Chicago Cubs: Team preview and prediction for 2020 season

Chicago Cubs: 2020 Preview and Prediction

As for the Cubbies’ lineup, need not forget they were top ten in runs last season and that’s with everything they had going wrong for them. Yes, this is a bunch that can get a little strikeout-happy at times, and Kris Bryant getting back to upwards of 150 punch-outs in 2019 concerns me, but this is still a very potent lineup with three perennial MVP candidates leading the way in Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Javier Baez.

Their secondary stars also put up big-time numbers like Kyle Schwarber with the power numbers he posts and Willson Contreras who’s quickly becoming the best hitting catcher in baseball.

More from Call to the Pen

• Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
• Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
• Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
• 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals

And one thing that goes unnoticed is just how shaped the Chicago Cubs lineup is with ample utility guys like Ian Happ, Hernan Perez, David Bote, Nico Hoerner, and Robel Garcia, plus outfield help in Jason Heyward, Steven Souza Jr., and Albert Almora Jr. Not only is the Cubs roster jam-packed with impact players, but all of these guys are still relatively young, paving the way for this team to thrive not just now but for years to come.

What is going to potentially hurt them is losing Kris Bryant or Willson Contreras, both of whom have been popular trade candidates dating back to last season. Hopefully, everything can get sorted out and this team can stay together to get back to a World Series or two.

But as it sits now, everybody is staying put, and that gives the Cubs another top ten offense in the game.

So, how do the Cubs fare in 2020? I think they seriously surprise and get themselves to second place in the loaded NL Central (83-79 before the delayed opening). Their lineup is still legit, their starting pitching is about as reliable as you can ask for with known veterans who do nothing but win, and they’ll have one of the breakout managerial stars in David Ross leading the way and inspiring this club.

The NL Central will be hotly contested this season with four of the five teams vying to win the division. I think three of the four are very close to each other (the Cubs, Reds, and Brewers), but only small differences will set them apart. I love aspects of all three teams, but I also have some big problems with all three teams. To me, the Cubs seem the most reliable of the three, so I think they get the edge. I like their culture more than the Reds’ and I like their roster more than the Brewers’.

I say the Cubbies miss out on a postseason berth, but they’ll still open a lot of eyes and set themselves up nicely for the next few seasons. Don’t sleep on the Cubs. This is still a very good team.