3 Chicago Cubs hitters who dominated throughout Spring Training

Spring Training is officially over and it's time for baseball season to officially begin! Tomorrow, the Chicago Cubs kick off their 2024 campaign in Arlington against the Texas Rangers with Justin Steele hoping to start things on a high note. Before the games start to matter and the pre-season stats are wiped away, however, let's look back at how the Northsiders did this year in the Cactus League.

While the team as a whole ended on a bit of a sour note - losing seven of their last ten - the Cubs showed largely what fans would hope for in spring, especially when it came to hitting. The prospects, like Matt Shaw, Brennen Davis, and Christian Franklin, showed a ton of promise while the major leaguers, like Michael Busch, Christopher Morel, and Yan Gomes, put up respectable performances that show they're ready for the season. The team also got some monster performances from depth guys like David Bote and Joe Hudson who could be positioned as in-season call-ups in case of injuries.

#1: Seiya Suzuki

We've known for a while that Seiya Suzuki can be a true superstar more than worthy of his nearly $100 million price tag. He ended last year on a white-hot pace, posting an excellent .370/.434/.685 slash line in September and October, good for a 196 wRC+. If he could be close to that hitter throughout an entire season, he'd be in the race for NL MVP without question. The main issue is that each of his first two seasons has come with significant slumps in between tears.

His spring performance only makes those dreams of hardware seem more like a possible reality though. In 41 plate appearances, he kept on his blistering pace with an absurd .459/.513/1.081 slash line with six home runs and a 306 wRC+(!), enough to rank him among the best hitters in the Cactus League. On top of that, he only struck out 14.6 percent of the time. Those numbers aren't sustainable, obviously, but they are a showcase of how locked in Suzuki is for the start of the season.

If there were a Cactus League MVP award, Suzuki would likely take home those honors. Now, it's just a matter of whether he can translate his performance into a season worthy of a real MVP award. At the very least, he should be viewed as one of the Cubs' middle-of-the-order bats who will help carry the team throughout the season.

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#2: Owen Caissie

Of all the hitting prospects that showed up in Spring Training, none shone brighter than slugging outfielder Owen Caissie. While all eyes were initially on top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong, Caissie quickly stole the spotlight by mashing with a .333/.409/.569 slash line with two long balls and a 159 wRC+ in 44 plate appearances. For a hitter who hasn't appeared above Double-A yet, he had the look of a player who is close to making the jump to the majors.

Currently ranked as the Cubs' third-best prospect by MLB Pipeline, Caissie is sometimes overlooked because of the team's crowded outfield picture. Acquired in the Yu Darvish trade in 2021, he's shown prodigious power in the minors, hitting for .289/.398/.519 last year at Tennessee. There are long-term concerns about his strikeout rate, considering it has hovered around 30 percent in the minors, but the bat is real and could be coming sooner than expected.

At just 21 and with other prospects ahead of him, there's no reason to rush Caissie to the majors. His performance should have him firmly on everyone's radar as a potential in-season call-up though, assuming he continues to force the issue in the minors or a spot opens up for him. Designated hitter feels like a natural spot to fit him in if the opportunity arises. It's possible that, with the outfield log jam, he could also be seen as an increasingly valuable trade piece capable of netting the Cubs another star at the trade deadline. Whatever the case, the future looks bright for Caissie.