Cubs Corner with Bob Fiorante: Cubs, White Sox, playoff teams, MLB awards, more |
On this edition of the Cubs Corner, presented by Coach’s Bar and Grill, Anthony welcomed AL Insider Robert Fiorante back to the show to discuss the Cubs, White Sox, playoff teams, and MLB awards as the season winds down.
Anthony began the episode by apologizing for the hiatus, and updated viewers on the trades that sent Joc Pederson to the Braves, Andrew Chafin to the A’s, Ryan Tepera and Craig Kimbrel to the White Sox, Trevor Williams and Javier Baez to the Mets, Anthony Rizzo to the Yankees, Kris Bryant to the Giants and Jake Marisnick to the Padres. Following the update of the roster change, Anthony and Bob outlined the Cubs' previous seven-game winning streak — including superb play from Frank Schwindel and Ian Happ. Plus, the pair outlined the success that Patrick Wisdom and Rafael Ortega have had since the trade deadline despite the Cubs being in fourth place in the NL Central and over ten games below .500. Despite the team-wide struggles, both Anthony and Bob pointed out the fact that the Cubs do have some nice pieces intact for a future Cubs team — including some of the prospects acquired at the trade deadline. Bob went into depth about the players the Cubs acquired from the White Sox at the deadline, Nick Madrigal and Cody Heuer. In addition, the pair gave their award predictions and division winners for the rest of the year. ANTHONY' PREDICTIONS: AL EAST Rays AL WEST Astros AL CENTRAL White Sox WILD CARDS Yankees, Red Sox NL EAST Braves NL WEST Giants NL CENTRAL Brewers WILD CARDS Dodgers, Padres AL MVP Shohei Ohtani NL MVP Fernando Tatis Jr. AL CY YOUNG Gerritt Cole NL CY YOUNG Walker Buehler AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Adolis Garcia NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Trevor Rogers AL MANAGER OF THE YEAR Tony La Russa NL MANAGER OF THE YEAR Gabe Kapler BOB'S PREDICTIONS: AL EAST Rays AL WEST Astros AL CENTRAL White Sox WILD CARDS Red Sox, Yankees NL EAST Phillies NL WEST Dodgers NL CENTRAL Brewers WILD CARDS Giants, Reds AL MVP Shohei Ohtani NL MVP Bryce Harper AL CY YOUNG Robbie Ray NL CY YOUNG Corbin Burnes AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Adolis Garcia NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Jonathan India AL MANAGER OF THE YEAR Scott Servais NL MANAGER OF THE YEAR Gabe Kapler As always this episode is brought to you by Coach’s Bar and Grill and is available on Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, and the CubsHQ website.