World Series Wednesday: 2016 Cubs

They were the first team published in full on this site, and they're back in the epic, original MLB Showdown 2000 style! Some of the cards have been slightly adjusted, so look out for that as well. It's amazing how good the 2016 Cubs and 2017 Astros both were, with the Cubs winning 103 games (and being a 107 win team according to Baseball Reference's Pythagorean model). They're one of the more balanced teams in the game, featuring an amazing FOUR On-Base 10 hitters to start off the lineup, a rotation with two aces and without a weak link, and a strong, deep bullpen with an absolute lights out closer. As with the 2017 Astros, this Cubs team is a 17 man roster with 9 hitters, 4 starters, and 4 bullpen guys. Unfortunately, David Ross didn't make the showdown card cut, but his heart is still with us (and his card is in the original post!).

Above: the 2016 NL MVP -- absolute slugger to plug into the hot corner!

Lineup: With an impressive four OB 10 hitters to lead the way, the Cubs have an explosive offense. The heavy hitters are in the two-three slots, with NL MVP Bryant bringing impressive 40 home run power and Rizzo following it up with an OB 10 chart that creates extra bases at 13. Dexter Fowler is a sneaky awesome leadoff man, and surprisingly affordable for a Speed A, OB 10 hitter. He's also got plenty of doubles potential, just needs to avoid those strikeouts. Zobrist is a non-conventional cleanup hitter, but should get the job done knocking in some combination of Fowler-Bryant-Rizzo with that OB 10 card. The lineup then gets some impressive depth at the 5-6-7 spots thanks to legitimately good Willson Contreras, risky but potentially deadly powerful Soler, and a solid OB 7 with plenty of defense in Russell. One of the cards that's bound to be controversial to MLB Showdown purists is perennial Gold Glover Jason Heyward and his +3 fielding. However, he's so good with his glove -- 24 runs above average in 2016 in RF -- that it only seems right he adds an extra 5% chance you can throw a runner out compared to a Ray Lankford-type (who was 10 runs above average worse to earn his +2 defensive card). Plus it adds some fun strategy and makes a woeful card relevant to the Showdown meta: for only 60 points, he's a defensive punt that could be worth adding to teams that already have pop at the top of the order (like this one!). Rounding out the squad is the versatile, speedy, and unfortunately low on-base Javy Baez. He may be a "meh" card performance-wise, but I think he looks great!

Rotation: Somehow, Kyle Hendricks ended up as the #3 option on this rotation despite being the highest point value with that amazing Control 6 with three walks. Jon Lester is probably the better value for less points and no doubles, although regardless the Cubs have two bonafide top-notch aces on their staff. They're supported by a couple of Tier 3 pitchers, notably the NL's reigning Cy Young champion Jake Arrieta. Although he's nowhere near his 2015 numbers (an amazing card btw), Jake's still a guy who doesn't give up doubles and is a valuable Tier 3 starting pitcher. The rotation is rounded out by Jake Lackey, who's basically original David Cone but with more strikeouts. Considering Cone was everyone's ace (or the ace they opposed) when the game first began, the Cubs can truly be proud of their depth here! While the Phillies rotation that was posted a few days ago remains the strongest we've published thus far, the Cubs rotation is definitely a great group and gives them a great chance to win every ballgame they're in.

Bullpen: Making the trade for Aroldis Chapman was instrumental in getting the Cubs over their curse, and it's easy to see why. Posting a 1.55 ERA and 0.857 WHIP for the whole season, that translated to 1.01/0.825 for the Cubbies. He's a Tier 1 pitcher with a huge strikeout range that is a tad risky with a Control 4, but that's why you don't stretch him for 2 and 1/3 innings out there (*cough cough Joe Maddon*). The rest of the bullpen is surprisingly good considering the belly-aching about it being the Cubs great weakness, although narrowing it to the four guys with the most innings always helps. Rondon was better than people gave him credit for, although a Tier 3 card isn't ideal for a closer, it's perfectly adequate for a set up man. Dealing for Montgomery is almost as impactful as Chapman for Showdown purposes, giving them an extremely valuable IP 2 pitcher to bail out early struggles for a starter. Travis Wood made that awesome catch in LF and isn't an awesome card, but at least he's not so bad that he's reserved for when the game is out of hand.

Comparative Conclusion: This Cubs team is overall less expensive than the 2017 Astros, in large part because Houston had two IP 2 relievers. Overall, I'd take this Cubs team over the Astros though. While Houston's hitting depth is arguably better, I'll snag MVP Bryant and incredible Rizzo alongside two more OB 10s and a power hitting OB 8 over Houston's set up with a pair of 10s and three OB 9s. Moreover, Russell is better than Gurriel as a seventh best hitter and I'll take a pair of OB 6s with great defense over the woeful OB/defense combo of McCann and Gattis. However, Bregman's availability gives Houston one more potent bat than Chicago, although Soler's power is not far behind and I still lean Chicago. Meanwhile, the Cubs have a clear edge in the rotation thanks to not having a punt pitcher in the 4 hole, having two versus one Tier 2 starter, and also having a Tier 3 starter without any doubles. Easy win for the Cubs there. Edge to Houston for bullpen, but the Cubs still have the best bullpen arm between the two in Chapman and a Tier 2 IP 2 reliever of their own, so it's not a large edge. Overall, give me the power and starting pitching (plus an absolutely firehose of a closer), Cubs are as of right now the best MLB Showdown team we've designed!


Non-foil versions of the stars: The Cubs white "foil" cards are very hit or miss, and this may very well be one of the teams that you're going to be happier using the non-foil versions of star players. Is there a different secondary color you think would be better than the white? Perhaps (another) team with red or should the Cubs go pinstripe? What about using a bold, stadium specific background like the Ivy at Wrigley (too gimmicky and just for special cards, or perfect for a set?)? Let us know in the comments or on twitter what you think!