Emma: Cubs May Be Better Than We Ever Imagined In 2016
By Chris Emma--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Ever conscious to expectations, there has never been any better fit to be Chicago Cubs manager than Joe Maddon. He welcomes the hype with open arms.
The Cubs were pegged as World Series favorites in 2016, with their plethora of talent and thriving clubhouse culture making them the best bet. Maddon willingly took that to his team in slogan form, telling them to Embrace the target. Expectations greater than what destroyed Maddon's predecessors were truly accepted -- and even enjoyed.
Soon, Maddon went a step further with quite the special slogan: Try not to suck.
Remarkably, the Cubs are even better than anyone ever anticipated -- 24-6 entering Monday, which marks the best start by any team since the 1984 champion Detroit Tigers and the best start in Cubs history since 1907, a year before their last World Series.
Such success is hardly surprising in the Cubs clubhouse.
"I think we knew we all had it in us to get off to a start like this," Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant said. "We all really expected it."
Projecting the Cubs to such a historic start would've been unfair, and that was before Kyle Schwarber suffered a season-ending knee injury just four games in. For all their talent and depth, teams just don't win 24 of 30 games often. The Cubs have done it to open the season and are showing no signs of slowing down.
Finally facing their first true test last week -- three games in Pittsburgh with the Pirates, then four at home with the Nationals -- the Cubs were perfect and swept the week. It seems as if nothing can stop them so far.
Even more impressive for the Cubs is how they've found a new hero in each game, with Javier Baez delivering the 13th-inning walk-off homer in Sunday's win to sweep the Nationals. There have been many key players before him, too.
"The good teams I've been on, that's how it is," Cubs catcher David Ross said. "You need 25, 30 guys to be on a winning team. We've been fortunate enough to have some success, and guys are coming through for us."
Nearly one-fifth of the way through the regular season, the Cubs own a 7.5-game lead in the NL Central, and Fangraphs lists them with a 99.3 percent chance at making the playoffs. Again, this is through 30 games.
The Cubs are on pace to finish 129-33, and they've yet to lose consecutive games. Starters Jake Arrieta (1.13), Jon Lester (1.58) and Jason Hammel (1.85) are first, second and fourth in the National League in ERA, respectively. The Cubs also have the best 30-game run differential since 1903, with an absurd plus-102 mark.
Everything has come together for the Cubs thus far, and while regressions to normalcy will follow for many -- probably not Arrieta -- the Cubs haven't been lucky by any means. They have a .305 BABIP to their .269 batting average and a 3.34 xFIP to their 3.14 ERA, both falling in line with what's to be expected. Fangraphs' Pythagorean standings remove luck in measuring teams and state the Cubs should be 25-5, meaning they haven't even had cumulative luck on their side.
Right now, the Cubs are built better than ever before to win the World Series. After 30 games, will this team take a step back? Will it get even better?
"Honestly, we're winning, so I don't really think we need to be better," Hammel said.
"We know we're good. Confidence is everything in sports and everything. As long as we can continue doing our job, we'll be just fine."
The NBA in recent times has been dominated by the Golden State Warriors, a team that followed its 2014-'15 championship with a historic 24-0 start to this season. The Warriors went on to win 73 games, breaking the 1995-'96 Bulls' single-season record, and stand in the second round fighting for a repeat.
Baseball's a different game, but perhaps the Cubs can follow the Warriors' footsteps and make history, too. The 2001 Seattle Mariners own the modern record for regular-season wins with 116. These Cubs need to finish 93-39 to reach a historic 117 victories.
With Maddon's madness in mind, the Cubs haven't given that mark any consideration. Bryant admitted he didn't even know of the Mariners' record.
"When we get to 100, then we'll start thinking about that," Hammel said. "That's way, way too far ahead of the game plan right now. Obviously, records are meant to be broken, but the idea that we follow right now is 'win today.' If our wins at the end of the year add up more than (116), that would be pretty cool."
Added Bryant: "We're off to a good start. If you do all the projections, we're projected to win more than that."
Consider that the most acknowledgement the Cubs will give to 117 wins -- at least for now.
Ultimately, the Cubs have their sights set on something bigger than a regular-season record. They want to make World Series history. The 2001 Mariners lost to the Yankees in the ALCS, with Lou Piniella's team eventually failing to meet its lofty expectations. Piniella, Dusty Baker, Jim Riggleman and many more before couldn't create such an ideal clubhouse atmosphere like Maddon has.
Wrigley Field is home to the kind of winning culture every team so desires. Players love showing up to the ballpark each day.
"It's pretty impressive," Ross said. "Everybody in this locker room comes in ready to work each day."
The Cubs are baseball's team because talent collides with preparation and culture to create something special.
Wins keep piling up at Clark and Addison, with the Cubs further building upon their record start. This team is on pace to do something historic on many levels.
Chris Emma covers the Chicago sports scene and more for CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 and like his Facebook page.
