Chicago Cubs: Can they return to dominance in 2018?

The Chicago Cubs fell short trying to defend their 2016 World Series Championship. Can they get back and win in 2018?

The Chicago Cubs in 2017 did not have a bad year by any means. Making it to the NLCS against an absolutely loaded Los Angeles Dodgers team is nothing to put their head down about. However, they got out of the gate slow and looked gassed during the playoffs.

In 2017, the Chicago Cubs finished with a 92 win season beating out the second place Milwaukee Brewers by six games to win their second straight NL Central Title. Considering that they had 43 wins and 45 losses at the All-Star break, it was an incredible second half for the Northsiders to make up serious ground.

All of that sugar-coating is great, but after tasting the 2016 World Series trophy breaking the curse, there is no more “Well, there is always next year.” As a St. Louis Cardinals fan spectator of their fan base, it was evident not winning the World Series in 2017 made the year a bust.

Can they make it back to the World Series in 2018?

Yes.

Anytime you have a one-two punch like Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant in your lineup alongside a catcher like Willson Contreras. You have a great chance.

Those are just to name a few of their key assets. The Chicago Cubs on paper look like a dominant team going into the 2018 season.

According to my Predator Baseball Projections, they are in the elite of the elites going into the season. Of course, this is subject to change throughout the season, but they are projected at 94.91 wins. This is best for third in Major League Baseball behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (95.03) and Houston Astros (97.30).

Even greater than that projected record is that they have phenomenal balance in the make-up of their team. In creating the projection, I view the team in two areas of the game: Hitting and Pitching. Apparently, there is defense and baserunning which can add a game here or there over the course of the season, but those two areas are 95 percent of what goes on.

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The Chicago Cubs are a dual threat. Their offense, led by the three previously mentioned players and a plethora of young stars, is ranked 2nd by my projections. The top three teams in offense in the Major Leagues are above and beyond the rest of the pack. They are the Houston Astros, which slightly edges the Cubs for first based on Predator Wins Above Average projected at 8.75 compared to 8.65, and the Washington Nationals at 7.69.

On the other side, their pitching staff is nothing to be bothered with. Clearly, losing the veteran closer Wade Davis is not ideal as well as started Jake Arrieta, but they have plenty of parts to fill in. Also, they are still in the market to add pitching which can only help. Even so, they are still projected as the 7th best pitching staff.

I think the biggest things for the Chicago Cubs going into the 2018 season is the new fire burning within the clubhouse of the taste of defeat. They lost their edge a bit in 2017, not that they were coasting, but they lost the fire to be great.

I will not be shocked if the Chicago Cubs come out of the gates on fire to start 2018 with something to prove. I am sure that they are tired of hearing about how the St. Louis Cardinals are going to dethrone them in 2018. However, my projections still say the Cardinals are a few games back.

Next: Yadier Molina says he’ll retire after the 2020 season

Weren’t the Cubs supposed to be a dynasty after 2016? They better rebound quickly if that is to be the case. Projections look very positive for the Cubs.

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