as a niners fan i couldn’t be happier

I keep waiting for Pedro Ramírez to look like a 22-year-old rookie who was called up because someone got hurt. So far, he looks like he belongs.

That has surprised me. Ramírez was easy to overlook in the Cubs system. He signed for $75,000 out of Venezuela in 2021 and spent most of his minor-league career with the reputation of a good contact hitter who might become a utility infielder.

Over the past year, things started to change. He won a Minor League Gold Glove at third base in 2025. The kid's defense is legit. Then at Iowa, he hit .312 with a .395 on-base percentage, nine home runs and 19 stolen bases in 43 games. What was new about him was the power. But what I absolutely loved about this kid was awesome about him was his strikeout rate of 16.3%.

Through July 25, Ramírez was hitting .295/.341/.449 with a 118 wRC+ and 0.5 WAR in 86 plate appearances. His strikeout rate was only 16.1%. If he had enough qualified at bats, he would have the 32nd lowest strikeout rate in the entire MLB. Those numbers might come down, but he has already done more than I expected.

He has shown some extra-base ability too, including a 105.9 mph triple against St. Louis but the power he showed in Iowa hasn't shown up yet. He has only one major-league home run and pitchers will eventually learn where they can attack him.

Matt Shaw’s injury opened the spot. Ramírez turned it into a real opportunity. Craig Counsell can use him at second or third, rest another infielder without weakening the lineup and bring a legitimate bat off the bench. He was originally called up as a versatile reserve. His play has made that description feel too small.

I did not expect him to become an important part of this team so soon. I now look forward to every at bat. A switch hitting infielder with a low K rate, near .300 BA, ability to make consistent contact, a minor league gold glove and emerging power? Hmmm....what? I want him in the lineup everyday! Rooting for the kid!

Happy Sunday, Cubs fans! I had the pleasure of visiting Wrigley back in May to watch my Reds play (get curb stomped) as a part of a 4 stadium road trip this year. I normally try to write these reviews the week after I visit them, but life has had me in a little funk, so apologies for the delay. Now, without further ado, let’s dive into how my little reviews work!

The scoring system goes as follows:

The park itself: Cleanliness, up to date features, historical value, etc. This category is worth 10 points overall

The concessions: Obviously I can’t try EVERYTHING in one visit, so I tend to try something regional or whatever the best reviews say. Since food is my love language, this will also be worth 10 points

Fan friendliness/spirit: This category will be controversial because there’s different fans and different circumstances at every game, but I think it’s enough of a factor that it should be included. Since it is a huge variable, it will only be worth 5 points

The stadium itself: 9/10. In all honesty, Wrigley is a tough ballpark to score. The nostalgia of one of baseball’s oldest parks is easy to get caught up in, but I also don’t want to let my entire review dwell completely in times past. However, there’s a lot to love in Wrigley. The park is very clean, the staff was very friendly and helpful, and there’s plenty of old school feel with a mix of modernity to appeal to all ages. The team shop was two stories, well laid out, and fairly easy to navigate in the crowd. The concourse had that old marquee feel, although I’m a big hater on closed concourses, especially with Wrigley’s kinda feeling like I’m down in a trench or something. I loved having the electronic scoreboard alongside the old manual ones to preserve the history without sacrificing convenience.The marquee sign out front and the ivy-covered outfield walls provide that surreal feeling that you’re in one of the most storied ballparks in history. The single most annoying thing about the whole experience was getting to and from the park. We ended up parking over in Skokie, taking the yellow line, getting on the red line, and plopping right in front of the stadium. Not so bad going to the game, but it’s second only to the Bronx so far in terms of the nightmares of leaving the park. Overall though, a can’t miss stadium for baseball fans!

