Chicago Cubs: Four players looking to rebound in 2020

There is a lot of uncertainty going into the 2020 campaign, but what we do know is that if the Cubs want to have a chance, they need some rebound performances.

One of the many things that made the 2019 season so frustrating was that the main offensive core of Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Willson Contreras all had good seasons. If you said the four of them had a combined 15.9 fWAR going into the 2019 season then the Cubs’ hopes of a postseason berth feel pretty good.

Keep in mind this number came with the four of them missing a combined 112 games, so had these guys not had injuries throughout the year, the number is likely higher.

The point of all this is to show that the Cubs missing the playoffs with the core playing well shows how the rest of the team saw a lot of down years from key players. Obviously this is not the case for everyone, but there are a group of guys who want to see better seasons in 2020.

It is worth pointing out that some guys who struggled in 2019 will not or might not be back in 2020 on the Cubs. We will look at players on the current roster, even if there is a chance they get traded, they are Cubs for now.

Chicago Cubs: It was a very strange season for the 25-year old slugger in 2019. After a long stint in the minors he looks to stay out of Triple A this coming year.

Right now it feels somewhat uncertain if Ian Happ will even be on the Cubs come spring training. There are reasons to believe he could be part of a trade, but nothing has been rumored or talked about yet. Right now the plan is for him to be suiting up for the North Siders in 2020 until further notice.

Happ spent 99 games in Triple-A last year to work on his swing before being called up late in the season. The walks and slugging has been there, but consistent contact has not. The 32.5 percent K rate is something that has held Happ down in his young career despite the .340 OBP and .816 OPS in 315 games.

When Happ came up for 58 games he hit 11 homers and slashed .264/.333/.564 and 127 wRC+. So those numbers are pretty dang respectable, but the front office would undoubtedly love to see the former first-rounder spend an entire year in Chicago. Fifty-eight games is not a huge sample size but enough to show he is capable of being productive.

Overall we count 2020 as part of this list for the reason that he spent more time in the minors than in the majors trying to fix holes in his swing.

Chicago Cubs: After a career-worst season in 2019, it can only get better.

We have talked about Daniel Descalso before and how/if he can bounce back in 2020. His .173/.271/.250 with a .521 OPS in 82 games was very hard to stomach for him and the team. Again, as mentioned by many, it seemed pretty clear that his ankle injury which he tried to play through was a big contributor of his final season results. Regardless, he will want to improve in 2020.

Descalso will not have a major role going forward, certainly not a starter. He is a guy who will fill in for someone when needed and brought in as a pinch hitter, pinch runner or possibly a defensive replacement in a game. He might have some competition in spring training with Hernan Perez coming in as a non-roster invitee, but it depends on who else the Cubs bring in and if Nico Hoerner makes the team.

Descalso is owed $2.5 million in 2020 so the Cubs would probably like to see him be a decent contributor, even if in a limited role. There is little to no trade value with him right now. That being said who knows how much longer he will be on the team, spring training could make or break that.

The veteran might not be a particularly good hitter, but he is capable of .240/.340/.390 which would be a nice bounceback for him.

Chicago Cubs: Of all the players on the current roster that needs a bounce back in 2020, no doubt Craig Kimbrel is the number one name on the list.

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The 2019 Cubs had a major bullpen problem, and they tried to address that in a big way mid-season by getting free agent closer Craig Kimbrel who was holding out for a while. Kimbrel did not have a real spring training and needed some time to get ready before joining the Cubs after signing the three-year, $43 million deal.

There is no other way to put it, Kimbrel’s Cubs debut season was a disaster. A 6.53 ERA, 8.00 FIP, 1.6 WHIP and a career-high nine homers given up in just 20 2/3 innings. He also spent time on the IL so he was not always available even when on the roster. He converted 13/16 saves which is honestly kind of surprising, but the overall numbers are pretty awful.

Here is a guy that honestly should be given the benefit of the doubt for now. Prior to 2019 he was a 1.91 ERA, 1.96 FIP, 0.92 WHIP and 14.7 K/9 pitcher in 542 appearances with 333 saves and a seven-time All Star. Give him a full year with a team with a real spring training against live batters and hopefully have him stay healthy and there is reason to feel good.

The team’s number one priority should be fixing weaknesses if they want to contend in 2020. But if they truly are not going to make a lot of moves or if they do and ride with a lot of these pieces, then seeing bounce back seasons are key to giving the Cubs a chance.