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Cubs: We took the 2017 team and its success for granted as fans

By Alexander Patt

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 13: The Chicago Cubs celebrate defeating the Washington Nationals in game five of the National League Division Series at Nationals Park on October 13, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 13: The Chicago Cubs celebrate defeating the Washington Nationals in game five of the National League Division Series at Nationals Park on October 13, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

Cubs: Even with inconsistencies, the 2017 team brought some very good things

Home run power:

The 2017 Cubs set some franchise records that year in terms of power. They had six players with 20+ home runs that season (Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Ian Happ, Kyle Schwarber, Willson Contreras), and the team totaled 223 regular season bombs. Outside Rizzo, everyone who hit 20+ home runs was 25 and under.

Nice platoon/bench depth:

This team had good production from the bench and platoon players. Jon Jay hit .296 with a .374 OBP. Albert Almora showed promise as a youngster slashing .298/.338/.445 in 132 games. Tommy La Stella hit .288/.389/.472 and was once again one of the better pinch hitters in baseball. Rene Rivera, who was brought in just to be veteran catcher depth, hit a surprising .341/.408/.591 in 20 games. Alex Avila, another veteran catcher, drove in 17 runs in 35 games and sported a .369 OBP. Bench production has really lacked the past few years.

An incredibly reliable closer:

Wade Davis was one of the main reasons the Cubs got as far as they did in 2017. He was the team’s only All-Star and he converted 32 of 33 save opportunities, sporting a 2.30 ERA, 3.38 FIP, 1.14 WHIP and 12.1 K/9 in 59 appearances. He also picked up four saves in the postseason. Hopefully Craig Kimbrel can keep up his good start in 2021, but it is hard not to look back and miss what Davis did for the Cubs in 2017.

Next. Ian Happ still the best option for leadoff. dark

The 2021 season has a ways to go, and it is funny because the 2017 season began somewhat similar to this. However I am not convinced that this team is nearly as good at the 2017 one. If this truly is the end of an era, then it is hard not to remember the good times even if we did not realize how good we had it immediately after the World Series.

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