3 Chicago Cubs players who'll be better in 2023 and 2 who won't

3 Cubs players who will be better in 2023: #1 - Cody Bellinger

Cody Bellinger is going to be your 2023 NL Comeback Player of the Year. You heard it here first, folks. Finally healthy and on a prove-it deal with the Cubs, the former National League Rookie of the Year and MVP is going to ball out at Wrigley this summer, giving the bleacher bums plenty to cheer for.

After an absolute disaster of a 2021 season, Bellinger rebounded a bit last year, but still fell well short of the superstar-level numbers he put up early in his career. Chicago is hoping a reunion between Bellinger and new Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly, who spent three years with the Dodgers, helps get the slugger back on track.

Frankly, after the last two years, I just feel like the only direction for this guy to go is up. He has put himself in a position to be a headliner next offseason if he can return to form in a free agent class of bats that's fairly weak - and at just 27 years old, there's no reason to think he's at the end of the road just yet.

Offensively speaking, this is the guy to watch. If he, all of the sudden, regains MVP-caliber dominance, the Cubs quickly look like a very different team. But given his Gold Glove defense in the outfield, he doesn't even need to hit that high water mark for him to make a difference in 2023.