Fans will be welcomed back into Wrigley Field for the first time since 2019 on Thursday. Even with different health and safety protocols and limited capacity crowds, this Opening Day has many feeling normal for the first time in a while.
Normal is exactly what the Cubs are hoping for from their superstars as they begin their 162-game journey against the Pirates on Thursday. The team’s offensive core is coming off woeful 2020 seasons and with the group looking for more collective offensive success, the organization believes they’re due from a major bounce back.
All eyes will be on the likes of Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javy Baez and Willson Contreras, not only for the fact that three of them are impending free agents at season’s end, but because all of them represent the key to the Cubs’ success this season.