Windy City Whistle

Tag: writing

  • The Struggles of Nico Hoerner

    Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner – Sports Illustrated

    The Cubs second baseman is in the middle of one of the worst slumps of his career. A year removed from a .297/.345/.394 slash line, the cornerstone player’s numbers currently sit at .237/.317/.332 for the 2026 season. For a player who has some of the best bat-to-ball skills in the big leagues, Hoerner’s slump is all the more puzzling. What exactly is going on?

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  • A Masterclass in Pitch Sequencing in the ABS Era

    Two outs in the bottom of the 5th inning. Your team is trailing by one run in a 3-2 game and you’re up to bat with the bases loaded – the count is 2-1. Umpire calls strike two on a borderline fastball at the bottom of the zone. With two ABS challenges in your pocket, do you burn one here to bring count from 2-2 to 3-1? I would, in fact I think most teams would. That’s exactly what Rafael Devers thought in a game against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night. And yet, it came back to bite him.

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  • Ben Brown’s New Addition

    Chicago Cubs pitcher Ben Brown – Chicago Sun Times/Kenta Harada/Getty Images

    Entering the 2026 MLB season, if you wanted to pick the MVP of the Cubs’ pitching staff, you’d have a handful of options. Cade Horton, who made a run at the NL Rookie of the Year award last year. Matthew Boyd, an All-Star in 2025. Edward Cabrera, a powerful arm with one of the best changeups in baseball. Shota Imanaga, who had a rough 2025 but has continued to be a reliable arm for the North Siders. Perhaps even Caleb Thielbar and Daniel Palencia would get some votes in the bullpen. One name that nobody would have put forth? Ben Brown.

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  • What’s Wrong With Fernando Tatis Jr.?

    The Sporting News

    With a quarter of the 2026 MLB season behind us (crazy, I know), the Padres’ slugger has yet to hit his first home run of the season. His OPS is a measly .611. His wRC+  sits at 79, and his ISO is .049. For a player who averages one home run every 20 plate appearances over his career, the lack of power in Tatis Jr.’s bat is shocking to say the least. What’s going on with the San Diego superstar?

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  • Why Are They Pitching To Nico?

    Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner – Audacy.com/Griffin Quinn/Getty Images

    Bottom of the ninth. One of the fastest runners in baseball is standing on third base. One of the best contact hitters in all of baseball is standing in the box. There’s one out in a one run situation. You’re the manager; what do you do here?

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