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In 2016 the Chicago Cubs did something that eluded the North Side for 108 long years, they finally won a World Series. The longtime Cubs fan motto of “Wait ‘Till Next Year” no longer applies to the franchise. Instead the Cubs have their eyes set on becoming the first team to win back-to-back World Series since the 1999-2001 New York Yankees.
Here are five reasons the Cubs can repeat as champions.
5.) A Full Season of Kyle Schwarber
You can make the argument that there wasn’t a more valuable player to the Cubs’ World Series run than Kyle Schwarber. After missing all but two games in the regular-season, due to a torn ACL, Schwarber’s presence in the lineup shifted the momentum in the Cubs favor on their way to winning the World Series.
Now, fully healthy, Schwarber is set to play in his first full season as a Cub and is expected to have a sizable impact. As a rookie in 2015, he impressed in only 69 games by hitting for .246/.355/.487 while adding 16 home runs and 43 RBI’s. This season Schwarber will start the season as the primary left fielder and will be replacing Dexter Fowler as the lead-off hitter.
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Having a trio of Kyle Schwarber, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo at the top of your lineup will be enough to strike fear into every pitcher in baseball.
4.) Jason Heyward Bounces Back
Last offseason, the Chicago Cubs signed Jason Heyward to a massive eight-year, $184 million dollar contract. His defense was as advertised — he was one of the best defensive players in the game last year. He led the National League outfielders in defensive runs saved with 18 and collected his fourth Gold Glove.
However, his offense suffered the worst season of his career. Heyward posted career lows in AVG and OPS with .230 and .631 respectively, and as a result, he was only worth 1.5 WAR which was also a career low. Heyward has worked hard over the offseason with Cubs hitting coach John Mallee to revamp his swing and he should return to his career averages in 2017.
3.) A Loaded Bullpen
When Aroldis Chapman joined the Cubs in July he was the crown jewel of a dominant bullpen that led the Cubs to a World Series victory. Since then he returned to the Yankees on a massive contract, but the Cubs have made some additions of their of own and could be even scarier in 2017.
The Cubs biggest bullpen addition came as a result of trading Jorge Soler to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Wade Davis. Over the past three seasons, Davis was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. He sported an ERA of 1.18 and a FIP of just 1.86 while converting 47 saves. Davis’ biggest issue is his health, and if he can stay healthy the Cubs should enjoy having another dominant closer on the roster. The Cubs also added Koji Uehara, and now have the last three pitchers to record the final out in the World Series in Davis, Uehara, and Mike Montgomery.
2.) Best Rotation in Baseball
As good as Chicago was at scoring runs in 2016, they were equally dominant in preventing them. Led by the best rotation in baseball and their MLB-best 3.15 ERA the Cubs starters were a major reason the team ended up as the last team standing.
Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks finished second and third respectively in the Cy Young voting last season, but the Cubs number three pitcher Jake Arrieta is the name to keep an eye on entering 2017. The 2015 Cy Young winner is entering this season looking for a long term deal, and whether that is with Chicago or someone else in free agency, Arrieta should have a strong year.
1.) Deep Roster
The Cubs are a deep, talented team and have the advantage of youth on their side. The Cubs dynamic core is almost entirely on the right side of 30. In fact, the entire infield of Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez and Wilson Contreras are all under the age of 28 with super-utility man Ben Zobrist the only exception. Along with Zobrist, Jon Lester and John Lackey are the elder statesmen of the team and they provide the veteran leadership necessary to guide a young team’s quest for a repeat.
As good as the 103-win North Sider’s were in 2016, this year’s team has the potential to be even better.
