Chicago Cubs 2026

#2,026      
Which player would be better, a guy batting 300 with 40 doubles, 12 triples, 200 hits, 20 homers and over 120 runs or a guy hitting 40 plus homers, and batting 280, hitting 8 triples and 31 doubles. I would take the first guy especially if he the leadoff hitter. PCA, great season but he is not utilizing his ability to the fullest. BTW, getting more hits gives him the opportunity to steal more bases. He and Nico need to be table setters for the middle of the lineup. Plus our bottom of the order is terrible. My point is that PCA could be a Tony Gwynn or Rod Carew type hitter but with speed and power.
Is there anyone in the league other than Alvarez with the numbers of the first hypothetical player you mention? How many guys with over 500 ABs are even hitting .300? The answer is four. The league average is like .244. Yes, I will take the guy hitting only twenty points lower than the hypothetical player you mention with 25 more homers, the same 120 runs scored, 110 runs batted in, and 40 steals. But in this case he’s not in my imagination, he’s real.
 
#2,028      
Sure, PCA would thrive playing small ball. What I can't fathom is why anyone would want him to? He's quite literally the best baseball player on the planet right now as is. Adding onto that, offense isn't the issue for this team. This dialogue is a clear recency bias of the last two games going the way they did.

Not to mention how for every team that is not the Brewers, small ball isn't the winning recipe in the modern era. I'll worry about small ball for PCA or any other player when a Cub can lay a bunt down and not pop it up to the pitcher like Shaw demonstrated 2 nights ago.

Until then, keep on keeping on, and see what happens.
To answer your first question, because a lot of fans think they are smarter than the managers and players out there, think it is easy to adjust your swing/approach at the MLB level to every situation, and that a10+ WAR isn’t good enough.
 
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