3 Chicago Cubs who will benefit the most from MLB rule changes

With all the rule changes happening in the MLB, it's important to keep an eye on who will benefit the most in 2023. Jesse Rogers wrote up a good breakdown of all the rule changes and how they will be enforced, and you can check that out here. As it pertains to the Chicago Cubs, there are quite a few players who will be able to take advantage. Let's look at three of those players now, starting with newcomer Ben DeLuzio.

3 Chicago Cubs who will benefit the most from MLB rule changes - Ben DeLuzio

Rule changes that will help:

• Bigger bases

Ben DeLuzio, who was brought in on a minor league deal, will benefit primarily from the MLB rule changes due to the increased size of the bases this season. Last season, DeLuzio stole 30 bags in the St. Louis Cardinals organization with their Triple-A affiliate, the Memphis Redbirds. Bigger bases will generally give a runner a little more room to avoid a tag and, thus, makes it harder for the defender to make the play.

DeLuzio has already been a solid hitter and base runner but has never been given a chance in the MLB to make a name for himself. In the minors, he is a career .290/.361/.412 with 140 stolen bags in 462 games, including a line of .292/.361/.462 in 645 at-bats alone at the triple-A level. He's been a career 25% opposite-field hitter, so if he can learn to do that more effectively, he will be more of a threat to raise his batting average.

3 Chicago Cubs who will benefit the most from MLB rule changes - Eric Hosmer

Rule Changes that will help:

• Banned shift

As a lefty, Eric Hosmer's ability to hit to the opposite field will help him out in the average batting department in 2023. Going back to last year, specifically in the second half, Hosmer hit the ball to the opposite side at a 32.8% clip, which was higher than the 28.1% he recorded to the pull side. In 2022, Hosmer had a ground ball rate of 56.8% but still managed a .268 batting average.

Banning extreme shifts will open holes for him all over the infield to slap base hit through. Although you can't just throw all previous numbers out the window, groundball hitters that have the ability to go opposite field will benefit. Essentially, it will be hard for defenders to line up correctly against Hosmer, and though his power numbers won't be the greatest, his ability to spray the ball all over the field is where he will find his value in 2023.