Why Theo Epstein has Faith in 2015

By matthewhaines on October 31, 2014

With another 85+ loss season behind him, the man with a plan in charge of the Chicago Cubs, Theo Epstein, has faith that his young and untested team has the opportunity to win the division, and you should too. This isn’t to say that the Cubs’ chances are a sure thing or even likely; however, they do have better odds than the slim to none chance they had of making the playoffs in 2014. Therefore, in light of Epstein’s recent comments, here are a few reasons why the Chicago Cubs could make a run in 2015.

Anthony Rizzo, Starlin Castro, and Jake Arrieta are all performing to their hype. All three players have been touted as some of the best prospects in baseball and they are finally all living up to those expectations. Anthony Rizzo, with a slash line of (.286/.386/.527), finally put it all together and became not the Joey Votto the Cubs deserved, but the one they needed. Arrieta (Era. of 2.53) thrived in his new North Side atmosphere, while Castro (.292/.339/.438) got back to doing what he does best, hitting everything thrown near the plate. These three bounce back performances alone put the Cubs in a much better place heading into next season than they were heading into last season.

Reason number two is Kris Bryant. He’s kind of a big deal to say the least. The borderline demigod has raked at every level of competition he has played and he hit nearly fifty homers before the end of August. All of this power and the question, “Does he get on base?” arises. The wonder boy of MiLB answers that question with a resounding .438 on-base percentage. Fact of the matter is that this 22-year-old beast is the closest thing to a sure thing with the bat that baseball has ever seen. Expect him to be up on the big league club around early July.

Finally, Epstein is at last allowed to spend some money. The prodigal son of Chicago has communicated to the media and his fan base that he is willing to address the team’s needs in free agency and he already has a head start on hiring manager Joe Maddon. What does this mean? Well for one, adding veteran leadership and two, adding pitching consistency. The club had two of the best and worst pitchers in baseball at one point in Jeff Samardzija, Jake Arrieta, Edwin Jackson, and Travis Wood.

These reasons are the main driving points behind Epstein’s hope for 2015 and they are well founded. However, the Cubs are still developing talent and they still have question marks, (e.g. Javier Baez’s strikeout rate and Mike Olt and Travis Wood in general). All things considered, win or lose, the Cubs will be an exciting team to watch come April. So, as a Cubs fan, in Theo we trust, in Chicago we believe.

Matthew Haines is a Chicago Cubs writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @mhaine86 , “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google