This one's so we can start feeling hopefully.
***Official 2024 Chicago Cubs Thread***
- Thread starter CycloneErik
- Start date
2024 Predictions:
- Shota will finish top 10 in the MLB in K's and along with Steele, will never hit the IL
- The Morel-3B experiment blows up in the FOs face. By May, everyone in the world hates it and is wondering what the **** we were thinking
- Belli and Hoerner take steps down
- Suzuki is a top 5 MVP finisher
- Along with Suzuki, Happ, and Swanson take steps forward with their bats
- We are flirting with .500 at the deadline but because they're more interested in 2025, no additions are made unless cap relief also happens
FINAL STANDINGS
Cubs - 85-77
Cardinals - 83 - 75
Reds - 83 - 75
Pirates - 79 - 83
Brewers - 75 - 87
- Shota will finish top 10 in the MLB in K's and along with Steele, will never hit the IL
- The Morel-3B experiment blows up in the FOs face. By May, everyone in the world hates it and is wondering what the **** we were thinking
- Belli and Hoerner take steps down
- Suzuki is a top 5 MVP finisher
- Along with Suzuki, Happ, and Swanson take steps forward with their bats
- We are flirting with .500 at the deadline but because they're more interested in 2025, no additions are made unless cap relief also happens
FINAL STANDINGS
Cubs - 85-77
Cardinals - 83 - 75
Reds - 83 - 75
Pirates - 79 - 83
Brewers - 75 - 87
2024 Predictions--
--Suzuki hits .310/.380/.520 with 30 bombs and finishes in the Top 5 for MVP. The Cubs discuss an extension after the season
--Shota finishes top 10 in strikeouts but also leads the league in HR allowed. Still has solid season with an ERA south of 4.00
--Justin Steele regresses but still eats innings and profiles as a sold number 2.
--Cade Horton is brought along slowly but is in the rotation after the break.
--Jordan Wicks stays in the rotation all year (4.00 ERA over 30 starts) while Taillon is, unfortunately not fired into the sun and puts up an ERA around 4.75 over 28 starts.
--PCA is up in mid-June after tearing the cover off the ball in Des Moines and after a couple week adjustment period is clearly the CF of the future. Hits .270/.310/.440 for a half season
--Matt Shaw and Owen Caissie spend the entire year in Des Moines but do get September callups to help with the playoff push
--Morel handles 3B well enough to live with him for the year but his future is at 2B.
Standings:
Reds 88-74
Cubs 87-75 (WC)
Cardinals 80-82
Pirates 79-83
Brewers 72-90
--Suzuki hits .310/.380/.520 with 30 bombs and finishes in the Top 5 for MVP. The Cubs discuss an extension after the season
--Shota finishes top 10 in strikeouts but also leads the league in HR allowed. Still has solid season with an ERA south of 4.00
--Justin Steele regresses but still eats innings and profiles as a sold number 2.
--Cade Horton is brought along slowly but is in the rotation after the break.
--Jordan Wicks stays in the rotation all year (4.00 ERA over 30 starts) while Taillon is, unfortunately not fired into the sun and puts up an ERA around 4.75 over 28 starts.
--PCA is up in mid-June after tearing the cover off the ball in Des Moines and after a couple week adjustment period is clearly the CF of the future. Hits .270/.310/.440 for a half season
--Matt Shaw and Owen Caissie spend the entire year in Des Moines but do get September callups to help with the playoff push
--Morel handles 3B well enough to live with him for the year but his future is at 2B.
Standings:
Reds 88-74
Cubs 87-75 (WC)
Cardinals 80-82
Pirates 79-83
Brewers 72-90
I'm excited I can at least watch opening day on ESPN before getting blacked out for about every other broadcast they'll be on.
I'm not so pessimistic about Morel, he's still young and hoping regular reps at just 1 position is what he needs to get comfortable defensively. It's the best outcome if he can settle into 3B because we need production there and having his bat in the lineup is needed too. Have to have faith that Counsell wouldn't play him there if he is too much of a liability.
May take us as fans some time to adjust to a manager that has more expirience than Ross too as we kind of got used to the constant lineup mixes under him and Maddon along with questionable in game decisions by Ross. My hope is Counsell doesn't tinker as much with his regular lineups and lets guys settle into their roles.
Also excited to see some prospects make their way to Chicago this year and hope I can make some ICubs games before some.of them are called up for good. Should have a really good team in Iowa, kind of reminds me of right before the core of the 2016 made it to Chicago although I think some of these guys won't make as short of appearances at Iowa like Bryant at least.
I'm not so pessimistic about Morel, he's still young and hoping regular reps at just 1 position is what he needs to get comfortable defensively. It's the best outcome if he can settle into 3B because we need production there and having his bat in the lineup is needed too. Have to have faith that Counsell wouldn't play him there if he is too much of a liability.
May take us as fans some time to adjust to a manager that has more expirience than Ross too as we kind of got used to the constant lineup mixes under him and Maddon along with questionable in game decisions by Ross. My hope is Counsell doesn't tinker as much with his regular lineups and lets guys settle into their roles.
Also excited to see some prospects make their way to Chicago this year and hope I can make some ICubs games before some.of them are called up for good. Should have a really good team in Iowa, kind of reminds me of right before the core of the 2016 made it to Chicago although I think some of these guys won't make as short of appearances at Iowa like Bryant at least.
If you're in Iowa, or somewhere else in the Cub's home market, you can buy a streaming subscription to Marquee for $20 a month. Well worth it as Marquee will be broadcasting all but seven games this year.
I don't watch enough games to justify that subscription. Probably already paying for other ones i dont use as much as i should to justify them too. I've got a local watering hole that usually has Cubs games on if I really want to catch one.
Unfortunately agree about Morel at 3rd. Think we see Shaw there full time at some point or platoon with Wisdom/Madrigal/Mastro?
I see that they still say "subject to blackout and territorial restricts" on the Marquee App. If you get the streaming service though it shouldn't black out any games, right?
I wouldn't think so, but MLB blackout rules don't make any sense.
Pre-game pessimistic thought - not in love with the first 3 batters being good on-base guys followed up by back to back guys who are not good at manufacturing runs. Just screams loading the bases with no outs, strikeout, pop up, leave it up to the rookie to get it done.
We’re going to win anyway
We’re going to win anyway
Unless you have a WIFI ISP like TMobile or Verizon. Since they typically connect to servers outside Iowa, the Marquee App blacks out the game because of MLB restrictions.
I'd love to give the Cubs $20/month- but apparently MLB and it's franchises don't need the money.
I usually let the 1st month play out before I draw too many conclusions about how the season will go for certain players. New manager too so maybe he views guys spots in the lineup differently too. I don't mind Morel in the cleanup spot as he probably has the most power potential of anyone on the roster so you take the good with the bad with a guy like him as you want guys on base when he makes good contact. We have a lot of questions going into the season with offense so things will likely work itself out once the questions start to get answered.
