Chicago Cubs Young Guns Showing They Belong

The Chicago Cubs have shown the baseball world they are the team to beat. The Cubs have set new milestones after the first 60 games of the regular season. They are doing so with players that are often considered too young to be so good.

Chicago has played so well thus far its run differential is better at this stage of the season that that of the 1927 New York Yankees.

Of the 10 position players on the Cubs who have a minimum of 100 appearances at the play thus far this season, six are aged 26 or younger. History has shown that teams with that young of players do not have seasons like the Cubs are having.

The Seattle Mariners won 116 games in 2001 but had just one position player under the age of 27 who had 300 appearances at the plate during the regular season.

In 1998 the New York Yankees won 114 games and they just had two players younger than 27. In 1998, the Atlanta Braves won 106 games and had only two players under the age of 27 that made that many appearances at the plate.

The last MLB team to play in the World Series with 6 players who are 26 years of age or younger, that had a minimum of 300 plate appearances would by the 1988 Oakland Athletics 28 years ago.

The last World Series winner with 6 players or more less than 26 years of age and getting the 300 minimum plate appearances was the 1969 New York Mets.

The last team that won 105 or more games with 6 regulars age 26 or younger was the St. Louis Cardinals of 1943.

However, the Cubs of 2016 have players such as Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Jorge Soler, Jason Heyward and Javier Baez that all are 26 or younger and regular position players.

The Cubs are 43-18 after 61 games and on pace to have 114 wins. They are the first time since the 2001 Mariners to win at least 43 games after their first 61 games played.

Of course, all the young talent has helped to carry the Cubs to where they are now, but it is the mix of young and old that completes this team.

Veterans such as Jon Lester, John Lackey, Ben Zobrist and David Ross have been perfect fits into the Cubs organization as they are professional, personable, patient and welcoming to those new players that arrive.

Of course the mix of young and old will mean nothing if each half does not carry its own weight. However, after watching the Cubs for a few innings in any game, one quickly sees that that is not a problem with this team.