The Chicago Cubs are safely in the playoffs, and as the prohibitive favorites to win a World Series title, the team is attracting a lot of national attention.
That attention even includes a cover story in the next issue of ESPN the Magazine, which will be on newsstands this week. Cubs star first baseman Anthony Rizzo graces the cover of the publication, with a story on his emergence as a baseball superstar teased in the issue:
The profile on Rizzo isn’t the only Cubs story that will be featured in the magazine. The Cubs’ legendary party room, which debuted this season along with their spacious new clubhouse, is going to get the star treatment in the magazine, and President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein will also be featured in a profile when the issue hits newsstands.
The Cubs currently have the best record in baseball and clinched the National League Central Division title last week to become the first team in the majors to sew up a playoff berth. The Cubs are currently trying to fend off the Washington Nationals for the best record in the National League, which would give them home-field advantage in each of the first two rounds of the MLB playoffs.
According to Five Thirty Eight’s ELO projections, the Cubs are the current favorites to win the World Series title, with a 23 percent chance of taking home the hardware at the end of the season. Fangraphs isn’t quite as bullish on their chances, but they still have a 17.3 percent chance of winning the title, finishing just behind the Boston Red Sox (18.1 percent) in that category.
