It took the Chicago Cubs 108 years to end the longest World Series drought in baseball. It was one of the greatest moments in franchise history but the Cubs have already turned the page to this season with the tall task of repeating. If Chicago is going to scale the mountain and win it all for the second year in a row they will definitely need to address a handful of concerns. Here is a look at the five biggest questions the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs are facing heading in to 2017.
Can The Rotation Stay Healthy?
The top four starters in Chicago’s rotation have pitched more than 400 innings over the last two years including the postseason. Those are some big numbers for a veteran crew led by Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks and John Lackey. The odds are that at least one of those veterans will struggle to stay healthy this season and the Cubs will hope that it isn’t more than that. Chicago could entertain a six-man rotation in order to lessen the burden on their top starters throughout the regular season. It will definitely be interesting to see how they approach handling their innings pitched in order to keep the veteran starters healthy this season.
Will Wilson Contreras Adequately Replace David Ross?
David Ross was Lester’s personal catcher until he retired at the end of the 2016 season so it will be on Contreras to work with Lester and the other Cubs starters. Contreras is clearly the franchise catcher but with Ross gone it will be interesting to see if there is a drop off not only in his hitting potential but in terms of the pitching with Contreras making all of the calls. Chicago has plenty of talent but the focus for 2017 will be on how things come together including with Contreras replacing Ross as Lester’s catcher.
Who Plays In The Outfield?
While this isn’t as big of a concern as keeping the rotation healthy, the Cubs have five or six capable outfielders with only three starting positions. Chicago will need to make some decisions and those choices will have ramifications throughout the season. Dexter Fowler’s departure could mean Jason Heyward or top prospect Albert Almora moves to center field. 24-year-old Javier Baez is a potential star so he definitely deserves more than a utility role with the club. Meanwhile, Kyle Schwarber is back healthy while Ben Zobrist deserves more than a utility role. Joe Maddon will need to find the perfect fit in terms of hitting production and defense while making sure everybody gets their playing time so it will be interesting to see how things come together in the Cubs outfield.
How Will The Order Sort Out?
It’s probably a good thing to have too much talent to make it easy to decide where everybody hits but Maddon will nonetheless have his work cut out for him. Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo will once again be at the heart of the order but who hits in front of them? Fowler is gone and that means Maddon will have to choose two of Zobrist, Baez, Almora, Schwarber, Addison Russell or even Jon Jay to bat in the top two spots depending on his lineup. Meanwhile, the back end of the order is absolutely loaded but it will be on Maddon to sort things out and fill out his batting order in order to maximize their offensive potential as a group.
Can They Remain Motivated?
The Cubs were incredibly motivated to end their World Series drought in 2016 but after an offseason of celebrations they will need to get down to business and avoid any drop off in focus as they look to defend their title. Chicago will go from the hunters to the hunted and that could mean even more pressure on every individual on their roster this coming season. The Cubs have all of the pieces to successfully defend their championship but they need to remain motivated in order to stay on top in 2017.
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