A major league team being petty? Surely you jest sir.
Chicago Cubs 2025
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First off, not sure how accurate PCA’s current listed measurements are. Do they actually update those each year? But even if they are, HRs aren’t strictly about size or swinging hard these days. Sure size helps, but launch angle and swing path are more important. If not Tyler Ward, Buxton, Suzuki, Lindor, Brandon Lowe, Jazz Chisholm and Corbin Carroll, who are all about the same size (and Carroll a fair bit smaller at 5-10, 165) wouldn’t have hit 30+ HRs.
Again, I’m surprised that so many people are willing to say that two bad months as a 23 year old completely define a player and mean he has to completely change his approach. Yes, he needs to improve his plate discipline and command of strike zone, and stay within himself more. But here’s a guy who through July last year batted .194 in 196 ABs with 6 doubles, 4 triples and 3 home runs. From August of last year through July this year (essentially a full season) he batted 276 with 106 runs, 37 doubles, 5 triples, 34 home runs and 105 RBI. What changed? Did pitchers just decide to be nice and take it easy on him? No he made adjustments and gained experience. So he was able to make adjustments last year and during that off season but he is incapable of that this off season so he needs to just change his whole approach? No one wants to see a repeat of last two months of this season. But he’s shown the ability to hit .276 and 34 HRs against major league pitching. Why would you shoot for 20 HRs and what, a .285 average? Give the kid a chance.
Your last paragraph goes for all of baseball.
Cubs were midpack in BA this year. And tied for 11th in hits. But they were actually 7th in most walks and 6th in fewest strikeouts. Situational hitting needs to improve but not sure working the count was really the issue.
Curbelo Fanboy
BERTBALL IS LIFE
Its just so bizarre to watch the modern game. Even in the playoffs so few guys have the situational mindset. Come up with 2 on no out in a late inning tie game. I'll try to hit 800 feet. Never mind just getting bat on ball to move guys over. Not to mention the Cubs & Brewers going with a bullpen game approach in game 5. I know both had some injury issues, but that bullpen approach works ok maybe until you end up with a 13 inning game & have burned most of your late inning guys in the first 3 innings.
I believe we know in general what MLB thinks is the answer given changes to offensive philosophies. I think we know what Cubs believe too because the changes PCA made to unlock more of his power weren’t done in a vacuum. Certainly Cubs knew about it and very possibly was there idea.
Agree. It is frustrating to watch (unless they do hit that home run.
Curbelo Fanboy
BERTBALL IS LIFE
MLB has in general seem to forgotten the concept of situational hitting. It really sticks out in these playoff games where 1 run is the difference between moving on or going home.
never really understood celebrating the other team's loss instead of just your own victory, but have also seen sox fans with L flags during the crosstown series. personally I'd rather spend money on things for my own team as opposed to something to rib the other team. at least the Brewers can reuse the flag after they lose to the Dodgers
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
I see what you are saying. I still think PCA is a bit of a question mark. People thought he would be getting some votes for MVP after the first half. In the last 1 1/2 to 2 months he was one of the worst hitters in the league. I still don't think we know exactly what we will be getting from him going forward.
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
Oh I think he is definitely a question mark. But he was a question mark going into last season and even a bigger one at the end of July 2024. Now we know at least what he is capable of at the major league. For me the question now is can he make the adjustments to have a full year as good or nearly as good as this year’s first half — not should he completely change his approach.
Milwaukee has an inferiority complex relative to the Cubs. They lost their manager to the Cubs. They don't make as much noise in the stadium as at Wrigley. More Cub fans are in the stands at Milwaukee than Brewer fans in Wrigley. It was obvious during game 5 that the fans were trying to out due the noise and enthusiasm that the Cubs got at Wrigley.never really understood celebrating the other team's loss instead of just your own victory, but have also seen sox fans with L flags during the crosstown series. personally I'd rather spend money on things for my own team as opposed to something to rib the other team. at least the Brewers can reuse the flag after they lose to the Dodgers
Curbelo Fanboy
BERTBALL IS LIFE
Perhaps the most unheralded key member of that team. His back half of the 2016 season was on par with Arrieta in late 2015/early 2016.
