After a brief hiatus from writing my thoughts down onto the internet (also known by some as blogging), I’m back. I didn’t not write because I wasn’t interested or didn’t have thoughts…I had a lot of those. I was just…busy. I attended 29 games in 2022 and saw A TON of potential in an otherwise shitty baseball team. Here were my few takeaways from the season:
1) A healthy Seiya Suzuki is MUST WATCH TV
I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited for plate discipline in my life. It was such a breath of fresh air coming from the years of Javy Baez swinging at balls hitting the dirt 7 feet in front of the plate. He’s a good defender with a great arm and showed last year that he has power and speed. I’m very excited to watch year 2 of Seiya in the U.S.
2022 slash lines - .257/.327/.415 - 12HR
2023 Jack Projection - .278/.336/.430 - 20HR
2) The Pitching Staff Is Interesting
In the 2nd half of the season, the Cubs pitching staff ranked amongst the best in baseball. And these were not household Cy Young candidates. These were guys like Adrian Sampson, Javier Assad, Justin Steele, Keegan Thompson, and other very random names. But they were good. And I hope to continue to see growth from the young pitchers and possibly have someone stand out as a future #1 after the front office has invested heavily into young arms in the past few drafts.
3) There Are Some Exciting Young, Early To The Party, Guys
Obviously, there are a TON of guys in the farm system to be excited about. Don't get me started on PCA...but this year had some Junior Lake-esque players poke their ahead into the lineup a year or two early. Now, this farm system is not as stacked as 2015 and they'll have to win in free agency and build with some of the young stars..so I'm not saying that. But, the emergence of a super utility player like Christopher Morel and a solid rotation piece that we got for Scott Effros in Hayden Wesneski are a few of the young guys to be excited about coming out of the 2022 season.
4) Nico Horner Is A Bonafide All-Star
2022 proved to be a breakout season for the Cubs future 2nd baseman. He showed that he can be an elite middle-infielder and hit for average at the same time posting . He batted .344/.392./.452 during the month of June which is obviously not going to be an all-year stat line but shows that he can heat up for long stretches and has a high ceiling with a high floor. If healthy, he'll be an all-star in 2023 and the Cubs could potentially have the best defensive middle-infield in baseball. Nico also led the team in steals (spoiler alert to my trivia question down below) with 20 total stolen bases (tied for 22nd in the MLB) only get caught twice. Gets on base and can steal bases efficiently.
5) Attendance Was Awful
And rightfully so...
The 2023 average attendance of 32,305 is the lowest since 1998 and the lowest as a percentage since 1997 when the team finished with 94 losses. It was pathetically low and a direct correlation with the talent that they trotted out onto the field. Casual Cubs fans don't want to watch shitty baseball in April, May, and September. The 2023 team as constructed should be projected to win about 80 games which won't get a ton of people jacked up. But there is certainly more excitement in the future...plus Wrigley is now selling Coke products!
6) Wrigley Field Is Still The Greatest Place On Earth
There's truly nothing better. I love the sounds, the smells, the sights. I love that you can go with a large rowdy group of people or by yourself and either way, you'll have a great experience. Even when Alfonso Rivas is the everyday starting first baseman and the team is getting blown out, it's still the best place to be.
2022 will be a great year for Trivia. Who was the opening day first baseman? Who led the team in steals? Who was the team leader in wins? Study up for Trivia in 10 years.
The future is bright...
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