Cubs Season Flow Thread

[CubinNY]

On 7/2/2025 at 10:32 PM, Layoutman said:

Sadly the current makeup of the rosters or the conditions conducive for enjoying a game are NOT the factors limiting attendance.  

It's the DOWNTOWN environment that is the culprit.  There is a lawless culture that has been allowed to grow and permeate the whole downtown area. Simply put you just don't feel safe outside of normal banker's hours.

It's not the safe and vibrant party type atmosphere it has been in years past.  It has fallen off just like Bud Light..... to "its the end of happy hour you know where your car is parked?".   Sure, the park and ride share services help access. But the benches, like most downtown, will a have a camped out homeless panhandler.

Last summer I paid $30 to park in a "supervised" parking lot...4 other people and I waited 1.5 additional hours to file police reports...yes - 5 smashed windows on outside row. (No, only 2 were Cub fans) Cop indicated that most violations were smash and grabs drug fueled.

Lololololololol. He means the existence of the Blacks. 

[Derwood]

Blah blah RBI stats suck blah blah, BUT....it's cool that a year after only 16 players in MLB surpassed the 100 RBI mark, 4 Cubs are on pace to hit 100 this season.

The last season that ANY Cub had 100+ RBI was 2018

[Clem Fandango]

FUN WITH STATS

The 2016 Cubs offense racked up 33.5 WAR that season.

The 2025 Cubs offense has, in almost half the amount of time, racked up 25.9 WAR. They are 4.4 WAR above the Dodgers who have the 2nd most in the majors.  

The Dodgers last year had 39.6 WAR.  Even if the Cubs only rack up 15 more WAR on offense from here on out, they will have outplayed the 2024 Dodgers offense, which included a 1-of-1 year from Ohtani.  

The most WAR for an offense going back 40 years was the Mariners with 50.1 in 2001.  Only 3 teams in that span surpassed 40 offensive WAR as a team (2001 Mariners, 2019 Astros, 2023 Braves).  The Cubs are on pace to edge that Mariners record. 

EDIT: Derwood just beat me to it, lol

The Cubs have also have a real chance at potentially having four players hit 30 or more home runs and have 100 or more RBI. Current figures:

Seiya: 25HR 77RBI

PCA: 23HR 67RBI

Busch: 18HR 56RBI

Tucker: 17HR 55RBI

Michael Busch has a .950OPS and a 170 OPS+, tying him for 3rd in the national league with Ketel Marte and only behind Ohtani (171) and Will Smith (179) despite, you know, only platooning up to this point.  He's also on pace for racking up 6 WAR or more and he would be 3rd or 4th on the team, because Nico Hoerner and his 40 grade power and 3 total home runs LEADS ALL MLB 2B IN WAR.

This offense is legitimately one of the best we've seen in all of baseball since possibly the 2001 Mariners.  

Edited July 7, 2025 by Clem Fandango

[squally1313]

15 minutes ago, Derwood said:

Blah blah RBI stats suck blah blah, BUT....it's cool that a year after only 16 players in MLB surpassed the 100 RBI mark, 4 Cubs are on pace to hit 100 this season.

The last season that ANY Cub had 100+ RBI was 2018

Here's another wild one. The most HRs hit by a Cub since COVID is....26 by Bellinger in 2023. So basically Suzuki will have the record for this decade by the weekend, and there's a realistic chance that this years Cubs team will have 5 guys with more home runs than any Cub from 2020-2024 (and none of them will be Ian Happ, the clear cumulative leader in that time). 

[We Got The Whole 9]

PCA is almost a full win above Tucker after Tucker surpassed him a few days ago for 24 hours lol

[Geographyhater8888]

51 minutes ago, Clem Fandango said:

FUN WITH STATS

The 2016 Cubs offense racked up 33.5 WAR that season.

The 2025 Cubs offense has, in almost half the amount of time, racked up 25.9 WAR. They are 4.4 WAR above the Dodgers who have the 2nd most in the majors.  

The Dodgers last year had 39.6 WAR.  Even if the Cubs only rack up 15 more WAR on offense from here on out, they will have outplayed the 2024 Dodgers offense, which included a 1-of-1 year from Ohtani.  

