Cubs oblivious to historic start

The last time the Cubs started out this hot was back in 1907, when they also were 24-6 after 30 games.

Kris Bryant, born in 1992, was unaware he was part of the best Cubs start in 109 years.

“1907?” he said. “I didn’t know. Just knew we had a good start. It doesn’t play a factor in our minds. It’s just that we’re doing what we need to do early on, and that’s always good because you don’t have to climb back up the hill.

“You are where you want to be and just continue to do what you do on the field. That’s kind of where we’re at.”

The 1907 Cubs were also where they wanted to be, led by player-manager Frank Chance, who was known as “Peerless Leader,” a nickname he learned at a young age mostly because it rhymed with “Fearless Leader” — the dictator of Pottsylvania and Boris and Natasha’s boss in the “Rocky and Bullwinkle” cartoons.

With a 768-389 record from 1905-12, Chase had the highest win percentage (.664) of any manager in Cubs history and still does. Joe Maddon is 121-71, a .630 winning percentage. Not too shabby either.

Is this start a harbinger of things to come? The 1907 Cubs went 107-45 and beat the Tigers in the World Series. They’d go on to win again in 1908, and in case you haven’t heard, have not won since.

Thanks to baseball-reference.com, you can follow the Cubs’ 1907 season to compare and contrast their start with the current edition. In Game 31, they beat the New York Giants 5-2 to improve to 25-6, moving into a first-place tie with New York.

In the American League, the White Sox were also on top that day in 1907 with a 21-10 record. Today they’re in first with a 22-10 record.

Some things never change.

The Toddfather struggles

Though it obviously hasn’t hurt the White Sox, they eventually will need Todd Frazier to climb out of his prolonged hitting slump if they hope to continue their solid start.

Frazier has eight home runs, so the power is as advertised. But he’s hitting .194 and ended an 0-for-20 skid on Saturday with a home run. Frazier is frustrated and has not hid during his struggles. He’s hoping for a repeat of 2013, when he ended a similar slump against San Diego on Aug. 9, which Frazier said he remembered like it was yesterday.

“I was 0-for-31 and I had one more at-bat to tie the Cincinnati record (for longest hitless streak),” he said. “By Drew Stubbs, I think. And I hit a double my first at-bat, got to breathe again. I didn’t look back after that. It wasn’t one of my better years, but it turned out to be a good year.”

Frazier hit .180 that month but .261 with six home runs in September, finishing at .234 with 19 homers and 73 RBI. He established himself as one of the National League’s premier sluggers with 29 home runs in 2014 and then 35 last year, when he also won the Home Run Derby.

After watching Adam Dunn and Adam La Roche the last few years, White Sox fans are understandably weary of former National League sluggers who veer towards the Mendoza line when they arrive with great fanfare on the South Side. But Frazier has shown he isn’t that kind of hitter, and his defense has been stellar, so it’s unfair to lump him in with the two Adams.

When the weather warms up, look for Frazier to heat up, too.