It’s Tuesday night here at BCB After Dark: the grooviest get-together for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in out of the cold. It’s so good to see you this evening. We
can check your coat for you. We still have a few tables available. There’s no cover charge. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
Last night, I asked you which free agent reliever would you like the Cubs to sign? Since then, the Cubs have re-signed Caleb Thielbar, but I’d argue that they still have more work to do in the pen.
In any case, 40 percent of you would like the Cubs to sign former Rays right-hander Pete Fairbanks. Another 32 percent think the Cubs should take a chance on Michael Kopech.
On Tuesday night/Wednesday mornings, I don’t normally do any movie stuff. But you still have time to vote in the BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic matchup between 12 Monkeys and Back to the Future. Up next, Terminator 2: Judgment Day takes on Repo Man.
But I always have time for jazz and this time of year it’s Christmas jazz. But you can skip that if you want. I won’t call you a grinch.
Tonight we’re featuring Norah Jones on top of the Empire State Building in 2021. Jones is joined by Gus Seyffert on bass and Brian Blade on the drums.
The trio play two Christmas songs. The first is a Laura Nyro tune, “Christmas in My Soul.” The other one is her original “Christmastime.”
Welcome back everyone.
We all want to assume that young Cubs players will get better year after year. But the truth of the matter is that progress is not always linear. And young players who have breakout seasons don’t always go on to bigger and better things.
This piece by Jeffrey Lutz at Cubs dot com asks which young Cub with a breakout season in 2025 will be most likely to repeat their success in 2026?
The three players listed are Michael Busch, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Cade Horton.
Busch hit a career-high 34 home runs last year and led the team with an OPS of .866, assuming we don’t count Moisés Ballesteros’ 20-game trial with the team. Those 34 home runs ranked sixth in the National League.
There is nothing in Busch’s underlying numbers to suggest that his 2025 power surge was a fluke. However, he does have one problem and that’s left-handed pitching. Busch hit just .207 with a .274 OBP and a .368 slugging against lefties last year. He didn’t get many opportunities against lefties as Justin Turner mostly started against lefties. But Turner is gone and manager Craig Counsell has said that Busch will get more opportunities against lefties in 2026. Busch will have to prove himself better against lefties to take a step forward or even equal his 2025 numbers.
Crow-Armstrong’s defense is unimpeachable, but there were certainly some holes in his swing. He swung at too many pitches out of the zone and struck out too much. His second-half OPS of .632 was far inferior to his first half of .847.
Horton finished second in Rookie of the Year balloting after making his debut in early May. After the All-Star Break, Horton was one of the best pitchers in baseball with a record of 8-1 and a 1.03 ERA over 12 starts.
However, Horton finished the season on the injured list and missed half of the minor league season in 2024 with an injury. All pitchers are fragile, but Horton seems to have China doll potential.
So which of these three Cubs is most likely to repeat or improve on their 2025 season? Obviously we hope that all of them will and it certainly is possible they all do. But which one do you have the least amount of worries about? Which one do you say to yourself “There’s almost no way he won’t be great” in 2026?
Thanks for stopping by tonight. We appreciate the business. It’s always good to have a friendly face around. We can get your coat for you now. Stay warm out there. Get home safely. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow for more BCB After Dark.