The most WAR for an offense going back 40 years was the Mariners with 50.1 in 2001.  Only 3 teams in that span surpassed 40 offensive WAR as a team (2001 Mariners, 2019 Astros, 2023 Braves).  The Cubs are on pace to edge that Mariners record. 

EDIT: Derwood just beat me to it, lol

The Cubs have also have a real chance at potentially having four players hit 30 or more home runs and have 100 or more RBI. Current figures:

Seiya: 25HR 77RBI

PCA: 23HR 67RBI

Busch: 18HR 56RBI

Tucker: 17HR 55RBI

Michael Busch has a .950OPS and a 170 OPS+, tying him for 3rd in the national league with Ketel Marte and only behind Ohtani (171) and Will Smith (179) despite, you know, only platooning up to this point.  He's also on pace for racking up 6 WAR or more and he would be 3rd or 4th on the team, because Nico Hoerner and his 40 grade power and 3 total home runs LEADS ALL MLB 2B IN WAR.

This offense is legitimately one of the best we've seen in all of baseball since possibly the 2001 Mariners.  

Baserunning and team defense encompass all of it, not just offense. But they’ve impressive for sure.

 

[UMFan83]

I know it's still not "good" but Busch is now up to a .631 OPS vs. LHP this year and .664 for his career. For reference Justin Turner with worse defense and no future with the team has a .675 OPS vs. LHP

[mul21]

On 7/2/2025 at 10:32 PM, Layoutman said:

Sadly the current makeup of the rosters or the conditions conducive for enjoying a game are NOT the factors limiting attendance.  

It's the DOWNTOWN environment that is the culprit.  There is a lawless culture that has been allowed to grow and permeate the whole downtown area. Simply put you just don't feel safe outside of normal banker's hours.

It's not the safe and vibrant party type atmosphere it has been in years past.  It has fallen off just like Bud Light..... to "its the end of happy hour you know where your car is parked?".   Sure, the park and ride share services help access. But the benches, like most downtown, will a have a camped out homeless panhandler.

Last summer I paid $30 to park in a "supervised" parking lot...4 other people and I waited 1.5 additional hours to file police reports...yes - 5 smashed windows on outside row. (No, only 2 were Cub fans) Cop indicated that most violations were smash and grabs drug fueled.

This is utter horsefeathers and easily provably false.  Please stop with the right wing propaganda.  It's no more dangerous than any other major city.  I live 20 minutes from Busch and got to games there and at Energizer Park for soccer on a very regular basis and have had zero issues in 20+ years living here.

[BigSlick]

1 hour ago, Clem Fandango said:

FUN WITH STATS

The 2016 Cubs offense racked up 33.5 WAR that season.

The 2025 Cubs offense has, in almost half the amount of time, racked up 25.9 WAR. They are 4.4 WAR above the Dodgers who have the 2nd most in the majors.  

The Dodgers last year had 39.6 WAR.  Even if the Cubs only rack up 15 more WAR on offense from here on out, they will have outplayed the 2024 Dodgers offense, which included a 1-of-1 year from Ohtani.  

The most WAR for an offense going back 40 years was the Mariners with 50.1 in 2001.  Only 3 teams in that span surpassed 40 offensive WAR as a team (2001 Mariners, 2019 Astros, 2023 Braves).  The Cubs are on pace to edge that Mariners record. 

EDIT: Derwood just beat me to it, lol

The Cubs have also have a real chance at potentially having four players hit 30 or more home runs and have 100 or more RBI. Current figures:

Seiya: 25HR 77RBI

PCA: 23HR 67RBI

Busch: 18HR 56RBI

Tucker: 17HR 55RBI

Michael Busch has a .950OPS and a 170 OPS+, tying him for 3rd in the national league with Ketel Marte and only behind Ohtani (171) and Will Smith (179) despite, you know, only platooning up to this point.  He's also on pace for racking up 6 WAR or more and he would be 3rd or 4th on the team, because Nico Hoerner and his 40 grade power and 3 total home runs LEADS ALL MLB 2B IN WAR.

This offense is legitimately one of the best we've seen in all of baseball since possibly the 2001 Mariners.  

