Official 2015 Chicago Cubs predictions thread

[JosMin]

Alright, cha'll.... it's that time. With five days until the Cubs' Opening Day, I figured it was time to throw out our predictions for the Cubs. How do you think the season will unfold? Will we break the playoff drought? Will the Cubs be crowned NL Central champs for the first time since 2008? Who'll be team MVP? Do you think the Cubs will look to add a big name during the season? Is your boy JosMin going to be completely naked watching the Cubs April 5th while crying like a total baby?

Here are my predictions for the upcoming season --

**The Cubs will finish with 85 wins, putting them second in the NL Central behind..... the Cardinals (wheeze)
**The Cubs will win the second wild card spot and play the defending World Series champion Giants in the Wild Card play-in game
**Jake Arrieta will lead the team in wins and ERA
**Anthony Rizzo, Jorge Soler and Kris Bryant will all finish with over 25 home runs
**The Cubs will acquire another frontline starting pitcher at some point during the season


What say you, Cubs fans? Who is ready to get this shit started? I think it'll be fun to track this thread as the season progresses. This year is going to be special. I can't wait.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

Ok I'll play

- 86 wins good for 3rd behind St. Louis and Pittsburgh
- compete for the second WC but ultimately fall short to San Diego by 2-3 games
- agree on 25 HR from Soler, Bryant & Rizzo. Castro hits 22.
- IF On 6/15 and beyond Rizzo 1B, Russell 2B, Castro SS, Bryant 3B
- Baez spends the year at AAA
- Soler and Bryant compete for RoY but Soler wins it in a shocker

 

[Zvbxrpl]

--81 wins and 3rd place behind STL and Pitt. Lack of TOR pitching will be the reason for this.

--In the WC hunt till about 5-6 games left in the season and then the youth and inexperience you all :fap: to shows up and provides the other side of the storybook ending, where they lose.

--EJax becomes a serviceable bullpen piece.

--Lester has a decent year, say 14-8 with a 3.3 ERA. Arrieta has a slight regression of a year. Kyle Hendricks pulls a Randy Wells and the league figures him out real quick.

--Soler makes us all happy he's not a self-centered psycho like Puig.

--Bryant produces, but has cold streaks which is normal with development.

--Theo has ANOTHER front line starter available at #9 in the draft and passes on him for another bat.

--Baez heats up in AAA and gets dealt for a young pitcher.

 

[brett05]

Cubs win 70 games (Lack of pitching depth)
Cubs find out that Soler and Bryant are bonifide major league players
Arrietta becomes an ACE (Define that how you want)
Cubs Bullpen finishes just behind White Sox bullpen
Theo drafts a pitcher with his first draft pick in 2015.

EDIT: And I think Rizzo challenges Goldschmidt for best 1b in the NL

 

[Parade_Rain]

Cubs win 82-85 games finishing 2nd in NL Central behind StL.
Cubs trade Olt and Castillo/prospects for a couple of AA/AAA pitchers with TOR potential
Cubs bring Russell up to play 3B in August. Bryant moves to LF.
Cubs lead MLB in HR.

 

[Boobaby1]

--81 wins and 3rd place behind STL and Pitt. Lack of TOR pitching will be the reason for this.

--In the WC hunt till about 5-6 games left in the season and then the youth and inexperience you all :fap: to shows up and provides the other side of the storybook ending, where they lose.

--EJax becomes a serviceable bullpen piece.

--Lester has a decent year, say 14-8 with a 3.3 ERA. Arrieta has a slight regression of a year. Kyle Hendricks pulls a Randy Wells and the league figures him out real quick.

--Soler makes us all happy he's not a self-centered psycho like Puig.

--Bryant produces, but has cold streaks which is normal with development.

--Theo has ANOTHER front line starter available at #9 in the draft and passes on him for another bat.

--Baez heats up in AAA and gets dealt for a young pitcher.

I will take all of it, however, if they are in it as you say, and the league figures out Hendricks or he amounts to Randy Wells, I fully believe the Cubs pick up an additional pitcher at the deadline which could be a difference maker.

No way will the Cubs be that close at the deadline and stick with Wood and/or Hendricks in the rotation, but if they are that close, their will be a lot of optimism moving forward.

 

[JP Hochbaum]

Cubs win 70 games (Lack of pitching depth)
Cubs find out that Soler and Bryant are bonifide major league players
Arrietta becomes an ACE (Define that how you want)
Cubs Bullpen finishes just behind White Sox bullpen
Theo drafts a pitcher with his first draft pick in 2015.

