World Series or Bust: Chicago Cubs' Future Appears Bright Regardless

As expectations soar higher than ever before, the Chicago Cubs not only are poised to make a deep postseason run this season, but for many more years to come.

Even though the Chicago Cubs lost their Thursday night game against the Milwaukee Brewers, they still had great reason to celebrate afterwords, for the Saint Louis Cardinals losing 6-2 against the Giants gave the Cubs their first NL Central Division title since 2008.

This NL Central title belonging to the Cubs once more sure felt like something “in the making” from day one of the regular season. The team raced off to an unpresidented 25-6 start to the season. By that point in time, just about everyone figured that it was the the Cubs’ division to lose.

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And sure enough, it was. Even as the Chicago Cubs stumbled down the stretch leading up to the All Star break, having lost 16 of 21 games to finish up the first half, the players’ spirits were still as high as ever. “And how could they not be?”, having proudly owned a 7 game lead over the Cardinals up to that point.

As expected, the Cubs bounced back in a significant way this second half. They had put all their past struggles behind them enroute to their NL Central title, winning a magnitude of games thanks to their offense, pitching, and defense coming together in sync.

Everyone knows just how talented the Cubs’ defense is on an everyday basis, but it has been the team’s offense and pitching that has made the most strides this second half.

Kris Bryant for instance: has continued right where he left off at the end of the first half, crushing mammoth homeruns while improving his batting average significantly during the last two months. Anthony Rizzo, the leader on this Cubs’ team, has produced a typical “Rizzo-type” season, crushing over 30 homeruns while driving in more than 100 runs. Shortstop Addison Russell has produced a breakout second year, reaching the 20 homerun mark while driving in over 90 runs.

The Cubs have also been getting nice contributions on offense through the likes of Javier Baez, Jorge Soler, and rookie catcher Willson Contreras: three of their young-but talented core players. Heck, even Jason Heyward has been swinging the bat well lately, amid his previous struggles. And of course, not to be forgotten: Who can forget about the stellar play of catcher David Ross, who has seemed to have found the fountain of youth at age 39. In short: Every Cubs’ batter has contributed mightily in the offense’s second-half surge.

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More importantly for the club’s postseason success, might just be the strides made by Cub pitchers this second half. While Jake Arrieta and Jason Hammel have had their recent share of up-and-down moments, starters Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks have been pitching lights out for the team this second half.

Lets not forget the bullpen: Mid-season pickup Aroldis Chapman has been the frame thrower the Cubs have hoped they were acquiring from the Yankees during the trade deadline. Hector Rondon has made his way back from injury, and is getting his rhythm back as the “set-up guy”. Relief pitchers Travis Wood, Justin Grimm, Trevor Cahill, and Mike Montgomery have all for the most part held their own this second half, as the Cubs wait for Pedro Strop to come back from the DL. Even rookie relievers Carl Edwards and Rob Zastryzny have pitched surprisingly well.

This year’s Cubs team certainty has the potential to make a deep run into October given all their talent. While many will label this year’s team as “World Series or bust” given that they will be the favorite coming into postseason play, it’s important for Cub fans to look past this notion, as challenging as that may seem.

Barring a first round playoff exit like the Cubs had in 2008, this team will have once again accomplished a lot to be proud of. Their second year players have all taken major steps forward in their play throughout the season, while the veterans have provided steady hands in their performances as well. In addition, the Cubs still possess one of the best minor league farm systems in all of baseball, so producing young talent for upcoming seasons shouldn’t be an issue.

“And who can forget about Kyle Schwarber?”, the Cubs’ prized catcher/left fielder who only played a mere two games this season due to season-ending injury. He should be back in full-go for spring training, ready to produce once again on a regular basis for the Cubs. Cub fans everywhere should be excited, for we all know just how talented he is with that sweet, yet thunderous left-handed bat he possesses.

So Cub fans: Do not lose any sleep if this team fails to win the World Series this year. Baseball is unpredictable, for any team, regardless of how much talent they possess, can become suddenly hot or cold once playing in the postseason.

What has been proven by the Chicago Cubs though both their improved play and steady roster moves over these past few seasons is that they are better off than most, if not all teams, in obtaining both intermediate and long-term future success. Their core young players are signed to stick with the team for a surplus of seasons, and while that does not automatically guarantee anything: (slumps and injuries to players do happen), the Cubs sure seem better equipped than most teams to weather-the-storm that comes with playing a full-on grueling 162 game season, regardless of this year’s postseason outcome.

Knowing that, should get Cub fans everywhere excited.

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World Series or Bust: Chicago Cubs’ Future Appears Bright Regardless

By Brandon Hinrichs | Sep 16, 2016

As expectations soar higher than ever before, the Chicago Cubs not only are poised to make a deep postseason run this season, but for many more years to come.

More from Da Windy City