It’s another week so let’s look at status lines.
| BAT | PITCH | Rs | Ra | W | L | UR | LR | TeamID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 | 15.4 | 268 | 254 | 30 | 27 | -5.5 | 2.6 | CHN | 6/7/2017 |
| -0.2 | 8.7 | 300 | 292 | 32 | 32 | -3.5 | 3.0 | CHN | 6/14/2017 |
The Cubs went 2-5 losing 3 games and now they’re even steven, completely average. Their PITCH is down and so is BAT but not quite as down as it would be had they not put up 14 runs yesterday. But everything gets averaged out in the long term.
Most all teams who went to the World Series that year were well above average this time in the season. That doesn’t mean that can’t happen. The Cubs just need to finish well and make the playoffs. Here’s a team that did it.
| BAT | PITCH | Rs | Ra | W | L | UR | LR | TeamID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -6.0 | 8.4 | 314 | 313 | 32 | 37 | -1.5 | 0.1 | MIA | 6/14/2003 |
Yes. Those Marlins. On this day they were -5 in 2003. BAT and PITCH very similar to the Cubs today. Here’s where ex-Cubbie Derrick Lee stood that year on this day.
| Rank | WAA | Name_TeamID | Pos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XXXXX | 0.65 | Derrek_Lee_MIA | 1B | 6/14/2003 |
Right now he’s unranked like most Cubs today. To put that in perspective here are top Cubs today.
| Rank | WAA | Name_TeamID | Pos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +073+ | 1.89 | Carl_Edwards_CHN | PITCH | |
| +085+ | 1.74 | Mike_Montgomery_CHN | PITCH | |
| +097+ | 1.60 | Wade_Davis_CHN | PITCH | |
| +150+ | 1.16 | Anthony_Rizzo_CHN | 1B | |
| XXXXX | 0.90 | Javier_Baez_CHN | 2B-SS | |
| XXXXX | 0.76 | Koji_Uehara_CHN | PITCH | |
| XXXXX | 0.73 | Jon_Lester_CHN | PITCH | |
| XXXXX | 0.65 | Kris_Bryant_CHN | 3B | |
| XXXXX | 0.61 | Brian_Duensing_CHN | PITCH | |
| XXXXX | 0.48 | Ian_Happ_CHN | CF | |
| XXXXX | 0.34 | Jason_Heyward_CHN | RF-CF | |
| XXXXX | 0.27 | Kyle_Hendricks_CHN | PITCH | |
| XXXXX | 0.27 | Pedro_Strop_CHN | PITCH | |
| XXXXX | 0.17 | Eddie_Butler_CHN | PITCH | |
| XXXXX | 0.17 | Albert_Almora_CHN | CF | |
| XXXXX | 0.15 | Addison_Russell_CHN | SS |
Last season a list that large would have been Cubs in top 200. This year only four, three of which are relievers. Relief staff still top tier. Notice Kris Bryant is at exactly the same value as 2003 Derrek Lee.
The above list shows how this team wins a World Series as a team and they also play average as a team. IMHO, this is very positive. And for those blaming the demise of the current Cubs on not resigning Dexter Fowler, here’s what Fowler is doing as of today.
| Rank | WAA | Name_TeamID | Pos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XXXXX | 0.21 | Dexter_Fowler_SLN | CF |
He’s playing around the bottom of the above list too.
Update: Just realized this guy was missing from the above list.
| Rank | WAA | Name_TeamID | Pos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XXXXX | -0.32 | Kyle_Schwarber_CHN | LF |
That’s almost completely average too. Schwarber has shown he’s capable of adding +4.5 from now until the end of the season in 2015. -0.32 is nothing.