It’s weekly Cubs status time again. Here are status lines from today and the last time we did this.
| BAT | PITCH | Rs | Ra | W | L | UR | LR | TeamID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37.3 | 42.7 | 715 | 639 | 78 | 66 | -6.5 | 2.5 | CHN | 9/13/2017 |
| 57.6 | 46.8 | 770 | 668 | 85 | 67 | -4.6 | 2.3 | CHN | 9/22/2017 |
BAT way up, PITCH up a little, and the Cubs went 7-1 gaining a whopping 6 games in one week. Unearned Runs above average (UR) has improved to -4.6 from the low of -9.3 after that horrible Lester outing right before All Star break. They are now +18 real WAA (W-L) for the season and in first place ahead of the Brewers and Cardinals.
Here are your top Cub players. Congratulations on a fine second half of the season compared to the half time edition of this report so many games ago.
| Rank | WAA | Name_TeamID | Pos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +026+ | 5.08 | Anthony_Rizzo_CHN | 1B-2B | |
| +070+ | 3.61 | Jake_Arrieta_CHN | PITCH | |
| +076+ | 3.46 | Kyle_Hendricks_CHN | PITCH | |
| +089+ | 3.11 | Wade_Davis_CHN | PITCH | |
| +093+ | 3.07 | Javier_Baez_CHN | 2B-SS | |
| +116+ | 2.62 | Willson_Contreras_CHN | CR | |
| +118+ | 2.60 | Kris_Bryant_CHN | 3B | |
| +124+ | 2.58 | Mike_Montgomery_CHN | PITCH | |
| +131+ | 2.50 | Ian_Happ_CHN | CF-2B-LF-RF | |
| +135+ | 2.44 | Brian_Duensing_CHN | PITCH | |
| +177+ | 1.89 | Pedro_Strop_CHN | PITCH | |
| +195+ | 1.72 | Carl_Edwards_CHN | PITCH | |
| XXXXX | 0.97 | Albert_Almora_CHN | CF | |
| XXXXX | 0.86 | Kyle_Schwarber_CHN | LF | |
| XXXXX | 0.69 | Jose_Quintana_CHN | PITCH |
12 guys in top 200, 5 in top 100 and this team can truly compete in the playoffs. It wasn’t easy last year and it will probably be less easy this year. Let’s see what the Cubs looked like this day of the year they brought home the trophy with all the flags on it.
Blast from the Past 2016
Here is team status on this day last year.
| BAT | PITCH | Rs | Ra | W | L | UR | LR | TeamID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 68.2 | 160.7 | 755 | 516 | 97 | 55 | 6.5 | 3.7 | CHN | 9/22/2016 |
BAT a little better than today and PITCH was far better. Right now in the year 2017 Cleveland has the best pitching in MLB according to run scored against and UR and they’re at 152. Here are the top Cubs on this day last year.
| Rank | WAA | Name_TeamID | Pos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +002+ | 8.67 | Kyle_Hendricks_CHN | PITCH | |
| +003+ | 7.94 | Jon_Lester_CHN | PITCH | |
| +009+ | 6.93 | Kris_Bryant_CHN | 3B | |
| +021+ | 5.29 | Anthony_Rizzo_CHN | 1B | |
| +023+ | 5.29 | Jake_Arrieta_CHN | PITCH | |
| +072+ | 3.35 | Aroldis_Chapman_TOT | PITCH | |
| +084+ | 3.21 | John_Lackey_CHN | PITCH | |
| +091+ | 3.13 | Addison_Russell_CHN | 2B | |
| +146+ | 2.23 | Jason_Hammel_CHN | PITCH | |
| +151+ | 2.18 | Ben_Zobrist_CHN | 2B | |
| +164+ | 2.04 | Trevor_Cahill_CHN | PITCH | |
| +190+ | 1.72 | Hector_Rondon_CHN | PITCH | |
| XXXXX | 1.36 | Travis_Wood_CHN | PITCH | |
| XXXXX | 1.30 | Jorge_Soler_CHN | OF | |
| XXXXX | 1.28 | Pedro_Strop_CHN | PITCH | |
| XXXXX | 0.97 | David_Ross_CHN | C |
That’s the team that won a World Series. Since this is the last Blast from the Past this year let’s look at the closest Cubs team in value ,that participated in a World Series, to the current Cubs.
Blast from the Past 1938
Cubs team status on this day 1938.
| BAT | PITCH | Rs | Ra | W | L | UR | LR | TeamID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -58.6 | 119.8 | 638 | 553 | 80 | 61 | 28.8 | -4.9 | CHN | 9/22/1938 |
Terrible hitting which might have lost the World Series for them. Their pitching was outstanding and so is UR. They had great fielding. There were way more errors committed back then because baseball fields weren’t as groomed as they are today. That UR value led to real wins which allowed them to win the NL pennant.
Here are the top Cubs on this day 1938.
| Rank | WAA | Name_TeamID | Pos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +004+ | 9.83 | Bill_Lee_CHN | PITCH | |
| +019+ | 6.55 | Clay_Bryant_CHN | PITCH | |
| +043+ | 4.30 | Charlie_Root_CHN | PITCH | |
| +050+ | 3.61 | Dizzy_Dean_CHN | PITCH | |
| +074+ | 2.46 | Larry_French_CHN | PITCH | |
| +099+ | 1.22 | Vance_Page_CHN | PITCH | |
| +109+ | 0.99 | Tony_Lazzeri_CHN | SS | |
| +110+ | 0.94 | Jack_Russell_CHN | PITCH | |
| +115+ | 0.90 | Augie_Galan_CHN | LF-OF | |
| +117+ | 0.86 | Gabby_Hartnett_CHN | CR |
There were a little more than half as many teams back then so top 100 then is like top 200 today. Gabby Hartnett was managing the team at the end of the season which is probably caused his hitting to suffer.
That is all for today. Historical playoff analysis coming. The playoff season is different than the regular season. Part 3 of lineup/pitcher combo tables, and we’ll see what more. Until then….