CubsPS+ - A North Side Numbers Game

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!

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. 

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.

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. 

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!

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!

Did you try watching the KBO during the COVID shutdown? Are you excited about the WBC? This is your episode. I’m thrilled to welcome avid international baseball following @InfieldFlyGrl to talk about baseball around the globe and the WBC. Baseball is fun - and the whole world knows it.
All things World Baseball Classic: https://www.mlb.com/world-baseball-classic
International Baseball Streaming Guide: https://wordsabovereplacement.com/streaming-guide/ 

Welcome in to Episode 27! Spring is here! Well, sort of…in some places. With the Cubs heading into game action this weekend, it’s time to start thinking about what the Cubs will be this season. Seiya and Morel are huge, Bellinger took Smyly deep to left center today and Willson Contreras is getting under Cub fans’ skin already. Today I hit all that, talk about Happ & Hoerner contract extensions and spend some time looking into the newly released PECOTA projections and how the NL Central race is looking.
 
Are you ready? I’m ready.
 
Here. We. Go!

Let’s reflect on Dexter Fowler’s short, but really impactful time with the Cubs. He was a really valuable player offensively and defensively on both the 2015 and 2016 teams, probably no moment greater than his leadoff home run in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.
This week, I talk about what Dexter did in Chicago and compare him to other short-term (3 seasons or less with the Cubs) additions the Cubs have made in the divisional era going back to 1969. Where do I rank Dexter? Tune in and let’s find out.
 
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I’m cross-posting this episode of the Son Ranto Show after joining the crew for a guest appearance this week.
Son Ranto is one of my favorite Cubs podcasts and Danny Rockett was very generous to bring me on. It’s always a great time and this episode was no exception.
This episode reflects on the retirement of Dexter Fowler and where he stands among Cubs leadoff hitters over the past few decades. I join in the 2nd segment (at the 45:15 mark) to talk about mental skills after my last episode interviewing the Cubs’ David da Silva and in the end we get into some of my process. They wrap up the third segment discussing their good, bad and ugly Cubs uniforms.
I highly recommend giving this podcast a listen if you haven’t. It’s the longest running Cubs podcast (and I’m probably the shortest). You can find them on YouTube (live at 8 pm Central most Thursdays) and all the major podcast services. You can also go to https://SonRanto.com. The podcast (@SonRantoShow) and the three hosts are active on social media:
Danny Rockett: @dannyrockett and/or @SonRantoShow on most platforms
Michael Cotton: Reddit.com/r/sonranto
InfieldFlyGirl: @InfieldFlyGirl on most platforms