CubsPS+ - A North Side Numbers Game

This week, I was joined by David da Silva, Mental Skills Coordinator for the Cubs. David talked me through the Cubs mental skills program and we talked about how he tries to give players the tools they need to handle so many situations that come up – the pressure of a big spot, the long mental grind of a season, and how to deal mentally with injuries. You can find David on Twitter @DaviddaSilva99,...

Welcome in to Episode 24! I’m jealous of all of you who were able to make it to the Cubs Convention last week, it looked like a really good time and I hope I can join y’all next year. Today, I’m going to talk about a few of my convention takeaways and then change it up a little by bringing in Lance Rafdal, a lifelong Braves fan, to talk about Dansby Swanson. If you enjoy my guest episodes, there w...

Welcome in to Episode 23 - the Ryne Sandberg episode here to liven up a dead week in January! The offseason really does seem like it’s starting to wind down - which is fine with me, I’m ready for spring training. In this episode, I’ll talk about the most recent addition — 1B Eric Hosmer — and dive a little deeper into defensive metrics now that it’s abundantly clear that the Cubs are lining up the...

Welcome in to Episode 22! It’s been a crazy couple weeks since I last recorded – I’ve traveled across the country and halfway back, celebrated Chanukah and Christmas and watched the Cubs FINALLY land a big fish all while Carlos Correa agreed to terms with at least two teams and saw those deals fall apart. Jed’s plan is becoming more and more clear (whether it’s a good enough plan remains to be see...

Well, we’re STILL waiting. This week, I talk about the stall, why star power matters and what paths are still available for the Cubs. We could be traveling right along Jed Hoyer’s preferred path or we might be watching live as Jed struggles to adjust to a rapidly changing free agent market. What kind of hopes remain for Cub fans as we head into the holidays? Let’s dive in.

It’s been quite a week for Cubs fans – the Cubs got out of the gates quick in the Winter Meetings with a couple early signings, but the week was mostly rumors, reports about reports and waiting. The waiting is definitely the hardest part. This week I talk about the waiting, why we’re all waiting and how I read the tea leaves on what has been a tense off season.

I hope all of you who celebrate had a wonderful Thanksgiving and as we now turn the calendar to December, roster-building season begins! The Winter Meetings happen next week amid a lot of tension on Cubs social media. Will the Cubs spend big? Will they get a top shortstop? This week I get into all of that, touch on the Rule 5 draft coming up next week and more.

As we head into our annual day of Thanks, I sat down this week with Mark Weisman, the strength & conditioning coach for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Mark spoke at length about how he went from a college football running back at Iowa to a baseball strength coach in Myrtle Beach and he went in depth about the Cubs organizational commitment to player development. He talked me through what and how the C...

This week I had the pleasure of talking Cubs prospects with Greg Huss from Northside Bound and the Cubs on Deck podcast. Greg and I talked about this week’s Rule 5 roster decisions, highlighted a few key guys in his newly released Top 40 Prospects list and talked about what fans can do to get a read on prospects when watching minor league games or looking at stats. In the end, I put Greg on the sp...

The offseason is finally here and the action will begin for real in a few hours! Who is on your winter wish list for the Cubs? Today, join me as I review key offseason dates and walk through some WAR math to figure out how the Cubs can go from 74 wins to playoff contention. We’ll talk about free agents, growth from the current roster and some potential trade possibilities.

I had a great conversation with Craig Calcaterra, a long-time baseball writer who recently published the book, “ Rethinking Fandom: How to Beat the Sports-Industrial Complex at Its Own Game ”. With Cub fans left out of the post-season again, watching Kyle Schwarber hit bombs in Philly and waiting to see whether the next Cubs team could be the next great Cubs team, it’s a good time to step back and...

Every year, I dread the end of the baseball season. As a kid it meant a long, dreary Iowa winter…now that I live in a warmer state, it just means no baseball. I’ll thoroughly enjoy this World Series, but I’m ready for the season to be over…but not because the Cubs narrowly avoided a 90-loss season, but because I think this is going to be a really exciting offseason. When the World Series is over,...

Welcome to Episode 13! Baseball is down to it’s Final Four, which means the games are getting bigger and bigger – and if you’re a Cub fan, it means what could be an action-packed off-season is getting closer by the day. Last week, I talked about the impact arbitration can have on a team budget and compared the Cubs history of handling arbitration with the Braves – this week, I dive into free agenc...

In this bonus episode, I give my thoughts on the new playoff format, talk about the performance of some top prospects and touch on the upcoming postseason. As always, you can find me on Twitter & Instagram @CubsPSPlus, a spin on the baseball metric OPS+.

Welcome to Episode 12! If you’re listening, you’re missing Cubs baseball as much as I am – especially Cubs playoff baseball. In this episode, I’m going to take a look at some of the comments Jed Hoyer made this week about the upcoming offseason and dive into the potential for contract extensions – most notably, looking at the kinds of lessons the Cubs could take away from the Braves recent activit...

There’s no Cubs baseball today, but that doesn’t mean that today – October 6th – isn’t a huge day in Cubs history. Come join me on a journey through the ghosts (and goats) of Cubs baseball past. We’ll visit Babe Ruth & Lou Gehrig, talk about Dizzy & Steve Trout and learn a little more about a goat and a shooting while we wind our way through 6 stops in 85 years of Cubs post-season history. Like an...

In today’s episode, I take a look back at how this Cubs team fell so far early, how they’ve managed to finish strong and then lay out some paths for improvement as the Cubs head into the offseason. Will this be another offseason ending like a Chicago Bears drive in another punt? Or could we see a lineup with star power next year?

In today’s episode I do a quick sweep of the last week of Cubs baseball - like the Cubs did in New York - and highlight some fantastic pitching performances. From there, I jump into the rule changes recently announced by MLB. I talk a walk through the history of baseball rule changes and how change never seems to come easy, but usually seems to stick to become the next generation’s baseline of the...

In this episode, I welcome in my first guest, former pro player and current coach Chris Vasami. In this episode we discuss hitting development, the growth of young players, get his thoughts on the shift and talk about catching up to velocity. Chris was an All-American in high school, played college baseball at Notre Dame and Elon before being drafted by the Colorado Rockies and spending four years...

In this episode, I start with a quick summary of the road trip to Milwaukee and Toronto, highlighting Jeremiah Estrada’s major league debut among a few other highlights. Then, around the 4 minute mark, I spend the rest of the episode highlighting why Ohtani is available, why the Cubs should trade for him and what a trade might cost.

This installment comes after a lost week to some superbug we’re affectionately calling “camp crud” took the host down for a week. I describe my own connections to the Field of Dreams game, albeit a bit late and talk about how Jed Hoyer and the Cubs have been steadily raising the talent level floor on this team and how they may raise the ceiling this offseason. Thanks for listening!

The episode starts with a tribute to the late, great Vin Scully, who passed last week. The discussion moves to the trade deadline - who the Cubs traded, who they didn’t and who they got back and then closes with what to look for the rest of the season. There will be a roster crunch the rest of the way. NOTE: Post production, the Cubs announced that Jason Heyward would remain an inactive player the...

The Cubs head to San Francisco riding a 6-game and 2-sweep winning streak, but will likely be saying goodbye to some beloved players at the deadline for the 2nd year in a row. We deep-dive into Nico’s offensive rise, comparing him to a Cub great from the past.

Looking back from the All Star break, this episode breaks down the Cubs situational hitting and continued offensive struggles in extra innings.

Having lost 7 straight games, the Cubs approach the All Star break with clear weaknesses and clear pieces that could be a part of a winning future.