The Chicago Cubs have been quite busy this offseason, grabbing manager Joe Maddon and signing free agents like Jon Lester, and needless to say, confidence is flowing among members of the team.
First baseman Anthony Rizzo, who slugged 32 home runs for the Cubs in 2014, was one of the players present at the team’s event at Jacob Beidler Elementary School as the Cubs Caravan stopped to paint walls and chat with children. In an interview with media members at the school, Rizzo was matter of fact with what his expectations for the 2015 season are.
“We’re going to win the NL Central,” he told reporters. “It’s gonna happen this year.”
Rizzo’s confidence in the Cubs’ ability to win is something that plenty of members of the organization share. Cubs President Theo Epstein has said that his expectation for the season is for the team to be competitive in the division, and Maddon has said that he’ll be talking World Series with the team when they convene in Mesa for spring training in February.
The first baseman was also asked about his thoughts on The Sporting News’ decision to pick the Cubs to win the World Series in 2015, and he provided a similarly confident response to the question.
“They’re pretty smart,” he said.
Of course, no comments or dreams about a Cubs championship in 2015 would be complete without references to Back to the Future Part II, and two Cubs players made sure to oblige the fans by shouting out the movie:
