The key comparison between the 2015 Cubs playoff run and the 2016 higher expectations is whether Ben Zobrist will perform better than Starlin Castro.
This is the tale of the second baseman. Castro was a salary dump move as part of the jigsaw puzzle that allowed the Cubs baseball brain trust to add players. The swap of Zobrist for Castro is the key.
Zobrist earned extremely high WAR numbers in Tampa by being the super sub. Now, he is supposed to be the everyday second baseman. Can he hold up for a full season at one position?
And considering he had an exceptionally deep fall out last season playing for Oakland and KC, will this trend continue?
Zobrist hit .276 in 126 games in 2015. He had 13 HR, 56 RBI and 3 SB.
By contrast, Castro in 151 games hit .265, 11 HR, 69 RBI, 5 SB.
While in Tampa, Zobrist was a WAR machine:
2009 8.6 WAR
2010 4.6 WAR
2011 8.7 WAR
2012 5.7 WAR
2013 5.0 WAR
2014 4.9 WAR
Last year, it fell to 1.9 WAR or just below starter level.
The best years of Zobrist's career were under Joe Maddon. He needs to have a solid 4.0 WAR with solid defense for the Cubs.
