How this era of Cubs baseball differs from the last

While it’s only May and the Chicago Cubs have a long way to go this season, fans are feeling special about the team. Some might compare the fun to the “Golden Era” of a decade ago, and the team that won it all.

Of course, this era has yet to see a title and three straight NLCS appearances. That said, coming off a 92-win season and postseason series win last year, paired with a crazy 20-3 run this year, this current regime has given Cubs fans a thrill not felt in at least 7-8 years. The names are different, and it feels different.

These Cubs have seemingly less “household” hype

One big difference that stands out is how the player names hold up in the baseball world. It can feel like the current Cubs top guys do not get quite the recognition and hype that those of the previous regime did, outside of arguably Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman.

A decade ago, Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Jon Lester, and Jake Arrieta were common baseball headliners. They were making the All Star games, getting MVP and Cy Young votes, and were truly baseball’s “darlings”. That core was consistently among the top in arbitrary power ranking lists from baseball and sports publications.

With this core, there’s the feeling that this team has so many underrated players. Nico Hoerner, a 4.8 fWAR player last year, has been getting snubbed from top player rankings. Michael Busch had a power and slug production season last year on par with Rizzo in his prime years, yet he flew under the radar compared to the star status Rizzo had. Heck, Seiya Suzuki has a higher OPS (.826) in a Cubs uniform than Kyle Schwarber did as a Cub (.816) in nearly the same number of games played (557 vs. 551).

The list goes on, and none of the previously mentioned current Cubs have made an All Star game yet despite their recent success.

Is being “underrated” so bad?

One thing to emphasize, this all does not suggest the current Cubs don’t get national attention. They are still a big market team with a national fanbase under baseball’s microscope. The streak they have been on has been talked about everywhere; it’s not being ignored. It’s just a different feeling from the last decade.

In some ways, not having the hype level the previous core got is nice. This team does not have a 108-pound goat on its back. There is a huge desire to win another World Series title, but there’s not the pressure of it being “The” title. No other Cubs title in our lifetimes (if there is one) will be that one.

Sometimes it’s okay to appreciate a good player(s) who does not constantly come with pomp and circumstance. It makes one fan feel like they are truly “their” players in a funny way. It’s also nice to enjoy a team for what it is and not try to make it like your father’s Cub team. No matter what happens, this Cubs era will have its own place in history. For better or for worse.

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