https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/page/94/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/the-cubs-are-the-best-baserunning-team-in-baseball-r1665/Who needs power, when you have efficiency? The 2024 Chicago Cubs weren't a bad offensive baseball team. They were 12th in the league in runs scored (736), eighth in steals (143), and were top 10 in on-base percentage (.317). But they also lacked impact. Their team ISO (.151) sat 21st, while...1665Thu, 10 Apr 2025 15:14:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/jameson-taillons-kick-change-is-kind-of-awesome-r1666/A few years ago, the sweeper took MLB by storm. Last year, it was the death ball. Now, the kick change is all the rage. An early season peak at some of Jameson Taillon’s pitch data suggests a different, more effective pitcher. His overall Stuff+, a metric that evaluates the quality of a pitc...1666Thu, 10 Apr 2025 11:54:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/is-it-time-to-press-the-panic-button-on-ryan-pressly-r1660/Ryan Pressly has struggled so far this season, and while it's still early on, some of the numbers suggest it may not be too early to have some concerns about the veteran reliever.  Chicago made a pair of deals with Houston in the offseason. One landed the Cubs Kyle Tucker, who has been sensa...1660Wed, 09 Apr 2025 22:33:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/chicago-cubs-bench-guys-aura-rankings-april-9-edition-r1658/The Cubs are off to a tremendous, exciting start, and the bench players have been integral to it. Gone are the days of flailing tiny infielders and large men with contact issues. In their stead are guys with game-changing speed, impressive beards, or both. Here's the latest edition of Bench Guys...1658Wed, 09 Apr 2025 17:07:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/justin-steele-lands-on-the-il-with-elbow-trouble-again-leaving-cubs-in-rotation-danger-r1664/The Cubs' frontline lefty has now been shelved with one arm problem or another in three consecutive seasons. This is likely to be his longest absence of the three, and it's a major problem for the surging North Siders.   The Cubs placed lefthander Justin Steele on the 15-day injured lis...1664Wed, 09 Apr 2025 15:57:50 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/the-cubs-bullpen-could-be-their-achilles-heel-who-will-step-up-r1662/"It can't all be wedding cake, it can't all be boiled away." So said the great indie-rock band Spoon, in their 2007 hit "The Underdog." I can think of no better song to exemplify this very good Chicago Cubs baseball team. They could be a great team, but do they have enough regard for the th...1662Wed, 09 Apr 2025 11:51:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/can-kyle-tucker-break-the-cubs-record-for-statcast-recorded-barrels-r1659/Through 13 games, the Cubs' major offseason acquisition is paying off in spades. If he keeps this up, he could—fairly easily—end up having the most prolific power season by any hitter for the North Siders in the Statcast Era. I still chuckle a little bit each time I type "the Statcast Era,"...1659Tue, 08 Apr 2025 16:29:51 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/mondays-win-sent-a-clear-message-the-cubs-will-take-what-you-cant-keep-from-them-r1657/Quietly, the Cubs dedicated themselves this winter not only to getting better, but to being more situation-proof. Monday night's frigid frenzy on the bases demonstrated the value of that endeavor. With the air heavy and cold and the wind rushing down Kenmore Avenue to defend the left-field w...1657Tue, 08 Apr 2025 10:34:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/updating-kyle-tuckers-contract-expectations-following-vladimir-guerrero-jrs-500-million-extension-r1656/The Cubs' right fielder is now the premier free agent on the market next offseason, following Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s historic agreement. How much more expensive has he just gotten? Had you consulted any aggregate list of the "Top 2025 MLB Free Agents" prior to this past weekend, you would h...1656Tue, 08 Apr 2025 00:08:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/is-justin-turner-michael-buschs-backup-or-his-platoon-partner-r1654/When the Chicago Cubs signed Justin Turner late in the offseason, the assumption was that he'd be a capable bench bat and a supplement to Michael Busch at first base against particularly tough left-handed pitchers. It turns out that "tough" might've meant "all". On March 30th, Justin Turner...1654Mon, 07 Apr 2025 15:13:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/third-pitch-or-none-ben-brown-lacks-the-command-required-of-a-big-league-starter-r1653/Though it's nice to (nominally) have a hard thrower in the starting rotation, the Cubs can't afford to keep using their slender righthander in that role if he's unable to consistently execute either of his important offerings. Through three appearances, there have been flashes of brilliance fr...1653Mon, 07 Apr 2025 11:15:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/week-in-review-the-long-awaited-return-home-caps-impressive-week-for-cubs-r1650/Wrigley Field has brought out the best in the 2025 Cubs. The good vibes are rolling after a dominant showing this week. Writing for this Cubs team of ours is a funny thing, as the inner struggle between ourselves as both diehard fan and objective observer rages on. After a week in which the...1650Sun, 06 Apr 2025 21:33:00 +0000