https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/page/129/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/a-glimpse-of-the-jaguar-what-kevin-alc%C3%A1ntara-offers-cubs-going-forward-r1132/With injuries mounting at the end of a long season, the Cubs called up one of their top prospects to make his debut Wednesday night. It will be just a cup of coffee, but it's a good chance to discuss what he can do for them in the short and medium term. None of the traditional tools are in a...1132Thu, 26 Sep 2024 15:50:06 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/weve-come-a-long-way-jed-hoyer-sees-progress-but-does-he-hear-that-ticking-r1131/The Cubs' chief baseball decision-maker believes his team is creeping steadily toward contention. If only that was how this worked. Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer discussed the state of the franchise Monday, and while he fell in line with the tone of urgency and needed impro...1131Wed, 25 Sep 2024 16:23:09 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/how-to-solve-baseballs-position-player-pitching-epidemic-and-up-the-intensity-of-games-r1130/What if every run counted, for a change? As another season winds down under new rules that have traded in Game 163s for tiebreakers that can determine division championships and playoff spots, there's a small but real risk that all-important postseason entries could come down to some silly t...1130Wed, 25 Sep 2024 11:12:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/a-stark-and-surprisingly-important-wrigley-field-park-effect-hiding-in-not-so-plain-sight-r1129/There's been a lot of talk about Wrigley Field playing differently this season, due to pitcher-friendly weather patterns. That appears to be real, but it won't repeat itself. Another key park factor, however, isn't changing any time soon. Offense has been way, way down at Wrigley Field this...1129Tue, 24 Sep 2024 16:15:24 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/what-is-the-cubs-dansby-swanson-contingency-plan-r1126/Dansby Swanson's signing certainly has not had the impact Jed Hoyer expected when he inked the shortstop to a seven-year deal prior to the 2023 season. Looking under the hood, there is reason to be concerned that the mistake will hamper the Cubs on the field and in the marketplace for years to c...1126Tue, 24 Sep 2024 11:43:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/should-we-be-worried-that-craig-counsell-couldnt-fix-the-cubs-run-differential-problem-r1128/The underlying numbers say the Cubs should be better than this. Then again, they also said that last year. To a point, it feels like the 2024 season was almost the exact same story as the 2023 season for the Chicago Cubs. A good April gave way to a very poor May and June. The team clawed bac...1128Mon, 23 Sep 2024 23:05:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/seiya-suzukis-well-roundedness-actually-makes-him-a-very-rare-hitter-r1127/For two years, many Cubs fans have struggled with the inarticulable feeling that Seiya Suzuki's whole is less than the sum of his parts, offensively. That might not be true, but at last, I think I can help clarify where the feeling comes from. The thing about Seiya Suzuki is, he does almost...1127Mon, 23 Sep 2024 15:25:52 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/week-in-review-cubs-officially-eliminated-from-postseason-show-some-frustration-r1125/Accepting unfavorable--yet, and worse, inevitable--outcomes is nauseating. That's why, as we begin the final week of the Cubs' 2024 season, searingly painful images of what this team could have been will linger in our minds, long after the Commissioner's Trophy is handed out in early November....1125Mon, 23 Sep 2024 11:14:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/which-cubs-have-had-successful-seasons-and-how-do-we-even-answer-that-question-r1123/Baseball seasons are so long that almost every team and individual season end up rendered in gray, rather than black-and-white. So, in a gun steel-and-charcoal campaign, where are the light gray silver linings--and who gets to decide on their value? Success is a hilarious concept within the...1123Fri, 20 Sep 2024 11:26:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/fitting-cody-bellinger-into-the-2025-cubs-roster-if-we-must-r1122/He's not a bad player, but he's not a good fit, either. How do you solve a problem like a likable former MVP? Even with a brief run of success at the end of August into September, it was always going to be a stretch for the Chicago Cubs to be playoff-bound. If you’re like me, you’ve been thi...1122Thu, 19 Sep 2024 22:01:51 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/in-pitching-philosophy-cubs-might-need-to-recalibrate-balance-between-zigging-and-zagging-r1121/Exploiting market inefficiencies is not a substitute for a personality.   Earlier this month, I wrote about the Cubs' unique usage of a pair of pitches that rarely go together: cut-ride fastballs and power changeups with ample arm=side run. That's just one crystallizing way to understan...1121Thu, 19 Sep 2024 13:58:21 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/offseason-targets-and-options-for-the-cubs-lineup-r1118/Now that the Cubs have hit the dreaded 0% playoff odds, it's time to analyze why they fell short in Tom Ricketts's stated expectation to win the division. In May and June, it was a deficient offense. They were the second-worst offense in the league for that long stretch. Take out those two month...1118Thu, 19 Sep 2024 11:25:01 +0000