What's the biggest surprise for you this season?

[weis21]

Our inability to get runners in from 3rd with less than two outs

 

/Rondon Fan

[biittner77]

Most surprising would be the amount of production the Cubs have gotten from the catching position. Montero has been better than expected. Ross hasn't been good but that wildly exceeds expectations of him being historically awful.

[Fro]

- Arrieta being insanely good for a whole season

- Schwarber and Russell contributing so early. Knew Schwarber was going to be productive for us but I was surprised we actually brought him up to DH and then up for a good number of starts at catcher once Montero got hurt.

- Fowler being terrible in the 1st half and awesome in the 2nd half

- Soler and Castro sucking (although Castro has been pretty good lately)

- Pitching/bullpen being simultaneously shaky and good

- Maddon playing everyone in multiple positions and sticking to his lineup optimizations. It's generally worked out and everyone's played solid D at their other positions.

[imb]

umm arrieta has a sub 2.00 era ... so he gets the vote

[Old Style]

Schwabe Ruth

[Guest]

i'm a little surprised at how many people are considering arrieta a huge surprise. i feel like that happened last year. I get not being sure if he could repeat, but he was actually a little better overall last year (in fewer innings because of the delayed start to his season) than this year and nothing about it really indicated that anything was unsustainable. the last several weeks though he has obviously been even more outrageously amazing. but i expected him to be very very good after seeing what he did last year.

 

obviously injuries can happen because pitchers but yeah.

[illiniguy]

We are gonna win 90 plus games and aren't even close to a Cardinals team that lost it's ace and best hitter for most of the year. That's shocking to me.

 

Also Kris Bryant being good to great at all things baseball, not just homers.

Edited September 18, 2015 by illiniguy

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Soler. I expected a lot from him.

[TheDude]

For me the biggest surprise is the number of hits versus misses on the 5 big name prospects. The mantra was repeated so many times in prospect discussions: if we're lucky half of the prospects will pan out just as MLB regulars. Rarer still would be one or more of those half hitting the prospect ceiling as all-star or better players. Time and again fans have been cautioned not to plug in all these rookies and expect success. Yet that is exactly what happened.

 

Soler is still an open question, but his second half plate discipline turn-around gives promise. He deserves extra leeway as well knowing he was one of most abused victims of bad umpiring in the first half. Fowler was similarly victimized and the effect on him was just as dramatic. Giving up on Soler is a mistake at this point.

 

Baez is still an open question but looks damn good right now and trending toward to success. Bryant, Schwarber and Russell all look like successes.

 

I think most would agree that hitting on 3/5 on the big names at or above ceiling rookie production is a huge surprise. And having those other 2/5 still as potential MLB regulars is icing.

[Andy]

i'm a little surprised at how many people are considering arrieta a huge surprise. i feel like that happened last year. I get not being sure if he could repeat, but he was actually a little better overall last year (in fewer innings because of the delayed start to his season) than this year and nothing about it really indicated that anything was unsustainable. the last several weeks though he has obviously been even more outrageously amazing. but i expected him to be very very good after seeing what he did last year.

 

obviously injuries can happen because pitchers but yeah.

There's a wide gulf between 'very good' and 'legitimate argument to be considered the best starting pitcher in all of baseball this year'. I expected him to be good, I did not expect him to be silly-dominant.

[Guest]

:-" I used two verys for a reason. That's double the verys!

 

And again, on a rate basis he was arguably better last year

[Guest]

2014: 2.26 FIP, 0.989 WHIP, 6.5 H/9, 0.3 HR/9, 2.4 BB/9, 9.6 K/9, .535 OPS Allowed, .277 BABIP

2015: 2.51 FIP, 0.923 WHIP, 6.3 H/9, 0.4 HR/9, 2.0 BB/9, 9.1 K/9, .536 OPS Allowed, .257 BABIP

 

The main difference is he's made more starts this year.

[ConstableRabbit]

Soler, Castro, Schwarbs.

 

I also didn't envision Bryant leading the team in WAR.

[Andy]

Soler, Castro, Schwarbs.

 

I also didn't envision Bryant leading the team in WAR.

Yeah, if Arrieta is my #1 surprise, then Schwarber is #2, how [expletive] awesome Bryant is at all the non-hitting aspects of baseball has probably been #3.

[SouthSideRyan]

The main difference is he's made more starts this year.

 

Which was of concern to me because he was adding on ~40-50 innings to his previous career high[(and now looks like it will be more like ~60-70(regular season)]

[CyHawk_Cub]

I totally agree with those citing Kris Bryant's non-dong related baseball skills. I had no clue he was so valuable as a base runner, and his glove not being a negative is huge.

 

Jorge Soler has been my most negative surprise. I also thought he'd be the best of the young guys. Based on what he's done this year, it wouldn't bother me at all to see him shipped for pitching, something I never would have fathomed this past spring.

[rawaction]

Since I haven't seen him mentioned, I'll say Miguel Montero. After 2 seasons of struggling with the bat in a hitter's park, he's back right at his career averages with the bat, when I fully expected him to continue to struggle. He's also been good behind the plate (despite not throwing out as many runners as you'd like). He's been a leader. And he's been hilarious on Twitter.

[Isaac Vines]

-Schwarber coming up so soon and making such a huge impact.

-Addison Russell looking like he will soon be the best hitting and fielding shortstop in the National League...for many years to come.

-John Lester's inability to throw the ball to 1st base.

-Jake Arrieta.

[muntjack]

Overall, I just can't believe how many great rookies there have been this season. I mean Carlos Correa is 8th in rookie fWAR, and he's been incredible. Babe Ruth Schwarber is 16th!

[minnesotacubsfan]

2. Castro falling off the face of the earth only to come roaring back

 

1. Jake Arrieta. Omg