2016 Chicago Cubs: The Best Team Ever? Team Has A Chance To Eclipse All-Time Wins Record
Are the 2016 Chicago Cubs the best Major League Baseball team ever? It’s possible, given their current league-best 37-15 record, which puts them a comfortable 8.5 games ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Central.
The San Francisco Giants, who lead the National League West with a 34-22 record, have the second best mark in baseball.
Chicago Cubs: Two Months In and Still Rolling – @RobMVillarrealhttps://t.co/z3wnXrLuY2 pic.twitter.com/NgvTVpm2SD
— Baseball Essential (@BB_Essential) June 1, 2016
But it’s the Chicago Cubs who have a real shot at fame. With their season barely a third of the way over, they are on pace to win 111 games, and they would need only five more to match the all-time record, held jointly by the 1906 Chicago Cubs and the 2001 Seattle Mariners (the 1906 Cubs did it in just 152 games, as opposed to the 162 game schedule used today, thus making their achievement all the more remarkable), as documented by Newsday.
In order for the ’16 Cubs to achieve infamy, though, a few things need to happen.
1. Ben Zobrist and Dexter Fowler need to continue what so far have been career years. While the Cubs are generally regarded for their youth, the front office made some free agent signings to plug in the necessary holes (while Fowler also played for Chicago last year, he wasn’t resigned by the Cubs until shortly before spring training).
But these two veterans have played very well early on. That is especially true of Zobrist, who previously played for Joe Maddon in Tampa Bay. At 35, the Cub’s second baseman is batting .339 (third in the NL) with a .439 On-Base Percentage, 11 doubles, seven home runs, 37 runs scored, 35 RBI, and a .959 OPS.
Los Angeles #Dodgers at Chicago #Cubs 4:05pm ct on @eson radio getting ready to meet with Joe Maddon & Dave Roberts pic.twitter.com/6MBjwJX4iL
— Jim Bowden??? (@JimBowdenGM) May 30, 2016
Since his previous career high batting average is .297 (with the Rays in 2009) and his lifetime batting average is .268, Zobrist will probably cool down. But if he can keep his numbers high, he will have proven to be an asset.
Fowler, 30, has also gotten off to a fast start, batting .312 with a 0.432 OBP, 35 runs scored, 15 doubles, and six stolen bases.
The Cubs were expecting big seasons for their young bats like Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant, and they have gotten them (12 HR, 38 RBI, and 13 HR, 40 RBI, respectively). Their performances haven’t surprised anyone. But what Chicago did not expect was such tremendous output from Zobrist and Fowler, which has fueled their success.
2. Jason Heyward needs to pick up the pace. While Zobrist and Fowler have excelled, another notable free agent pickup, Heyward, has not. Still just 27, he has always had the talent, which is why the Cubs shelled out $184 million over eight years to get him.
But so far in 2016, Heyward has been a letdown in Chicago, batting just .229 with two home runs (while he only hit 13 last year for St. Louis, Heyward has the potential for more — he hit 27 in 2012 for Atlanta).
Given that they are playing above their career norms, it is inevitable that Zobrist and Fowler will tail off. Assuming they do, the Cubs need Heyward to start playing closer to the level at which he is capable.
3. Put a guard around their outstanding starting rotation. If not for their starting pitching, there is no way the Chicago Cubs would be in the position they are in right now. Combined, they have a 30-12 record, and individually, most of them would be aces on any other team.
Jake Arrieta leads the team with a perfect 9-0 record, and a minuscule 1.56 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 75 strikeouts in 75 innings.
Whether or not the Chicago Cubs can catch the 1906 Cubs and the 2001 Mariners remains to be seen. But what concerns Cubs fans more than anything else is winning their first World Series Championship since 1908 — which by the way, the ’06 Cubs and ’01 Mariners both failed to do.
But even if the Cubs go just 60-50 the rest of the way, they will have matched last season’s 97-65 record. Given their performance so far, and barring any injuries, there’s no reason to think they will not only top their 2015 record; they will even make a run at the record books for best record ever.
What do you think? Can the Chicago Cubs reach 116 wins this season? Are they that good?
[Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images]
