We’re almost a month into the season, so it made sense to revive your third-favorite recurring series here at CI. For those who may be new to it — or just forgot about it entirely — Quantifying Hope is a Friday column that looks at the Cubs’ playoff odds as calculated by the folks over at FanGraphs. Last year took us on a pretty wild ride as David Ross and Co. raced up a hill in the second half before stumbling and finishing just barely out of contention.
As you can see below from the early results, this season should feature a more gradual climb.