Chicago Cubs: 2016 was a season to brag about

This year is going to be very different for the Chicago Cubs and their fans. The league is expecting a rowdy crowd of Wrigleyville Friendlies after the dramatic World Series win. And they have good reason to.

As reigning World Series champions, there are high expectations for the Chicago Cubs. The baseball world expects comparable dominance in 2017. Last season was a special year, to be sure, certainly one to brag about. Here are a few reasons why.

Attendance

Before the season began, the Cubs broke a Cactus League attendance record with 222,415 fans attending Spring Training Games at Sloan Park.

A staggering 15,446 attended the spring opener against the Chicago White Sox. In all, 3,232,420 fans attended Cubs’ games in 2016, third-highest in team history. The team’s success can be attributed to the team’s success. According to Crains, the overall value of the franchise has doubled since 2013.

Individual Notables

Kyle Hendricks was the first Chicago Cubs pitcher to win an ERA title since Ray Prim in 1945 – coincidentally, the last time the team reached the World Series. Chicago will certainly be looking to him to come up big in high-pressure games in the future. His methodical approach to pitching makes Hendricks one of the most valuable pitchers in the Cubs’ rotation.

After only four at-bats in the regular season, Kyle Schwarber hit .412/.471/.941 with seven hits and three RBI in the World Series. He is now Chicago’s all-time OPS leader in the Series.

In the regular season, star third baseman Kris Bryant took home National League MVP honors. The 24-year-old slugger smacked 39 home runs, drove in 102 runs and led the league in runs scored. In his first two seasons in the league, Bryant now has Rookie of the Year honors, followed by his MVP hardware.

Team Notables

The Cubs were the first team in 80 years to win 25 or more of their first 30 games. They are the fifth team to accomplish this feat and also win the World Series in the same year.

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Chicago also became just the sixth team in World Series history to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the series. They are the first team to do it since the 1985 Kansas City Royals.

The team’s .639 win percentage ranked as the best since the 1939 campaign. Their 57-24 home record was the best in the MLB, and they also recorded 15 wins in 20 interleague games. Chicago’s 103 wins were the most the club had since 1910.

Their +270 run differential was highest in the league, making the Cubs one of six teams to reach this feat in the expansion era. A major contributing factor to their run production is the team’s patience. In 2016, Chicago recorded 656 walks, most in the majors. The team’s stellar pitching staff also contributed to this success, posting a league-best combined 3.15 ERA.

Destiny

Destiny, like hate, is a very strong word. It presupposes predestination. However, there are some very peculiar facts surrounding the Cubs’ championship that make the word destiny very hard to ignore.

For starters, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez both stuck out 108 times. As we all know, Chicago hadn’t won the World Series in 108 years.

Hold on. it gets better.

When the Cubs played the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS, every game started at 7:08 pm EST. In military time, that’s 19:08.

1945 was the last time the Cubs appeared in the World Series. That was a 71-year drought. Rizzo and Kris Bryant combined for 71 home runs in 2016. Bryant also drove in 71 of his 102 runs against right-handed pitching.

Coincidence?

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Of course, this isn’t a comprehensive list. Compiling such a list is more suited for a historian than a blogger. These are just some good points to bring up when some ya-hoo is yelling at you to shut up while the Cubs are pummeling their team.