Chicago Cubs: Five things to look forward to in 2021

Cubs fans have very mixed feelings going into the 2021 season. Several key figures within the organization have moved to other places and not much money was spent on improvements. With that being said there is still reason to believe this team can provide solid entertainment value.

Cubs fans – you do have things to look forward to in 2021

As spring just gets under way, the slate is wiped clean and there are plenty of possibilities on what can happen this year. Regardless of how they finish there will be some storylines worth following. Whether it is individual player performances, prospects coming up or the viewing experiences for fans.

It might be hard to accept the team as it is but at the end of the day we Cubs fans are too loyal to turn away from being invested in the team on some level. Might as well make the best of a team that does not aspire to be a top-dog World Series contender and at best be competitive. Much of this will rely on the core of Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Baez bouncing back after down years in 2020.

Here are five things to look forward to in 2021.

Cubs: Acquiring former Dodgers slugger Joc Pederson could be huge

The Cubs outfield is looking pretty good this year. Even with the departure of Kyle Schwarber, the Cubs are well-off in left field with Joc Pederson. He signed with the Cubs this offseason on a one-year deal.

Pederson might have had a bad regular season in 2020, but he is coming off an incredible postseason. He had 13 hits and three walks in 37 plate appearances with two home runs and eight RBI. Overall he is a career .806 OPS hitter with 130 home runs and 116 OPS+ in 748 games. His exit velocity numbers are well above average, even last year when he struggled.

His strikeout rate has dropped from his first two seasons in the majors and has been successful at hitting heaters. While still a guy who will strikeout a bit more than average he is an upgrade in that category over Schwarber.

He is playing for his future so it is easy to believe he will be playing very hard this year and giving it all. Not to mention his versatility in the field and being a good defender. This gives the Cubs three dependable gloves in Pederson, Ian Happ and Jason Heyward. He might not be a high-average contact hitter, but a guy who can hit the ball hard and flash some leather is worth watching and fans should look forward to Pederson being a Cub.

While not a stacked system, the Cubs farm has some notable prospects

There are several prospects that will be using 2021 to either get close or to the big leagues. Some of which have already had MLB experience even if very brief. Watching top prospects develop is always fun whether in the minors or up in the majors. While not limited to these names, here are some of the notable prospects in the Cubs system to watch in 2021.

Adbert Alzolay

The hard-throwing righty just turned 26 and really should make the opening day roster. He has an opportunity to be in the rotation come Opening Day, if not the bullpen. Do not be surprised if he starts in the pen and makes his way to the rotation. Time will tell. Alzolay has pitched 33 2/3 MLB innings as both a starter and reliever. Last year he pitched in 21 1/3 innings and put up a 2.95 ERA, 3.05 FIP, 1.2 WHIP, 5.5 BB/9 and 12.2 K/9.

Brailyn Marquez

The best pitching prospect in the Cubs system is the 21-year-old lefty from the Dominican Republic. Marquez is a hard-throwing lefty with great stuff. He has been a starter in his professional career and sports a career 3.19 ERA, 10.1 K/9 and 1.3 WHIP in the minors. Worth noting 55 of his 57 games in the minors were starts. He probably starts 2021 in the minors but very well could return to a big league mound this summer. He pitched two-thirds of an inning in the majors last year.

Brennen Davis

The best hitting prospect the Cubs have in terms of being close to the majors, Davis is a five-tool outfielder that is high on a lot of people’s radar. He is currently getting playing time in spring training with the big league club. In 2019 with South Bend he hit .305/.381/.525 with eight home runs, 30 RBI and nine doubles in 50 games. 2021 might still be early to see him get MLB time in the regular season but fans should watch his progress with great interest.

Miguel Amaya

Nearing 22 years of age, the native of Panama has been a ranked prospect in the Cubs system for several years. Amaya is very athletic with potential to be a power hitting, plus defender player. So far he has played as high as High-A ball and spent 2020 in the Puerto Rican Winter League. From 2018-2019 he played in 215 games and hit 23 home runs. He sports a minor league career slash of .243/.334/.375 in 331 games. He still has some seasoning to do in the minors before he gets to the majors but hopefully he will take a big step in 2021.

The new TV voice of the Cubs should have fans very excited

It came as a pretty big shock to Cubs fans when Len Kasper announced he was leaving for the South Side radio booth. Marquee Network replaced Kasper with ESPN baseball announcer Jon “Boog” Sciambi.

Sciambi has a great resume in sports broadcasting. In addition to ESPN baseball, Sciambi has announced for the Marlins and Braves as well as college basketball. He made his Marquee Network play-by-play debut with Jim DeShaies Tuesday in the Cubs’ 3-2 spring training win over the Royals at Sloan Park. Fair to say it was met with positive feedback.

Sciambi is the type of guy who can mix in both professionalism and personality. He will be serious about the game without being dull and robotic and can crack jokes without being obnoxious. The dry/witty humor can mix very well with the likes of DeShaies. He is also very good at bringing in modern analytics while relating to the older generation.

While everyone has different tastes in broadcasters, I think Sciambi will win over many Cubs fans.

Cubs: This staff irrefutably belongs to Kyle Hendricks now

Could this be the year Kyle Hendricks FINALLY gets a deserved All-Star nod? Let’s hope. He is still massively underrated among the general baseball fanbase. In 1,047.1 career innings the 31-year-old Hendricks sports a career 3.12 ERA, 3.53 FIP, 1.12 WHIP and 1.9 BB/9. Unless he suffers an injury, he will be the Opening Day starter.

Only once has he sported an ERA over 3.5 (3.95 in 2015) and never sported a FIP above 3.88. For a guy who throws mainly high-80s in an era where home runs had been flying out at record rates, that is incredibly impressive. His ability to locate his changeup and sinker has been the main source of his success at getting soft contact and commanding the zone.

It is worth noting that Hendricks has 882 career strikeouts and if he plays a full season he should absolutely reach the 1,000 mark. He has checked a World Series, ERA title and complete game shutout off the list, hope to see he can check off a no-hitter and/or All Star nod. Regardless it is always worth watching Kyle Hendricks do his thing.