PECOTA Projects Cubs to Win 85 Games, Finish Second to Reds

Nico Hoerner leads Cubs prospect rankings yet again. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)Remember last year, when Baseball Prospectus’s PECOTA projections pegged the Cubs as a mediocre club and everyone flipped their ish? That was fun. The raw numbers aren’t much better this season, but finishing ahead of the Cardinals and Brewers is at least a step in the right direction. Only trouble is, the Cubs’ 85 projected wins still have them falling a game back of the very active Reds.

Just in case you’re grousing about how these projections are treating your team like a group of disgruntled umpires, remember that they’re actually objective. They don’t hate you or your team. Well, maybe your team. But given our…