Chicago Cubs: Bryant leads Fangraph’s 2017 projections

After their first World Series victory in 108 years, the Cubs already have high projections going into the 2017 season. National league MVP Kris Bryant is leading the way.

According to Fangraphs, Chicago’s position players produced the highest collective WAR figure as a team in 2016. The only player who will not be back in the field from the 2016 Cubs, is Dexter Fowler.

In case some people don’t know, WAR stands for “Wins above replacement”. It’s a statistic which explains how much one player contributes towards to the success of their team.

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Cubs third basemen Kris Bryant leads the way for pretty much the entire big leagues, with a 6.9 WAR. The reigning NL MVP played a huge role in the 2016 season for the Cubbies, hitting .292 with 39 bombs and 102 RBIs during the regular season. His performance in the playoffs was even better, hitting over .300 with three homers. Bryant, 24, has proven that he is one of the game’s most feared hitters. And that’s after being in the league for just two seasons.

Cubs first basemen Anthony Rizzo comes in just behind Bryant, with a 5.7 WAR. Rizzo also had a great season, hitting .292 with 32 bombs and 109 RBIs.

Angels outfielder Mike Trout also has a 5.7 WAR, after winning the American league MVP just a couple weeks ago.

Rookie shortstop Addison Russell was given a 4.2 WAR. Russell has all the tools to be a star in the future for the Cubs, and again, he’s just 22 years old. Jason Heyward struggled all season offensively for the Cubs, but the main reason he managed to stay in the lineup was his defense in right field. Because of that strong play in right, he was given a 3.1 WAR and also a +13 runs in right field.

Pitching

The Cubs pitching staff lead the bigs in ERA in 2016. There’s a good possibility that could happen again in 2017. Jason Hammel, who was in the rotation at the beginning of the year but struggled, looks to be the only starter who will not be returning to the Cubs in 2017. That doesn’t look to be a problem, though. Between Jon Lester, John Lackey, Kyle Hendricks, and Jake Arrieta, those starting four average just around a 4 WAR. Pretty impressive. There’s no reason they can’t continue that trend in 2017. Add Mike Montgomery in there as their fifth starter, and that could round out the rotation very nicely.

One weakness could be the back end of the bullpen. It’s been said that most likely Aroldis Chapman will not return to Wrigley next year, which means they need a legit closer. That could be Hector Rondon. He struggled at times last year, but between him and Pedro Strop they should be able to close out games in the late innings for the Cubs in 2017.

Bench/prospects

Jeimer Candelario didn’t experience a ton of success when he came up to the majors in July,  but he is projected to play like an average major leaguer, and his top comparison at this point is Edwin Encarnacion. Albert Almora looks to be one of the most bright young bench players for the Cubs in 2017 and will be a great guy to bring into the game at any given time.

Next: Waiver claims may fill roster holes

At this point, the Cubs could still make a splash and acquire more players. Considering on how they look right now, except for a couple players they have lost, they’re built to have another stellar season in 2017.