How to evaluate the Cubs’ season as it comes to a close in Cincinnati

CINCINNATI — Evaluating the season of a team that wasn’t built to win is a tricky business.

Judging by record, this year was obviously a bust for the Cubs. After their 3-2 loss Tuesday against the Reds, the Cubs will carry a 73-88 record into the final day of the season.

This roster, however, was built for a season in limbo — caught in between last year’s dramatic trade deadline teardown and a more competitive future.

“We knew a lot of things had to go really well to compete against where [the Cardinals] and the Brewers were this year,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said in late August.

They needed health. They needed a good chunk of their roster to perform above projections.

So, the success of this season was always going to hinge on how it laid the groundwork for the next phase of the rebuild.

“It’s been a lot of learning with some guys with not as much experience, some of the younger guys coming up, guys getting used to the big leagues,” manager David Ross said Tuesday. “There’s been growth within that. But, you’re evaluating on a daily basis. And as soon as you evaluate something wrong and try to address it.”

When that in-season process is over and Ross gets a moment to examine the year as a whole, what will he zero in on?

“The thing I’ll look back on is, how far away are we from championship-caliber baseball, and wrap my brain around. And what’s the next step?”

Pitching

The comeback story of the season goes to the rotation.

“We knew we could do some good things,” pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said last week. “Unfortunately, early, we had injuries, and we had things go on that limited some of those things.”

Marcus Stroman, Kyle Hendricks, Wade Miley, Drew Smyly, Justin Steele and Keegan Thompson all spent time on the injured list this year.

In the first half of the season, short starts — and their ripple effects — were a persistent issue. But the Cubs’ rotation entered play Tuesday with a 2.93 ERA since the All-Star break, with Adrian Sampson and rookies Javier Assad and Hayden Wesneski capitalizing on opportunities.

Only Dodgers (2.73) and Astros (2.76) starters were better in that span.

Hitting

The Cubs have holes in their lineup and will likely have to replace Willson Contreras next year. Entering Tuesday, they ranked No. 23 in runs scored (640) in MLB.

The upside of inexperience, however, is they can expect growth from players like Seiya Suzuki and Christopher Morel in their sophomore seasons next year.

“When it comes down to being able to set the expectations and the standards which we’re trying to achieve, I think that’s been done in Year 1,” said hitting coach Greg Brown, whom the Cubs hired last winter. “And I think that’s a success.”

Base running

Ross was frank in his evaluation last week.

“We’ve been awful on the bases from a getting-thrown-out standpoint,” he said. “We have not run the bases well. We have gone first to third maybe as good as anybody in the league. And we have stolen way more bases than had been projected and what you would say our team speed is. So, there’s two areas. But we have run into some outs on the bases that we definitely need to clean up.”

Entering Tuesday, the Cubs led the National League in runners going from first base to third on singles (101). They’d stolen 108 bases, trailing only the Marlins (120). But they’d run into 68 outs on base, the worst mark in the league.

Defense

Sloppy defense also contributed to losses. The Cubs have valued defensive versatility in their rebuild. But playing multiple utility players at a time comes with its own challenges.

They did have a couple individual players post breakout defensive seasons. Nico Hoerner proved he could be an everyday major-league shortstop. Ian Happ’s All-Star year included a standout performance in left field.

Overall, however, inexperience in the infield, especially, extended innings and cost runs.