Ranking the 5 most important Cubs entering the 2022 season

As things currently stand, the Chicago Cubs are currently projected to win just 79.5 games – just below the .500 mark. Obviously, that will not be good enough to get them into the postseason. Even with an expanded field likely coming this year, the Cubs simply will not make the cut unless they get key contributions from the players already on their roster and not just depend on free agent signings to pave the road to success.

Last year, the Cubs’ underwhelming record of 71-91 was mostly triggered by a blow-up of the team at the trade deadline, while the starting rotation struggled all year with a bottom-5 4.87 team ERA. Should the postseason format had expanded to include up to 14 teams last year, the Cubs still would have been eight games out of a wild card spot while teams like Cincinnati, Philadelphia and San Diego would have catapulted themselves into the playoffs.

Looking at the stats and metrics of those that departed the team at the trade deadline last year, it’s interesting to note that certain players actually surpassed what members of the core did in a Cubs uniform before being traded. Still, two of the top five leaders in WAR for the team were Kris Bryant (2.5) and Craig Kimbrel (2.2). Of course, a lot of these players did not play a whole season in a Cubs uniform and therefore the best way to compare them is by analyzing what each did based on their total number of games played.

In this list, I am going to focus on both pitchers and position players and their production, as a whole. With a starting rotation that was patched up prior to the lockout, it isn’t hard to see a scenario where the starting rotation is at least better than last year. Let’s glance ahead at the 5 most important players currently on the Cubs roster heading into 2022.

Cubs: 5 most important players heading into 2022 – #5: Marcus Stroman

Marcus Stroman was obviously the most significant offseason free agent pick-up the team has made to this point. All that could change if the Cubs continue to go after the big fish in Carlos Correa, or perhaps, other free agents that are still available, but for now, Stroman is the main piece. His signing sent a message that maybe, just maybe, Chicago may not just be trying to sit idly by in coming years and instead, might look to make a run sooner rather than later.

Projected to the be near the top of the rotation, Stroman comes in with career 3.63 ERA, which ranks second among the club’s likely starting pitchers. For his career record, he is at 61-60. It is difficult to hold much concern for that as the majority of his career has been spent with Toronto where from 2016-2018 the team saw itself at least 20 games under .500 – to go along with two other seasons during Stroman’s tenure where they managed to finish just barely above .500.

Looking at the 2021 season, Stroman’s 10-13 record with a 3.02 ERA speaks even more volume to the fact that sometimes a good player is just on a bad team and has little offensive support behind him. Ask Jacob deGrom how he feels going 10-9 with a league-leading 1.70 ERA.

Regardless, all that is behind Stroman and should the Cubs do what they should in order to compete (add the necessary offensive firepower for their rotation to pick up wins), Stroman’s importance and potential impact will only grow.

Cubs: 5 most important players heading into 2022 – #4: Kyle Hendricks

One of the last remaining members of the 2016 championship team, Kyle Hendricks has been at least above average with flashes of bordering on elite for quite some time now. Opposite of Stroman, Hendricks had a down year, despite a record of 14-7. His 4.77 ERA represented the worst mark of his entire career while his record on the season was his second-best. However, when it comes to Hendricks, there isn’t much room to stay pessimistic for long.

Hendricks is 83-55 with a 3.36 ERA in his big league career and has always nicely slotted in near the top of the depth chart. Given the fact the right-hander has posted three sub-3.00 ERA seasons in the past with only one season above the 4.00 mark (in 2021), I’m willing to bet last year be a wash and he’ll return to form in 2022. His track record as a Cub supports the claim that he will be able to shake it off and return to the well above-average form fans are used to.

Getting anywhere near back to his career marks is essential if the Cubs hope to have any success this coming campaign. With Hendricks and Stroman at the one and two, manning the helm of the starting rotation, it is imperative that the Cubs don’t have a repeat of 2021, when the rotation was a disaster. Adding in Stroman, with a solid comeback outing from Hendricks, can serve as a big step in the right direction.

Cubs: 5 most important players heading into 2022 – #3: Patrick Wisdom

Patrick Wisdom makes this list due to the strong campaign he put together in 2021. Bursting onto the scene seemingly out of nowhere, the slugger went on to break Kris Bryant’s Cubs rookie record of most home runs in a season with 28. The most interesting thing that sticks out to me regarding this accomplishment is that Bryant, while hitting 26 home runs in 2015 in 559 at-bats, saw his record fall to Wisdom who hit 28 in just 338 ABs. He also hit a mark of 2.3 WAR in 374 plate appearances while Kris Bryant was at 2.5 in 375 PAs before he packed up for San Francisco.

All things considered, that’s a pretty emphatic smashing of that record. However, Wisdom, who hit 28 and drove in 61 across 106 games and therefore saw himself on pace for nearly a 40/100 season, wound up slashing just .231/.305/.518. More alarmingly, Wisdom’s strikeout rate of 40.4 percent is eyeball-burning to say the least. This number must come down in 2022.

Although it is common for sluggers these days to whiff more than the average guy, 40 percent is still just unacceptable. Wisdom now finds himself in a spot where he can completely fall off and become a flash in the pan or he can make adjustments and be a key player for the Cubs this year and for years to come.

Good things happen for Wisdom when he puts the ball in play. If he can cut down on his strikeout percentage while drawing a few more walks, he has potential to be the most important offensive weapon the Cubs possess.

Cubs: 5 most important players heading into 2022 – #1: Willson Contreras

Willson Contreras is and always has been a highly important member of this team with a key role. Contreras is not the guy on the team that has to hit 40 home runs and drive in 100 runs every year to be looked at as valued. In fact, more importantly is simply how fantastic of a defensive catcher he has become over the years. All-Star catchers are few and far between. In fact, there are fewer catchers in the Hall of Fame than any other position.

Contreras’ fiery nature and defensive ability speaks for itself. His energy is a spark plug and major momentum boost for the Cubs whenever they need a big play. With all this being said, it is important to note that though Contreras doesn’t have to be the team’s biggest offensive weapon, at the same time he needs to stop trending in the direction he has for the last two seasons.

His early career-success hasn’t translated to that monster breakout performance yet. After all, he slashed just .237/.340/.438 in 2021. At least at surface level, he is trending in the wrong direction offensively.

His defensive abilities make him nearly irreplaceable as it is, but if Contreras can add some more points to that average in 2022, there is a very strong chance he can record the highest WAR on the Cubs in 2022. Regardless of potential trade talks, it is hard to envision a scenario where Contreras doesn’t give it his all as he enters the final year on his contract.