22nd Best Team in FCM History: North Side HOFers Put Everyone On Notice

The Team: Chicago Cubs

The Year:  2017

W/L Record:  112-50

Run Differential:  933 RS vs. 616  RA  +317 Runs

Awards:  NL HR and RBI Leader: James Aitkenhead, NL SB Leader: Mike Trout

All Stars:  LF James Aitkenhead, RP Efrain Gutierrez, SP R.J. Seidel, 1B Logan Morrison

League Leading Stat Categories:  52 Away Wins, .285 Team Batting Average, 3.11 Bullpen ERA, 60 Home Wins, .358 Opponent Slugging Against, .806 Team OPS, 933 Runs Scored, 455 Team Slugging

                  Lineup/Bench                                                           Rotation/Bullpen

               CF Mike Trout                                                            R.J. Seidel
               SS Starlin Castro                                                        Aroldis Chapman
               1B Logan Morrison                                                    Eric Gossage
               LF James Aitkenhead                                                 Ushiba Junji
               RF De'Lon Thomas                                                    Kelvin De La Cruz
               3B Michael Almanzar                                                CL Yoshizumi Li
               C Antonio Diaz                                                          SU Efrain Gutierrez
               2B Iino Sachiko                                                          SR Nathan Eovaldi
                                                                                                   SR Manny Barbely
                                                                                                    MR Zach Putnam
                                                                                                    LR Brandon Webb
              IF Hiroshi Ren
              OF Ty Morrison
              IF Pascal Nichols
              C Devon Mesoraco
              1B Miguel Cabrera      
              1B Kendry Morales                           

The Key Players:  As opposed to our previous entry from Florida, this Chicago team won primarily with their offense.    They were the highest scoring team in all of baseball despite not having a DH available to them!  The centerpiece of the offense was a breakout star and future FCM HOFer - James Aitkenhead.  Aitkenhead was the 20th pick in the inaugural FCM draft by the Minnesota Twins and then dealt twice (to Chicago for Francisco Liriano) before landing in Chicago for good.  He debuted in 2013 with the Cubs and won the ROTY that year, but 2017 was his true breakout.  From the cleanup spot he lead the Cubs with 47 HRs, 154 RBI, 119 runs, 42 doubles, and a .292/.364/.591 slash line in route to a .955 OPS.  It was a tremendous year that was robbed of a deserving MVP award by the very successful Thomas Neal.  

Helping out Aitkenhead was a lineup with good power and speed.  At the top of the lineup was Mike Trout and Starlin Castro, a pair that combined to hit .315 with 23 HR, 104 SB, 239 runs, 168 RBI, and an OPS over .800.  Basically they were ideal table setters for Aitkenhead and the other two studs in the middle of their lineup: 1B Logan Morrison and and RF De'Lon Thomas.  Morrison had a .300 average 25 HR, 106 runs, 113 RBI, and a .921 OPS.  Thomas put up a .336 batting average, 24 HR, 91 runs, and 86 RBI.  Supporting them was a very nice back end of the lineup that provided speed (Sachiko) and power (Almanzar). 

The pitching staff, and the other half of the impetus behind the title, was lead by RJ Seidel.  Seidel was already an established success in Milwaukee prior to coming to Chicago, but in 2017 he had his best year to date with the Cubs - putting up a 15-3 record with a 3.34 ERA and 147 Ks in 180 innings.  It was a signal of what was to come for another player that would go on to be a HOF player in FCM.  

Also in the rotation were Aroldis Chapman (188 IP, 201 Ks, 3.58 ERA, 17-7 record), Ushiba Junji (180 IP, 192 Ks, 3.84 ERA, 13-7), and Eric Gossage (146 IP, 119 Ks, 3.38 ERA, 13-4).  As you can tell by the IP totals, the team dealt with a lot of injuries.  That also aided in allowing the team to debut arguably the second best pitcher in FCM history - Jacob Widdup.  He didn't pitch particularly well, but it was a debut that would lead to a lot of future success for the team.

In the bullpen, Yoshizumi Li held down the bullpen with a 2.98 ERA, 75 Ks in 103 IP, and 35 saves.  Efrain Gutierrez vultured his way to 14 wins and 7 saves over 102 IP in 2017.  In the middle of the pen was Manny Barbely and Zach Putnam who pitched 119 IP and managed to lose only one game for the team while recording 7 saves and ERAs of 2.96 and 2.75 respectively.  

What Sets Them Apart:  The Cubs had 6 out of 8 players in their regular lineup that hit over .300, they had a player hit nearly 50 HR and drive in 150 RBI.  They had Trout put up an amazing line of .307, 12 HR, 62 SB, 126 Runs, 74 RBI.  They had amazing depth (Miggy on the bench!), and a rotation that persevered in spite of a host of injuries.  In the end they knocked out a tough Houston team in 6 games and then an aging dynasty in New York in the World Series in 6 games to claim the first World Series Title in over 100 years for the North Siders.  They broke the curse and finally got it done behind a few future HOF players.

Interview with the Owner: None

Coming Next:  21st Best Team in FCM History: Rocky Mountain High