3 things we’ve learned about the Cubs as May nears an end

Cubs have some pieces they could (but likely won’t) build around

As Seiya Suzuki works through the learning curve that comes with playing at the big league level for the first time, the Cubs have gotten some solid production in other areas. Ian Happ and Willson Contreras lead the team in OPS this season and both could be long-term building blocks.

Of course, the likelihood of that happening feels slim given the front office’s history of failing to extend homegrown players. Contreras could prove to be the single most valuable trade chip on the market this summer if he keeps hitting and stays healthy. Happ, meanwhile, at least to me, needs to maintain what he’s done in the first two months throughout the summer to show that long-awaited consistency we’ve all wanted to see.

Whether or not Chicago sees Nico Hoerner as the shortstop of the future remains to be seen, but, regardless, he’s done a lot of things right this year. You’d like the bat to show a bit more pop in the coming months, but any questions about his glove work at the position have been definitively answered.

Patrick Wisdom will continue to be solid at the hot corner and flex his tremendous power. You know what you’re going to get in a player like this. The jury still seems to be out on Frank Schwindel, though. After a brutal start to the year, he rebounded nicely following a pseudo-demotion to Triple-A and has an .855 OPS over the last two weeks.