LOL! You're just trolling for a Cub Sox argument aren't ya?

 

[brett05]

LOL! You're just trolling for a Cub Sox argument aren't ya?

No, That's an increase for me. I am very wary of the pitching and how thin it is. I think they are another year from the .500+ area. The troll in me wants to say 62, but I am going with the non-troll answer of 70. Could be as high as say 75, but I am going with a single number instead of a range.

This is the year the team finds out a lot about itself and what the exact needs are going forward IMO.

 

[JP Hochbaum]

No, That's an increase for me. I am very wary of the pitching and how thin it is. I think they are another year from the .500+ area. The troll in me wants to say 62, but I am going with the non-troll answer of 70. Could be as high as say 75, but I am going with a single number instead of a range.

This is the year the team finds out a lot about itself and what the exact needs are going forward IMO.

Ok how do losses occur more when the bullpen started off horribly last year, and is in a much better situation this year.

Replacing Renteria with Maddon.

replacing LEster with Shark a wash.

Having Soler an entire year

increasing the efficiency of the staff with Montero

Adding Fowler to CF

And then having at worst a Valbuena replacement in Bryant at 3b.

I am just curious how they lose three more games when gaining so much?

 

[TC in Mississippi]

No, That's an increase for me. I am very wary of the pitching and how thin it is. I think they are another year from the .500+ area. The troll in me wants to say 62, but I am going with the non-troll answer of 70. Could be as high as say 75, but I am going with a single number instead of a range.

This is the year the team finds out a lot about itself and what the exact needs are going forward IMO.

I wasn't going to comment but 70 wins gets someone fired, be it Theo or Jed or whoever. This was a team that spent a lot of money on a 73 win team. Could they win as few as 79? Yes, and I don't think that would be a disaster. Personally I like the pitching. I tihnk Arrieta is the #1 before the year is out over Lester and a combination of what I've read and some personal conversations with a scout have turned me around on Hendricks. I don't love Hammell at 3 but he's hardly a disaster and he had a solid spring. I'm not over the moon for this team, I don't think they make the playoffs without an earth shattering deadline deal, I think Bryant will struggle a bit but I also see a team that was over .500 last year from May 19 on with a lot of turmoil I see a team that got better in OBP with guys like Fowler and the addition of Bryant in mid April not to mention a full season from Soler who looks like a beast that sees the plate with laser focus. Again 70 wins, barring massive injuries, would be a total failure and probably a reset on the rebuild. I think it's contrary to even the most critical analysis I've seen in teh baseball media. You're entitled to it, no skin off my bones and frankly the thing about predictions is that we're almost all wrong in the end, I just don't see the basis for it.

 

[brett05]

Ok how do losses occur more when the bullpen started off horribly last year, and is in a much better situation this year.

Replacing Renteria with Maddon.

replacing LEster with Shark a wash.

Having Soler an entire year

increasing the efficiency of the staff with Montero

Adding Fowler to CF

And then having at worst a Valbuena replacement in Bryant at 3b.

I am just curious how they lose three more games when gaining so much?

It's a prediction thread. I'm not going to hijack it

 

[Shawon0Meter]

80 wins

Lester is everything he's supposed to be

Arrieta regresses significantly

Castro bats .300

 

[JosMin]

80 wins

Lester is everything he's supposed to be

Arrieta regresses significantly

Castro bats .300

Add 82 wins to that total please

 

[TL1961]

84-78

 

[JosMin]

84-78

So, 84 wins... then 78 more?

:cubs: :fap:

 

[Zvbxrpl]

I will take all of it, however, if they are in it as you say, and the league figures out Hendricks or he amounts to Randy Wells, I fully believe the Cubs pick up an additional pitcher at the deadline which could be a difference maker.

No way will the Cubs be that close at the deadline and stick with Wood and/or Hendricks in the rotation, but if they are that close, their will be a lot of optimism moving forward.

But who? At this point, I don't think anyone is getting Cole Hamels. Texas tried and still hasnt gotten him. Phillies are flat out stubborn about dealing him.

Doubt the Mets feel like dealing a young gun. Somebody just went down.

Iwakuma? I could see if Seattle would deal him, because its going to be quite interesting to see if they shell out big bucks for him in this contract year or deal him. Dont be surprised when he gets dealt.

