Beloved former Cubs fan favorite putting up wild power numbers en route back to the majors

When the Seattle Mariners signed Patrick Wisdom to a minor-league deal back in January, it didn't register as much more than a bit of nostalgic noise for Chicago Cubs fans. The 34-year-old slugger hasn't played in the big leagues since the North Siders cut bait with him in 2024, having spent all of last year in the KBO.

A funny thing is happening down in Triple-A, though: Wisdom is slugging his way back into prominence.

Through his first 15 games with the Tacoma Rainiers, Wisdom has hit nine home runs. He only has five other hits, all of which are singles. He's slugging a preposterous .774 en route to his 183 wRC+, and he's even slightly cut down on his strikeouts (14 total) while working nine walks.

We've seen power binges before from Wisdom, but he's on another level right now. Along those lines, with the Mariners placing Rob Refsnyder on the paternity list, Wisdom is getting recalled.

Patrick Wisdom is still doing Patrick Wisdom things.

Wisdom was a fan favorite during his time in Chicago, hitting 76 home runs between 2021-23 for a rebuilding club. A former first-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals, his emergence as a late-blooming third base prospect was especially satisfying for a team that traded away 2016 NL MVP Kris Bryant during the start of his tenure.

Of course, the book on Wisdom is well-known at this point. He's a subpar defender who strikes out at obscene rates, which limited him to matchup and platoon duty even during his best years. As the Mariners are finding out, his power is prodigious, but even that carrying tool wasn't enough for him to get a look with an MLB team after the Cubs moved on.

The good news is that the underlying data more than backs up his ridiculous stats this year. He ranks in the top 10 of all Triple-A hitters in the following stats: average exit velocity, max exit velocity, barrel rate, and hard-hit rate. Oh, and his xSLG (expected slugging percentage) sits at .894, which is more than 100 points higher than his already-absurd total.

The Mariners are scuffling right now, especially when it comes to first baseman Josh Naylor (-5 wRC+). Perhaps Wisdom provides a spark.

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