Our position players are having insanely good seasons - so much so that someone like Dansby Swanson, a hitting shortstop, itself a rare commodity in the league, is the player we grouch about the most and he has a 109 OPS+ 

I also tend to downplay how offensively impressive a season we're having because I came of age during the "Steroid" Era and a period of baseball that was a much friendlier run environment. When I was a wee lad an .800 OPS was about a 100 OPS+ and I find it upsetting that a .700 OPS can be above average. 

[Brian707]

54 minutes ago, mul21 said:

This is utter horsefeathers and easily provably false.  Please stop with the right wing propaganda.  It's no more dangerous than any other major city.  I live 20 minutes from Busch and got to games there and at Energizer Park for soccer on a very regular basis and have had zero issues in 20+ years living here.

Do these MAGA types realize they are closer to being like the homeless people he hates than the people he worships that drill all this propaganda into his brain?

[mul21]

1 minute ago, Brian707 said:

Do these MAGA types realize they are closer to being like the homeless people he hates than the people he worships that drill all this propaganda into his brain?

Nope, just one big break away from being one of the rich guys pissing on everyone else.

[soccer10k]

2 hours ago, squally1313 said:

Here's another wild one. The most HRs hit by a Cub since COVID is....26 by Bellinger in 2023. So basically Suzuki will have the record for this decade by the weekend, and there's a realistic chance that this years Cubs team will have 5 guys with more home runs than any Cub from 2020-2024 (and none of them will be Ian Happ, the clear cumulative leader in that time). 

How dare you ignore Patrick Wisdom and his 28 HRs in 2021. Doesn’t really change your overall point of course.

[UMFan83]

2 hours ago, squally1313 said:

Here's another wild one. The most HRs hit by a Cub since COVID is....26 by Bellinger in 2023. So basically Suzuki will have the record for this decade by the weekend, and there's a realistic chance that this years Cubs team will have 5 guys with more home runs than any Cub from 2020-2024 (and none of them will be Ian Happ, the clear cumulative leader in that time). 

This has little to do with your point but I'm always reminded that the Giants somehow have not had a 30 HR hitter since Barry Bonds in 2004.

[squally1313]

7 minutes ago, UMFan83 said:

This has little to do with your point but I'm always reminded that the Giants somehow have not had a 30 HR hitter since Barry Bonds in 2004.

Agreed. No idea how they haven't stumbled upon that accidentally. 

Edit: 544 30 HR seasons since 2005 (including the couple this year).

Edited July 7, 2025 by squally1313

[soccer10k]

11 minutes ago, squally1313 said:

Agreed. No idea how they haven't stumbled upon that accidentally. 

Edit: 544 30 HR seasons since 2005 (including the couple this year).

Probably not getting it this year either. Their current leader is on pace for 25.

[Clem Fandango]

3 hours ago, Geographyhater8888 said:

Baserunning and team defense encompass all of it, not just offense. But they’ve impressive for sure.

 

Correct, should have said "Non-Pitchers" which is what BR refers to it as.  

[Geographyhater8888]

16 hours ago, Clem Fandango said:

Correct, should have said "Non-Pitchers" which is what BR refers to it as.  

 

16 hours ago, Clem Fandango said:

Correct, should have said "Non-Pitchers" which is what BR refers to it as.  

They’re first in position player bWAR at 26.2, Dodgers are in second place at 21.7. Meanwhile, despite being 14th in team ERA they’re 24th pitching with a 4 bWAR, which makes perfect sense when you adjust for park factors and PCA turning doubles in the gap into routine fly outs and Nico being an acrobat at 2nd base,

 

They’re on pace to jump the 2019 Astros at 44.9 bWAR but it’s obvious a bit early to start bWAR watching.

 

Only third in position player fWAR however.

 

 

Edited July 8, 2025 by Geographyhater8888

[Hot Sauce]

On 6/28/2025 at 6:39 PM, jam1975 said:

as someone that went to the thursday day game,  i can confirm it was the heat. thank goodness the cubs won because that would’ve been a brutal way to spend a few hours otherwise. 

I'm late to weigh in here, but the heat is absolutely not the reason for the poor attendance in St. Louis. It has been in a steady decline for a few seasons now and hit a record low for Busch II this season. Turns out Cardinals fans are indeed not baseball's best as they claim. 

[Hot Sauce]

On 7/2/2025 at 10:32 PM, Layoutman said:

Sadly the current makeup of the rosters or the conditions conducive for enjoying a game are NOT the factors limiting attendance.  

