After the Chicago Cubs won two games in a row, there was some question that as Miracle Max of The Princess Bride fame would put it, are the Cubs dead dead, or just mostly dead. Based on Saturday’s 7-0 loss to the Angels, evidence points to dead dead. Actually. the Chicago White Sox have been less painful to watch than the Cubs recently.
I decided to make a side-by-side comparison of the two teams to see just how far ahead of the White Sox the Cubs are. The answer is not as far ahead as you might think, or the Cubs would hope. Take a look and see what you think.
Catcher: Korey Lee vs: Tomas Nido
I’ll give the edge to Lee. Nido and Miguel Amaya seem to be splitting time behind the plate for the Cubs. Amaya is awful and Nido can’t hit. Lee has pulled ahead of Martin Maldonado as the Sox catcher. Maldonado may be the worst player in MLB. Actually, Kory Lee looks like Johnny Bench in this group.
First base: Andrew Vaughn vs: Michael Busch
I’ll take Bush at this position. Andrew Vaughn has started to hit a little bit, but it’s far too little too late.
Second base: Nicky Lopez vs: Nico Hoerner
Nico is the easy pick here. Both play good defense, but Hoerner provides a little bit of offense.
Shortstop: Paul DeJong vs: Dansby Swanson
Despite having a miserable year at the plate, Swanson might be a slightly better player, because of Swanson’s contract, I’ll take DeJong. DeJong’s defense seems to have digressed, but he has hit 16 home runs and has a contract that is about $25 million dollars lighter than Swanson’s. Swanson’s contract looks like it might not age well while DeJong is on a one-year deal.
Third base: Lenyn Sosa vs: Christopher Morel
I’ll call this a draw. Morel has power but Sosa finally seems to be establishing himself as a big-league player. On the other hand, Morel seems to be regressing. A trip to Iowa might help.
Left field: Ian Happ vs Andrew Benintendi
Okay, this is Ian Happ by a mile. The Sox are reportedly shopping Benintendi. To dream the impossible dream.
Center field: Cody Bellinger/PCA vs: Louis Robert Jr.
Robert Jr takes this matchup. Out of all the players on both teams, he has the highest upside. He does have superstar potential, which makes him unique in Chicago.
Right field: Tommy Pham vs: Seiya Suzuki
Despite Seiya’s trouble catching flyballs, he’s still the choice. Pham can hit, but is limited defensively, and lacks Suzuki’s power. Plus, Pham will probably be gone after the trade deadline. The failure of the White Sox to find a decent right fielder continues to amaze.
Starting pitching
The Sox roll out a pretty formidable big three with Garrett Crochet, Eric Fedde and rookie, Drew Thorpe, but I’d still take the Cubs threesome of Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga and the recently brilliant Jameson Taillon. The Cubs feature depth beyond their big three, though most of it is currently injured. The White Sox are thin at the big-league level, but help is on the horizon. I like the Cubs rotation now, but I like the Sox long term.
Bullpen
Both of these teams feature bullpens that are disasters. I’ll call it a draw. Michael Kopech may have the stuff to be a closer but hasn’t grown into the role yet. As for the Cubs, Ben Brown could ultimately be their guy.