Yovanni Gallardo is a no, Texas seems "all in" this year even without Darvish.

Don't see the Tigers dealing Price, nor do I want Price. Three years ago I did.

Jose Fernandez? I wish. Loria seems like he wants to spend money now after Stanton.

I want a talented young arm the cubs develop. Because they don't have any, and that will make the biggest difference this year going forward. I dont want to hear about CJ Edwards or Duane Underwood, neither of those two are it. Not Pierced Johnson, not Dallas Beeler, not Skulina, Zastrysny (is he even out of Boise yet?), not Stinett. Sands, Steele, and Cease are light years away and a lot can change for 18 year olds.

Giants and Cards did it. Tigers did it. Nats, Braves, basically every team you'd want to model has drafted and developed TOR pitching and is now reaping benefits. Theo's had multiple chances (he gets a pass taking Bryant over Gray but not Almora over Appel; Schwarber is TBD over Freeland or Nola.) Its what's ultimately going to bite him in the ass and some of these prized bats we boast over will get dealt for something he could have balanced out drafting.

 

[JP Hochbaum]

It's a prediction thread. I'm not going to hijack it

Good point, I predict you will be way off on the wins projection

 

[Boobaby1]

But who? At this point, I don't think anyone is getting Cole Hamels. Texas tried and still hasnt gotten him. Phillies are flat out stubborn about dealing him.

Doubt the Mets feel like dealing a young gun. Somebody just went down.

Iwakuma? I could see if Seattle would deal him, because its going to be quite interesting to see if they shell out big bucks for him in this contract year or deal him. Dont be surprised when he gets dealt.

Yovanni Gallardo is a no, Texas seems "all in" this year even without Darvish.

Don't see the Tigers dealing Price, nor do I want Price. Three years ago I did.

Jose Fernandez? I wish. Loria seems like he wants to spend money now after Stanton.

I want a talented young arm the cubs develop. Because they don't have any, and that will make the biggest difference this year going forward. I dont want to hear about CJ Edwards or Duane Underwood, neither of those two are it. Not Pierced Johnson, not Dallas Beeler, not Skulina, Zastrysny (is he even out of Boise yet?), not Stinett. Sands, Steele, and Cease are light years away and a lot can change for 18 year olds.

Giants and Cards did it. Tigers did it. Nats, Braves, basically every team you'd want to model has drafted and developed TOR pitching and is now reaping benefits. Theo's had multiple chances (he gets a pass taking Bryant over Gray but not Almora over Appel; Schwarber is TBD over Freeland or Nola.) Its what's ultimately going to bite him in the ass and some of these prized bats we boast over will get dealt for something he could have balanced out drafting.

It took a bad year by Boston to make Lester available. The Cubs lost Shark and Hammel. If they are at that point in the season and still in it, one would have to figure that Cincy would be out of it meaning Cueto would perhaps be available for example.

About half of the teams will be in it, meaning, half won't.

A lot of these teams after being out of it, and potentially losing a player anyways will be willing to save the team money and ship him off for something they could potentially use later.

Mat Latos would be a solid choice also.

We won't know until that time. First things first though. The Cubs have to be there to make it work anyways, but if you look at Theo's history and who he has targeted in Sanchez, Tanaka, Feldman, Arrieta, Lester, and Shields, considering the flopping of E-Jax, I will leave it in their hands that they have a pretty good idea of how to get a good pitcher in the rotation when the time comes.

Getting that pitcher at the break like a Cueto or Latos could mean them signing an extension and getting said pitcher that way versus waiting until the off-season and have to buck every Tom, Dick, and Harry in the free agent market.

Just my opinion.

 

[chibears55]

Ill say 89 wins

Both Lester and Arrieta wins more then 15 games

Soler wins ROY

Castillo ends up the cubs starting catcher by July
Ross and Montero combine to hit .200. ; ))

Baez will be back with team by May
Bryant wont be added to team til week of 26th of April
Needs more time in OF

Olt will lock down 3B for the year

Russell stays in Iowa all year...

Cubs make a major trade at Deadline for pitching

Makes playoffs and advances to NLCS

 

[SilenceS]

Cubs win 82 games

Soler wins ROY

Lester wins 17 games

Ross tears a hammy for being old as fuck

Baez comes back up before July

Alcantara goes back down

Bryant is up within the first month

Castro challenges for a batting title