Cubs - series wins at home against Seattle and Texas before going to LA and winning their first series there in nine seasons. Today, the Cubs go for the sweep against an Oakland team going nowhere fast.
What’s driving the Cubs? Surprisingly, it’s the offense to a greater degree than we expected. In this episode, I talk about what’s going right for the Cubs, but also talk about where the Cubs could get better, particularly first base. I dive into Hosmer’s start and what he’s giving the Cubs so far. 
This will be a prelude to a larger discussion of power bats and power arms and how those things play into the Cubs current roster construction when I talk to Greg Huss, writer for Northside Bound and host of the Cubs on Deck podcast later this week.

Episode 31 - Baseball (and this pod) is Back!

Thanks for bearing with me during a brief hiatus while our family moved. In this episode, I look at some interesting trends over the first 8 games of the season, including some interesting (and at times) detrimental roster construction choices and highlight some of the great early performances - I’m looking at you Stro & Steele! At the end, I talk through my prediction on the Cubs win totals this year. 

Episode 30 - One Week to the Stro Show!

Welcome in to Episode 30! The Stro Show at Wrigley on Opening Day is just a week away and the Cubs still have a lot of roster decisions to make. Let’s pick up where we left ff last week and dig in on some of the questions yet to be answered before the season starts - but first, I highlight the end of the World Baseball Classic (I mean, seriously, Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout?!!??) and discuss some injury updates and what htey might mean as we head into April.
Are you ready? I’m ready.
Here! We! Go!

Episode 29 - Breaking Down the Cubs Final Roster Races

Who do you think should play third base? Who should the Cubs plug in RF until Seiya Suzuki returns? Who is the 5th starter going to be? This week, I walk through the options the Cubs have in some key positions and lay out my thoughts on how the Cubs will approach some of those decisions.
Geek out with some talk about option years and the 40-man roster implications on this week’s podcast. I also banter about about the World Baseball Classic and highlight a few Chicago Cubs who are showing out in the tournament. 
Are you ready? I’m ready.
Here! We! Go!