As the regular season comes to an end, strange things are starting to happen in Wrigleyville that haven’t happened in a while. There seems to be more talk about the post season rather than the usual “next year” discussion. People are waving the “win flag” a lot more than usual, and there seems to be a lack of goats looming around this impressive ball club. So why is this happening? What has changed in the Chicago Cub’s organization that is taking them to new heights? Let’s take a look at the Cubs in the last four years and what they’ve been doing to prepare for this exact moment.

At the end of the regular 2011 season, the Cubs finished with a disappointing record of 71-91, leaving them in fifth place for their division. The rookie sensation Starlin Castro was set out to bring a change to this team but, unfortunately, could not. To make matters worse, the beloved Cub, Ron Santo, passed away the previous off season, leaving Wrigley Ville completely dumbfounded. It was a time for change on the north side, and everybody knew it. We needed somebody that had a plan. We needed someone who could take our team and execute a complete 180. On Oct. 21, 2011, Theo Epstein resigned from his job in Boston to become President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs.

Theo Epstein was praised for his efforts in the time he had with the Boston Red Sox. In his first year being the Boston Red Sox GM, he made some very bold acquisitions that later on defined who the Red Sox truly were. These players include: David Ortiz, Kevin Millar, and Curt Shilling. The Sox later went on to defeat the Cardinals in the 2004 World Series; the first series that Boston had won since 1918. The ball club also went on to win the 2007 World Series under his direction. It was very apparent that Epstein had a brilliant mind when it came to baseball, and other teams wanted in on it. When The Cubs hired Epstein in ’11, Wrigleyville was alive as ever and talk of a new beginning was emerging from everywhere.

When completely restructuring the foundation of an MLB team, things take time. You just can't believe that your team is going to be World Series worthy overnight. Because they won’t. You have to start from the very beginning when doing this process. You have to start at the root of where all your talent grows from. The Minor Leagues. Epstein immediately dove into the Cubs single-A, double-A, and triple-A teams, completely restoring old talent and replacing them with new, raw talent. This is Epstein’s strength. He can tell when a player is just good, or when a player has true talent. Epstein has applied this throughout his time with the Chicago Cubs, picking up numerous stand-out players including: Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Jake Arietta, Addison Russel, Kyle Schwarber, and various other phenomenal athletes. From 2011-2014 these athletes slowly started to emerge onto the big stage, until 2015 when they all met on the stage at the same time. That’s when things started to get interesting.

In 2015 the Chicago Cubs have increased their winning percentage from .451 to .589, leaving them with a dominant lead in the NL Wild Card Race. Two of the main offensive attributers in 2015 include Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant; both of who went to the All-Star Game this year. Rizzo, a power hitting first baseman, has tallied up 30 HR's with 95 RBI’s and a steady .285 batting average. The young stud Kris Bryant has brought more hype to Wrigley than anyone had ever imagined. He has already broken the record for most HR’s and RBI’s by a rookie in the history of the Chicago Cubs, with 26 HR’s and 98 RBI’s. The addition of Addison Russel and his agile abilities has also been a key attribute to the field as well as catcher Kyle Schwarber. On the pitching side of the organization, Jake Arietta has been nothing shy of phenomenal this season. Arietta has thrown a total of 216 innings in 31 games; four of which were complete games including a no-hitter. He has completely baffled opposing hitters with 220 strikeouts, and when compared to his innings pitched, we can roughly say that he throws an average of one strikeout per inning. An incredible feat. Other high contributors to the team’s success include Jorge Soler, Dexter Fowler, Chris Coughlan, David Ross, Starlin Castro, and Miguel Montero. So, what should you expect out of the Chicago Cubs as they enter the 2015 post season?

Being a lifelong Cubs fan, I would obviously love to see the boys bring home a World Series Title, but will it happen? Only time can tell. I truly believe that the talented young men, who exert themselves every day, are more than capable of winning a World Series. However; the thing that will come between the Cubs and a World Series title will be sheer experience, which the Cubs have very little of in terms of World Series activity. What I mean by this, is that other teams have expert-level veterans that have been there before and know exactly how to execute in these moments. This doesn’t go to say that the Cubs have no shot at the title this year, it will just be a very difficult ride. No matter how far the boys in blue end up this year, I will be extremely proud to be a Cubs fan none the less. The feats that we have overcome are truly amazing and being able to be a part of the history is more than enough for me. From the days of Hack Wilson and Frank Chance, Fergie Jenkins and Billie Williams, Ernie Banks and Ron Santo, Sammy Sosa and Derek Lee, or Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. I always have been, and always will be, a Cubs fan.

Go Cubs Go!