USA TODAY International Edition
Cubs’ core could keep contending
Roster loaded with talented young players
The first and last outs of the victory that released seven decades of pent- up frustration for the Chicago Cubs did more than elicit colossal roars from the Wrigley Field crowd Saturday. They might have provided a peek into what’s to come.
Second baseman Javier Baez, later named co- MVP of the National League Championship Series, made a nifty tag and doubled up Corey Seager to help starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks settle in as Game 6 was getting underway.
In the ninth inning, shortstop Addison Russell and Baez combined on a game- ending double play to secure the Cubs’ first World Series berth since 1945 in a 5- 0 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Russell, 22, and Baez, 23, are the two youngest members of an infield that, even including catcher Willson Contreras, has only one player older than 24.
That would be graybeard first baseman Anthony Rizzo, all of 27. Third baseman and fellow MVP candidate Kris Bryant turns 25 in January.
Their presence was one of the main selling points for the Cubs brass in the last couple of years as they pursued veterans such as Jon Lester, Ben Zobrist, John Lackey and Jason Heyward to complement a highly talented young nucleus.
The Cubs offered those free agents the chance to make history by helping the club win its first World Series title in more than a century, but there was no reason to think they had to stop at one.
“It’s definitely got the marks of a team that’s going to be competitive for several years,” Zobrist said. “I knew that going into the offseason last year. That was one of the big draws for coming to Chicago. And I think it’s going to continue to draw free agents the next few years. It’s a special group to be a part of.”
As they take their championship quest to Cleveland, also known as LeBron James’ kingdom, the Cubs are not about to promise the number of rings they’ll accumulate is going to be “not two, not three, not four.”
But it’s not far- fetched to envision that happening.
Chicago’s Game 6 lineup averaged 25.9 years of age. It included promising outfielder Albert Almora Jr., 22, but not slugger Kyle Schwarber, 23, who banged out 16 home runs in 69 games as a rookie in 2015, plus five more in the playoffs, before missing most of this regular season with a knee injury.
He should be a major contributor next season to an offense that ranked second in the NL this year in runs and then averaged nearly eight runs in the last three games of the NLCS.
“This is only the beginning,” said Russell, whose two- run homers in Game 4 and 5 helped turn around the NLCS. “For myself and for this squad, I’m excited to see what more we can do, what limits we can push and how far we can go as a ballclub. … These are guys we’re going to be with for a while, and there’s no slowing down for us.”
The rotation, which led the majors in ERA, is not as youthful. Hendricks, 26, is the only starter under 30, but workhorses Lester ( 32) and Jake Arrieta ( 30) are still in their prime.
Moreover, the Cubs — who shelled out a total of $ 272 million on Heyward, Zobrist and John Lackey last offseason — will have the resources to plug any holes through free agency thanks to the majors’ fifth- highest attendance, their wealth of young, cheap talent and the increased revenue they’ll receive from a new multibillion- dollar TV deal after the current one expires in 2019. Or they could launch their own regional sports network.
Those issues are probably far from the minds of the current squad, which has a more immedi- ate goal in mind — the franchise’s first title since 1908.
General manager Jed Hoyer said one of the traits that stood out about the Cubs youngsters was their ability to perform in a big market and not let the bright lights blind them.
“Willson Contreras comes up in the middle of the year, and ( Saturday) he caught a shutout in Game 6 and hit a homer,” Hoyer said. “Give those young kids credit. They’re not scared.”
Told that perhaps they’re not aware of the magnitude of their quest, Hoyer disagreed.
“I don’t think they’re oblivious,” he said. “They know the history. I don’t think they care. They think they’re a good team, they love to play, and we have some guys who definitely shine on the big stage. That means a lot.”