The Chicago Cubs are rolling right along in their march to their first playoff appearance since 2020. Fresh off a sweep of The San Francisco Giants, who are struggling to secure a Wild Card spot themselves, the Cubs have now won more games than anyone else in the National League with a 34-17 record since July 14th.
A few players are stepping up in a big way, including several young rookies who are eager for their first taste of October baseball. But some of the main players are also struggling. Here are three Cubs players who are hot, and two who are cold.
Hot: Seiya Suzuki
For much of the 2023 season, it looked like Seiya Suzuki was lost. It didn't seem like he was having fun and his production at the plate was much to be desired. This lack of production led to Manager David Ross benching his starting right fielder at the beginning of August to give him a mental reset.
And reset he certainly did because Suzuki has been on arguably the best stretch of his Cubs career since Ross told him to take a seat. Suzuki has even surpassed much of his first half numbers in a much shorter span.
Seiya Suzuki | Games | Batting Avg. | Doubles | Home Runs | RBI's | Runs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st Half | 70 | .259 | 13 | 7 | 28 | 28 |
2nd half | 46 | .299 | 14 | 9 | 30 | 34 |
Much of this production has come in August and the first week of September and it is coming at the perfect time. Shortstop Dansby Swanson is currently slumping hard and the Cubs have been leaning on Suzuki to drive in runs. It's a great thing to see and exactly what the team was hoping for when they signed him to an $85 million deal nearly two years ago.