It's the DOWNTOWN environment that is the culprit.  There is a lawless culture that has been allowed to grow and permeate the whole downtown area. Simply put you just don't feel safe outside of normal banker's hours.

It's not the safe and vibrant party type atmosphere it has been in years past.  It has fallen off just like Bud Light..... to "its the end of happy hour you know where your car is parked?".   Sure, the park and ride share services help access. But the benches, like most downtown, will a have a camped out homeless panhandler.

Last summer I paid $30 to park in a "supervised" parking lot...4 other people and I waited 1.5 additional hours to file police reports...yes - 5 smashed windows on outside row. (No, only 2 were Cub fans) Cop indicated that most violations were smash and grabs drug fueled.

I genuinely encourage you to speak to them, buy them a meal, bring them a cold bottle of water, hug them, give them your socks, pray with them if you are a believer. They're human beings. They are deserving of acknowledgement and an act of kindness. Your smashed out window sucks, but you had a car and home to drive home to. Not everybody is so fortunate in life. I sincerely hope you read this post and consider it the next time you're DOWNTOWN. 

Edited July 9, 2025 by Hot Sauce

[Andy]

13 hours ago, Hot Sauce said:

I'm late to weigh in here, but the heat is absolutely not the reason for the poor attendance in St. Louis. It has been in a steady decline for a few seasons now and hit a record low for Busch II this season. Turns out Cardinals fans are indeed not baseball's best as they claim. 

It seems as though STL fans have had enough of ownership, which is honestly a defensible position. It's just amusing to see attendance nosedive as soon as they have an extended spell of not being the best team in the division.

[mul21]

31 minutes ago, Andy said:

It seems as though STL fans have had enough of ownership, which is honestly a defensible position. It's just amusing to see attendance nosedive as soon as they have an extended spell of not being the best team in the division.

It really is a combination of things.  The heat in the summer is awful, ownership/front office are bad at messaging, the team hasn't been good, and even when tickets are cheap and easy to get, I can't get out of there under $100 for a couple beers and food for my gf and I.  Wrigley isn't even that expensive for concessions.

[Hot Sauce]

54 minutes ago, Andy said:

It seems as though STL fans have had enough of ownership, which is honestly a defensible position. It's just amusing to see attendance nosedive as soon as they have an extended spell of not being the best team in the division.

Last year was amusing. They quit on them twice. Came back mid-season when they got hot and then quit again. 😆

[Hot Sauce]

26 minutes ago, mul21 said:

It really is a combination of things.  The heat in the summer is awful, ownership/front office are bad at messaging, the team hasn't been good, and even when tickets are cheap and easy to get, I can't get out of there under $100 for a couple beers and food for my gf and I.  Wrigley isn't even that expensive for concessions.

You’re missing the biggest reason. They’re a spoiled fanbase. They’ve been a good team. 83-79 last year, 2nd in the division. 93-69 in 2022, won the division. 90-72 the year before that. You’re giving their fans far too much credit. It’s always been hot in St. Louis. Busch concessions have always been high. They’re just a spoiled fanbase who can’t handle the reality that they had a generational team with Pujols, Molina, Wainwright, etc. and now they’re just good. Not bad, not okay, but good. 

[usaf52]

Team is in dire need of pitching, SP and RP plus they need to figure out what to do with Happ.   His .167 the past two weeks are terrible for a lead-off hitter and though his OBP is about .330 (slightly above avg) he is not helping either the top of the order or the bottom right now.     The other concern as it has been all season is 3B, Shaw is a + fielder but his bat is dbl neg .       With Brew crew burning up the division (3 straight oer Dodgers) Cubs better find their way to playing better than avg. baseball.

[Rcal10]

1 hour ago, usaf52 said:

Team is in dire need of pitching, SP and RP plus they need to figure out what to do with Happ.   His .167 the past two weeks are terrible for a lead-off hitter and though his OBP is about .330 (slightly above avg) he is not helping either the top of the order or the bottom right now.     The other concern as it has been all season is 3B, Shaw is a + fielder but his bat is dbl neg .       With Brew crew burning up the division (3 straight oer Dodgers) Cubs better find their way to playing better than avg. baseball.

They do not need to do anything with Happ.