Chicago Cubs: The Top Five Current Players
There is no denying the talent that the Chicago Cubs possess. But with all of those excellent players, which ones are the best?
The Chicago Cubs roster is as stacked a roster as you will find anywhere in Major League Baseball. They have three aces, more than enough hitting to carry any team in the league, and a bullpen that must make other managers drool.
No doubt the Cubs are World Series favorites this season, and for very good reason. It is fair to question if any team will be capable of beating them in postseason. An even better question is, on such a talented roster, who are the best players? Before we answer that, here are few players worth mentioning that didn’t quite make the cut.
Aroldis Chapman- There are a handful of closers who you could legitimately call elite. Chapman is one of those guys. He has had a great month and a half with the Cubs since being acquired before the trade deadline and hasn’t been as big of a distraction that he was thought to be after his off the field issues earlier this year.
Ben Zobrist- Joe Maddon needed the veteran utility player to help get this team over the top and he has done just that. He has had a great season, and on any other team, would be a lock for such a list.
Dexter Fowler- It is more than just coincidence that Fowler’s absence triggered a cold streak that was followed by a winning streak during his return. Fowler is an integral part of this team and does a lot to help his team win, even if he does not get the same amount of attention as other players on the Cubs.
Now on to the Chicago Cubs current top players.
- Jon Lester
Jon Lester was coming to Chicago to be their ace of staff. What has actually happened is that, despite improving during the past two years, the Cubs no longer need him to be that ace. That is not a knock on Lester, but rather a statement of just how good the Cubs current rotation is.
Lester is enjoying his best season as a Cub in his second season in Chicago. He piles up strikeouts and keeps his team in the game. The thirty-two year old pitcher is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career and there is no reason to think that he doesn’t have several more productive seasons ahead of him.
While win/loss records often mean little for pitchers, Lester’s 17-4 record does indicate how well his team plays behind him and how he has kept them in games. He has kept his earned run average well under three and has averaged close to a strike out an inning. These numbers alone explain how good of a pitcher that Lester is.
The Cubs made yet another wise investment in signing Jon Lester, an investment that is paying off this season and should continue to pay off for them in future seasons as well.
- Kyle Hendricks
Say what you want about his strikeout total, Kyle Hendricks could easily make a case for a Cy Young award this season. That is not to say that he will win it; rather, the season he is having deserves consideration for the award. He has an earned run average barely over two, at this point in the season for a pitcher nearing two hundred innings that is a ridiculous earned run average.
While he has benefited from having a good team around him, all that changes is his win total, not his earned run average or the level he has pitched at this season. The reason he isn’t rated higher is the lack of track record. If he can put another season together even close to this one, he may have a case to be the top pitcher on the team.
Regardless, he is having a season that Cubs fans should enjoy, because it is doubtful he will be able to put together a season quite as amazing as this one. This season will also no doubt make a difference in the salary that Hendricks will receive in the future. That may be the problem for the Cubs eventually, although they have all the young talent they could want. The problem is how much of it can they keep?
- Jake Arrietta
Arrietta has taken a big step back this season, yet remains one of the best pitchers in the game. That shows just how good Arrietta was last season. He was every bit as good as Clayton Kershaw and had a presence on the mound that few pitchers will ever have in their career, much less for a full season.
Arrietta is a perfect example of giving up on a prospect too early. The Baltimore Orioles have to be kicking themselves for letting him go when they did. He is exactly the type of player that they are lacking to help put their team over the top. The Orioles loss was the Cubs gain though as Arrietta is the unquestioned ace of staff, at least for now, and has put together two seasons that are worthy of Cy Young consideration.
While this season may have been a step back, it has still been impressive nonetheless. He has won seventeen games while keeping his earned run average under three and keeping his team in games. That seems to be an ongoing theme with all the Cubs pitchers, including those outside of these rankings. They pitch to keep their team in the game, and more often than not, with the Cubs offense the strategy is very effective.
- Kris Bryant
Kris Bryant was going to take a little time to adjust to Major League pitching, right? Few players can play at the level Bryant has with little to no adjustments. That is not to say he hasn’t had to go through cold spells or made needed adjustments as all hitters do. Rather, he has been able to keep from looking overmatched and has been one of the best hitters in the Major Leagues at times this season.
It is also worth mentioning he has already put together better back to back seasons then Bryce Harper ever has. Bryant has also cut down on his strike out totals this season, and played much better defense then many thought he was capable of.
The most impressive thing about Kris Bryant is not about his obvious power, but how he has learned to use it at such a young age. He has learned quickly to not always take the homerun cut and to hit for average and know with his power the homers will come in time.
He has done just that as he has already hit thirty-seven this season and should have no problem breaking forty for the first time in his young career. It is official – after this season Kris Bryant is one of the best in game.
- Anthony Rizzo
The reasoning for putting Rizzo ahead of Kris Bryant in the rankings? Two reasons – the first is the fact that Anthony Rizzo has a track record due to the time he has already put in at the Major League level. The second involves the small things that Rizzo does that helps the Chicago Cubs win, the things that only a player who has been around a bit will learn to do.
Rizzo has gotten on base at a .388 clip this season and is working enough walks to make his walk total not all that far off from his season strikeout total. Both of those things prove just how tough of an out that Anthony Rizzo has been for the majority of this season. He has already driven in over a hundred base runners while hitting thirty out of the park.
If you had to build a team around one player off of the Cubs team, it would be Kris Bryant. However,if you wanted one player for one at-bat or to help you win right now, it would be Anthony Rizzo. No question either of these players would be deserving of the number one spot and both could make an interesting argument for and MVP award.
Next: Theo Epstein channels Bobby Valentine
Overall, this Cubs roster is as stacked as any in recent memory and should have no problem making life very difficult for other teams come postseason time.