Random First Week Cubs Observations

 We're one week into the 2021 MLB season and man, did I miss good ole baseball. The Cubs are already kind of pissing me off a little bit, but that doesn't really surprise me. I expected this to be an up-and-down season and that's exactly what it's looking like so far. After one week, the Cubs are 3-3 with a 2-1 series win against the Pirates and a 1-2 series loss to the Brewers. It's not the worst start in the world, but it could definitely be better. The NL central is going to be tight all season long and really, it's anyone's division to win. I have faith that if the Cubs keep this up, they can absolutely win the division and get swept by the Braves or Padres in the first round! (kidding...kind of)

I've already had a lot of random observations/overreactions about the season so far, so I'll be sharing a few that I've had and then I'll elaborate on whether or not I actually believe what I'm saying. Let's dive in.

Craig Kimbrel is back.

Verdict: Not an overreaction. I actually believe this one. Kimbrel had a terrible start to his Cubs career in the second half of the 2019 season and the first half of the 2020 season. However, he did start to pick it up last year, but a lot of his better innings did come in less meaningful innings than usual. This season though, "Dirty Craig" is off to a fantastic start, allowing no hits in six innings pitched. I truly believe that whatever issues he was battling in the last few seasons are gone and that he has finally come around. Will he blow a game or two this season? Yeah, probably, but most closers do that every now and then. I'm just glad that Kimbrel is able to close out games so far this year and I wish him more success as the season goes on.

This year's rotation can be better than last years.

Verdict: On the fence. This one might be a little bit of an overreaction, but I do also sort of believe it. Obviously nobody is replacing Yu Darvish, but that doesn't mean the rotation won't be better overall than it was last year. I'm talking top to bottom. Hendricks had a bad opening day, but I'm not worried about him one bit, especially after today's game. He'll always be solid. Arrietta, Davies, and Williams all looked really solid in their first games of the season. The only question mark is Adbert, but even if he doesn't pan out, the Cubs can always bring Mills back into the rotation or trade for another starter later in the season. Sure, last season's rotation had bigger names but besides Yu, none of them were super bright spots. Chatwood fell off after a hot start, Quintana was hurt and barely playing, and Lester was aging and starting to have some really awful games. (that's not Jon Lester slander, by the way. I'll always love that dude and be thankful for everything he brought to the franchise, but it was probably time for him to move on.) So overall, while the names in the rotation right now may not be as big as last year, I do think they have the ability to perform better as a group. I'm also aware that it's still very very early in the season though, so that's why this one is labeled "on the fence" rather than a complete overreaction or non-overreaction.

The Cubs may finish the season as one of the worst offenses in the league.

Verdict: Overreaction. Okay, so I know a lot of us have probably thought this throughout the first week so far, but let's reel it in a bit. It's only week one. Yes, the Cubs offense has been atrocious. They're last in the league in team batting average, 28th in hits, and bottom 10 in runs. I know these things are scary and they look really bad, but I have faith they can pick it up. The Cubs offense has been a bit stale for a few seasons now, but worst in the league? I think that's a stretch. They may be that right now, but it's only six games in. Let's get a bigger sample size before we start calling them the worst in the league. I want them to get better, and I have faith they will. I don't think they'll be one of the best offenses in the league by any means, but there's no way they end up the worst.

I actually like the Cincinnati Reds.

Verdict: Overreaction. I can't believe I've thought this multiple times this season, but I have. I'm sure it's just the weird love that us Cubs fans will always have for Nick Castellanos, but for some reason I've been finding myself not hating the Reds so far. This is obviously an overreaction though...right? It's the Reds damnit. We don't like them. We're not supposed to like them. Hopefully when the Cubs play the Reds, I'll remember who they really are, my disdain will come back, and all will be right again. But as of right now, I've been kind of rooting for the Reds. I feel dirty about it though, trust me.

That's it for this week. Hopefully everything I said in this blog pans out as the season goes on. Let's see Craig and the rest of the pitching staff continue to shove. Let's see the bats get hot. And of course, let's start hating on the Reds again (except for Nick, we love him always.)