Chicago Cubs: How the Cubs match-up with their NLCS opponent

Catcher: ??? vs. Grandal

Here is an interesting battle. You have the young kid in Yasmani Grandal, who started 115 games at catcher for the Dodgers, and the three-man rotation of the Chicago Cubs. Grandal did have a break-out season in terms of power, hitting a career high 27 home runs with 72 runs batted in. But average and other stats follow career performance. And, although the Cubs do not steal bases, he only throws out 27% of attempts. Grandal also leads the NL in most passed balls. This could spell trouble for the Dodgers in a close game.

In addition to Grandal, who is ideally Clayton Kershaw’s catcher. His batting average was .264 for the year, but other offensive stats are negligible as he is rarely used.

Now, the Cubs bring three players to the mix. David Ross has enjoyed his “#YearLongRetirementParty” and is a leader of the Cub clubhouse. Miguel Montero struggled most of the season but had clutch hits at the end of the year. Add the strong performance for rookie Willson Contreras, and you have a solid rotation. They can throw out runners or pitch them off. And combine for 30 home runs and 100 runs batted in.

Advantage: Cubs