Chicago Cubs: Accomplishments so far are just the first steps

The Chicago Cubs have achieved a great deal so far in 2016. However, what they’ve accomplished so far are just the first steps to their larger goal.

For a large portion of the 2016 season, things have seemed to continue going the Chicago Cubs’ way. Winning 27 of their first 36 games (a historic start) jump started a fantastic regular season for the North Siders.

During their historic start, individual players began achieving many accomplishments of their own along the way. For example, Jake Arrieta threw is second career no-hitter on April 21st, leading the Cubs to a 16-0 victory.

While Arrieta was the one to throw the no-hitter, catcher David Ross deserves a ton of credit for calling the game behind the plate. It was the first no-hitter Ross caught for his career, but not his only 2016 milestone.

2016 Rookies

Another notable Cubs’ rookie made a nice play of his own during his first career MLB start. Albert Almora Jr. caught a fly ball and threw out Odubel Herrera of the Philadelphia Phillies at the plate. Almora Jr. also was the first 1st round selection made by Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer with the Cubs.

Individually, the list of accomplishments for Cubs’ players can go on and on forever. 2016 was Kris Bryant‘s first with 30 home runs and 100-plus RBI’s. Anthony Rizzo became the second Cubs’ left-handed hitter in team history with multiple 30-plus home runs and 100-plus RBI seasons. Billy Williams accomplished such a feat three times in his career.

Addison Russell also joined a Cubs’ Hall of Famer in an exclusive club this season. Russell became the second Cubs’ shortstop to hit 20-plus home runs (21) and have 90-plus RBI (94) in one season. The only other Cub shortstop to accomplish this is Ernie Banks.

Javier Báez has made highlight reel play after highlight reel play, receiving playing time at every infield position. Jason Heyward has had a down season at the plate but has been more than good running the bases and holding down right field.

NL Cy Young‘s

At one time, Arrieta, Jon Lester, and Kyle Hendricks were all in the discussion for the NL Cy Young award. While Arrieta has seemingly dropped out of the discussion due to his average second half, the latter two players are still in contention.

During the second half, both Lester and Hendricks have been superb. Lester is 10-0 in 13 starts with a 1.34 ERA. Hendricks is 9-2 in 13 starts with a 1.36 ERA. As of today, Hendricks is the MLB’s ERA leader (1.99) and Lester is second (2.28). Without question, these two men will be the team’s top two starters during the upcoming NLDS.

As a whole, the Cubs’ pitching staff has been dominant. The Cubs lead the MLB in team ERA (3.13), with the second place Nationals trailing by almost half a run (3.50 ERA). All five Cubs’ starters have an ERA under 4.00. Simply put, the pitching staff has been dominant.

While it feels like every player on the Cubs has accomplished something great this season, no individual feat will overshadow the team’s accomplishments. The Cubs won their first division title since 2008, clinching home field advantage in the NL playoffs along the way. They won 100 games for the first time since 1910 (!).

Next: Two Cubs starters in Cy Young race

In no way am I trying to disregard the success these players have had in 2016. However, it’s evident that no accomplishment achieved so far would surmount one goal by itself: winning the World Series.

What the Cubs have done is 2016 is historical, fantastic, phenomenal and all around has been fabulous to watch. Despite this, the team still has/wants to finish what they sought out to achieve back when Spring Training began. If they win a World Series, they will finally achieve the biggest goal in all of baseball: victory.

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