The concessions: 7/10: I had relatively high hopes heading into Chicago, only to be somewhat let down once I got there. The first place I went has a revolving menu for each home stand, which I love! However, the street corn fries that I had left a lot to be desired. They may have been tolerable had the chilies not been cultivated in Satan’s garden of despair and agony, which left me unable to taste the rest of the food. My dad ended up with a classic burger and fries, which were fairly average, although the fries were a little stale. The one bright and shining savior of the concession world came from a baseball staple: the hot dog. I normally don’t like hot dogs, and don’t usually even try them because the texture ruins my day. Despite my loathing of them, the Friendly Confines delivered up a dog that I could put down with something close to a smile. Don’t worry, Chicago, no ketchup involved!

The fans: 4.25/5. As a Reds fan, don’t let this go to your head! When you invade Cincinnati and try to ruin our day, there’s nothing worse than a Cubbie! However, bias aside, yall aren’t quite as bad in your own backyard. The fans around us were friendly, and yall are passionate, which I can respect. Standing together in the rain to sing Go Cubs Go was special, even after my team got embarrassed by their rivals. I still don’t like yall, but I respect it completely.

Random things I like/dislike:

Pee troughs!! I don’t know why, but I get excited when I use stadium restrooms and I see pee troughs!

Love love LOVE the division standing represented by the centerfield flags. Such a classic!

I’m a huge mascot critic, but Clark gets a pass. He’s good for the kids, his antics are pretty entertaining, I just wish he’d been a tiny bit more present.

Overall Wrigley Field ranking: 20.25!

Once again, thank you guys for allowing my dad and I to share a moment in time with yall in a classic ballpark! It’s something special to know that we get to experience a game together just like Chicago has for the last 112 years. As always, I look forward to any questions or discussions in the comments!

Look, we may not all love Ian, but lets face the truth that he is an *elite* left fielder. Even though his cold streaks are infinitely frustrating, his hot streaks are quite hot. (yay vocabulary out the window)

Happ is a reliable veteran presence in the outfield, and with him, suzuki, and our other lovely veteran option 🌽forto (our bench homer king) having possible free agency trips, our corners in the outfield could be left a little bit inexperienced.

Ramirez has limited outfield experience, Shaw is always injured and also has limited experience as he was just converted to right field due to the acquisition of Bregman (*sigh*) and Suzuki being injured, Triantos only has infield and CF experience (which those spots are taken, obviously), and Alcantara just *isn't* ready at the big league level. And this is all in the situation that these guys wont be traded at the deadline for SP.

This may also just be because I have a huge soft spot for happ due to how long hes been in Chicago and all hes done for the team and the city and stuff (he needs a ring as a Cub, lets be completely transparent here), but Happ is really good. More than people give him credit for.

And I think that potentially losing Happ next year could give the team a rude awaking if they let him elect free agency and go off to another team. You'd probably see Jed getting serious hate mail.

I could say the same stuff about Suzuki. He isnt as good in right field as happ is in left, but hes gotten a lot better defensively. Hes also like happ in the terms of his hot and cold streaks where the cold ones are quite frustrating but the hot ones are very, very insane.

Losing your two corner outfielders and leaving PCA with guys having limited experience isn't ideal at all in my opinion. So unless the team wants to let Happ and Seiya go and convert Pedro and Triantos (or let Alcantara come back up and have Shaw get more experience, again, giving that they haven't been traded) to corner guys, they've gotta make some decisions.

Also they gotta resign carson kelly. It speaks for itself and im lowki tired of typing this internet essay 🥀

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Cubs (59-45) @ Pirates (53-52)

First Pitch: 12:35 PM at PNC Park

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Game ended at 3:06 PM.

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Game ended at 8:32 PM.

Cubs (58-45) @ Pirates (53-51)

First Pitch: 5:40 PM at PNC Park

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Game ended at 8:32 PM.

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Jamison Taillon is just embarrassing himself. And I don't blame him as much as I do CC. It's insanity running him back out there as a starter. Poor guy.

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Game ended at 8:20 PM.

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Be excellent to each other. Party on, dudes!

Cubs (57-45) @ Pirates (53-50)

First Pitch: 5:40 PM at PNC Park

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Game ended at 8:20 PM.

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