5 Chicago Cubs players to keep an eye on down the stretch

5 Chicago Cubs to keep an eye on down the stretch: #1 – Patrick Wisdom

Patrick Wisdom took the league by storm upon getting called up this season. On May 25, the Cubs called up Wisdom in a series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In his first two games, he went 0-for-2 in a pair of pinch hit appearances.

On May 27, Wisdom crushed his first home run with the Cubs and recorded another hit, as well. Four days later, he had his first multi-homer game, posting a 3-for-4 line with 2 RBI. The following game, he went deep again and everybody was put on notice that this guy has serious potential. Wisdom went on to hit seven homers in his first eight starts, earning NL Player of the Week honors in early June.

As it sits in the beginning of August, Wisdom’s extreme power surge has cooled off as pitchers are trying to adjust to him, but he has adjusted back rather quickly. Wisdom’s current slash for the season is .272/.335/.572 with 16 bombs and 32 RBI in 180 at-bats. His .297 ISO shows off his raw power nicely but like a lot of sluggers, it would be nice to see him cut down on the strikeouts, as he’s whiffing in nearly 40 percent of his ABs this year.

Nevertheless, Wisdom has been an extremely fresh breath of air in the lineup. Though 29 already, he still plays the game well and should he continue to see the same success, can continue to be an integral part of the team, especially in the cleanup spot.