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Here’s everything you need to know about the 2020 Chicago Cubs from a fantasy perspective.
You can find all of our other 2020 fantasy baseball MLB team previews here.
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Starting Lineup
| # | NAME | POS |
| 1 | Kris Bryant | 3B |
| 2 | Anthony Rizzo | 1B |
| 3 | Javier Baez | SS |
| 4 | Kyle Schwarber | LF |
| 5 | Willson Contreras | C |
| 6 | Jason Heyward | RF |
| 7 | Ian Happ | CF |
| 8 | Jason Kipnis | 2B |
- Better in OBP formats: Everyone except…
- Worse in OBP formats: Baez
- Better than his ADP: Rizzo, Schwarber, Heyward
- Worse than his ADP: Contreras, Happ
- Bench bat(s) worth rostering: Nico Hoerner
- Player(s) most likely to lose a starting spot: Kipnis
Pitching Rotation
| # | NAME | R/L |
| 1 | Yu Darvish | R |
| 2 | Jon Lester | L |
| 3 | Kyle Hendricks | R |
| 4 | Jose Quintana | L |
| 5 | Tyler Chatwood | R |
- Better than his ADP: Hendricks, Quintana
- Worse than his ADP: Lester, Chatwood
- Starter least likely to stick in the rotation: Chatwood
- Non-starter most likely to enter the rotation: Alec Mills
Bullpen
- Projected closer: Craig Kimbrel (Job Security: HIGH)
- Top backup: Rowan Wick
- Premier holds option: Wick
- Sneaky holds option: Jeremy Jeffress, Kyle Ryan
Prospects
- Relevant in 2020: Hoerner, Adbert Alzolay
- Worth a look for 2021 and beyond: Miguel Amaya, Brennen Davis, Brailyn Marquez
- Don’t believe the hype: N/A. The Cubs system is bare, so there isn’t much to overhype.
Other Helpful Fantasy Info
- Park Factor: 100 (league average is 100). It truly depends on which way the wind is blowing at Wrigley that day!
- Green Light Rating: LOW. David Ross is a new manager and we don’t know how he’ll manage the base paths, but the Cubs ranked 29th in stolen bases last year.
- Likeliest 2020 roster moves: Kipnis is almost certain to lose his job at some point to Hoerner. If Happ struggles out of the gate, look for Heyward sliding to center against righties, with Steven Souza Jr. playing right. Heyward will likely cede some plate appearances against lefties to Souza Jr. The Cubs have some boom/bust candidates in the rotation in Adbert Alzolay and Duane Underwood Jr. (if he manages to stick on the roster).
- Bold Fantasy Prediction: Baez earns first-round value in 15-team leagues, earning stats prorated out to a full season as follows: 34 bombs, 92 runs, 99 RBI, 15 stolen bases, and a .283 average. This stat line will propel him into a top-four shortstop. Yes, above Trevor Story or Alex Bregman.
- Bland Fantasy Prediction: Darvish and Hendricks will be the only starters with season-long value in a standard 12-team league.
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Carmen Maiorano is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Carmen, check out his archive and personal fantasy blog, and follow him @carmsclubhouse.