Hendricks will start on Opening Day (Kamil Krzacznski - USA Today Sports)
Hendricks will start on Opening Day (Kamil Krzacznski - USA Today Sports)

Fangraphs projects third-place finish for Cubs


by - Senior Editor -

The Chicago Cubs finished the spring slate of games impressively with the second-best record overall.

There is optimism on the team as the starting pitching staff appears to be underrated, and the stars on the team could have bounce-back seasons that could land them in the playoffs once again.

However, FanGraphs projects that the Cubs finish with a mediocre 78-84 record tied for third place in the division behind the first-place Brewers (81-81) and second-place Cardinals (79-83).

Marquee Sports Network analyst Doug Glanville saw the projection and thinks the Cubs can do better than third place.

"The Cubs can exceed this projection with bounce-back seasons from Baez, Bryant, and Contreras. Hard to replace Darvish’s dominance but Davies had a great spring to build on," he tweeted. "This division hangs on the balance on a breakout year from key players. Pederson for the Cubs?"

I agree with Glanville's take.

The division should be closely contested, but if the Cubs can stay healthy in their starting rotation, I certainly see the Cubs in more of a positive light on top of the division, winning closer to around 85 games.

It should be fun to watch as Opening Day kicks off tomorrow for the Cubs against the Pirates.

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