The Ross Era

I was a little surprised the Cubs went with David Ross. Like most new manager hires, no one is really sure how they'll do. Everyone in Chicago loves the guy. He had an amazing run as the Cubs catcher in 2016 during the World Series win; he won a World Series with the Red Sox as well so he is a winner. I would rather he got his experience somewhere else first. This is still a team loaded with talent.

Here is the article.

I wanted Joe Girardi. He was also a catcher with the Cubs in 1990 and again in 2000. After he quit playing he was hired by the Yankees to manage the team. He won the Series in 2009. I just think his experience is unmatched. And he is an Illinois kid too. Not that it matters a lot but he grew up in Peoria and attended Northwestern. I thought he had the best shot.

The biggest issue the Cubs are going to have is how to hold on to these players (Bryant, Baez) when their contracts are up in two years. They'll probably have to trade at least one of them or risk loosing farm talent for the next few years. They are a rich team (relatively speaking) but they need to start winning again. Big salaried teams need to justify their price and missing the playoffs for the last two years isn't good. I remember looking at the fivethirtyeight website at the start of the season. It's a stat heavy website that compiles data on everything from sports to politics. It predicted that they would  finish 3rd in their division this year. I thought it was nuts at the time, "Big data is a scam!" They led all year, won more games and had the best shot at the playoffs. The Cards couldn't keep up, the Brewers fell behind. 

Then they finished 3rd, as predicted.

I've been watching the Nationals run through the playoffs this year, ticking off victory after victory. They lead the series 2 games to 0 over a much better Astros team. Astros are better in almost every category, starting pitching, bullpen pitching, overall hitting and even total wins. But in baseball the team that gets hot in the playoffs usually wins out. It isn't over yet but I like Washington's chances. Their next 2 games are at home in DC.

Hopefully next year the Cubs with their new, very green, manager can get hot like in 2016.
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