Kyle was near unhittable for 3 or 4 months to finish that season. Pitched a pure masterpiece at St Louis in September where he took a no hitter to the 9th & then he & Chapmam faced the minimum in the NLCS clincher. He was an automatic 3 up 3 down guy. He was also removed from game 7 at least 2 innings earlier than he should have been. It all worked out, but he had 7 innings in his arm that night.
Another update on Ayres from AFL.
Ayers has definitely been the best hitter in
Arizona, and that continued on Tuesday. Blasting his second home run Ayers nearly left the yard a couple of other times. His home run left the bat at 105.4 mph and traveled 422 feet. He has a smoked lineout that also left the bat at 105.4 mph and traveled 381 feet. He also had a long flyout in the seventh inning off Winston Santos.
Ayers has looked the part so far, and he is someone who could really raise his stock if this kind of performance continues.
mattcoldagelli
- Script Illinois Enthusiast
Congrats to the Cubs on most playoff wins of any NL Central team in 2025
Chuck Nuggets
Dip your nuggets in my staff source sauce.
I'm not looking to argue, but my pick would be Dexter Fowler by a country mile. When he wasn't playing, the Cubs were not good.
bdutts
- Houston, Texas
He resigned in spring training 2016. Wonder what the plan would have been if he hadn’t resigned…
I'm sure people will disagree but I have a better taste in my mouth about the 2025 season with the Cubs losing in a close Game 5 in the NLDS than getting swept like the Brewers in the NLCS.
To be fair, we wore their pitching staff out. Even though we didn’t score many runs in the three games at Milwaukee, we made them pitch 6-7n pitches into each at bat. We worked their pitchers. I hope next year we have that same philosophy but execute better going into deep counts.
Chuck Nuggets
Dip your nuggets in my staff source sauce.
I'd forgotten about that. No Dexter = no World Series.
Thought some mind find this article on PCA by Chris Clegg interesting. If you’re a stats/metrics guy/gal, it will be right up your alley. One thing I’ll highlight speaks to what I’ve said previously that the switch to a line drive, gap to gap approach that some have advocated for would require a significant swing change it’s not just a mindset thing. Given the adjustment he made going into this year mentioned here, I don’t think that swing change is in the cards anytime soon.
Plenty of places for PCA to improve. Hopefully he’ll have a productive off season that allows him to make those improvements for better consistency. Staying more within himself against lefties would be a good place to start. I knew he wasn’t great against them, but didn’t realize just how bad he was.
Plenty of places for PCA to improve. Hopefully he’ll have a productive off season that allows him to make those improvements for better consistency. Staying more within himself against lefties would be a good place to start. I knew he wasn’t great against them, but didn’t realize just how bad he was.
Saw some advanced metrics for the Arizona Fall League. After a month of games and with just 7 games and playoffs left, Cubs catcher Owen Ayers has been one of the biggest breakouts. He’s tied for third (94.4 mph) in average exit velocity, fourth in EV90 (108.4 mph), tied for first in chase rate (12.5%), sixth in zone contact rate (89.9%), and seventh in contact rate (81.4%). He was a 19th round pick in 2024.
He’s been known for his defense more than his offense at this point, having hit only ,228 at A ball in parts of two seasons (343 ABs). In AFL he has hit .358 in 72 ABs with 4 2B and 3 HR, and a 1.132 OPS. The only “negative” is he’s two years older than the average player in AFL. He was not among Cubs top 30 prospects at end of 2025 season according to MLB.com. If he can carry over some of this kind of offensive production to next year, that will change.
He’s been known for his defense more than his offense at this point, having hit only ,228 at A ball in parts of two seasons (343 ABs). In AFL he has hit .358 in 72 ABs with 4 2B and 3 HR, and a 1.132 OPS. The only “negative” is he’s two years older than the average player in AFL. He was not among Cubs top 30 prospects at end of 2025 season according to MLB.com. If he can carry over some of this kind of offensive production to next year, that will change.
I'll really miss Shota. He certainly didn't live up to his first-half performance after the all-star break, but he was all in for Chicago and the Cubs. And a quality human being on top being a quality pitcher.
Imagine this could open the door for a RHP like Michael King or Dylan Cease.
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