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3 Cubs players it's way too soon to freak out about amidst early season struggles
A little more than halfway through April, let's take a look at a few guys who have yet to settle in.
After his second start, I said it was way too soon to hit the panic button when it came to Kyle Hendricks. Now, after a third straight rocky outing to open the season, I still feel that way but have much less certainty than I did a week ago after the Padres knocked him around this week in San Diego.
That being said, there are several guys off to slow starts I still have a very high level of confidence in for a variety of reasons. As the Cubs head to Arizona to open a three-game set against the Diamondbacks on Monday, let's look at 3 players who are likely to start getting it together sooner rather than later.
Cody Bellinger has been particularly cold at the plate in the early going
On the heels of re-signing with the Cubs on a three-year, $85 million deal, Cody Bellinger has, for the most part, been quiet at the plate. Sure, he's answered the Wrigley faithful's 'Cody' chants with a home run on not one, but two separate occasions, but that's been about it.
Entering Sunday's finale in Seattle, Bellinger is batting just .167/.270/.296 and has been even worse over the last seven days (.053/.136/.053). He's drawn walks well (7 BB to 11 K on the season) and has been hitting the ball in the air a lot. I'm sure we'll see him get back to his short-to-the-ball approach when down in the count, which usually results in him finding plenty of holes around the diamond.
It's worth remembering the finer details of Bellinger's contract: there are opt-outs after this season and next, meaning no one is more motivated to back up the success he had in 2023 than the reigning NL Comeback Player of the Year - and I'm confident he'll do just that, despite his slow start.
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Nico Hoerner has suffered from a lack of hard contact at the dish
Nico Hoerner, when right, is probably the Cubs player I'd bet reaching 200 hits in a single season before he hangs up his spikes. Not one to take aim at the bleachers, Hoerner has showcased some elite bat-to-ball skills in his career and has all the tools of an eventual All-Star second baseman.
No one will ever question his glove work or baserunning, but an icy start at the plate is raising some eyebrows. The former first-rounder ranks in the bottom 1% of the league in barrel % and, to this point, he hasn't been able to drop balls in or take what the defense gives him the same way he has in the past.
A top-tier walk rate has salvaged Hoerner's slash line to this point (.171/.352/.195) but he hasn't been able to do anything against fastballs and it's hurt him. Over the last few years, he's always been near the bottom of the league in barrel rate and has overcome that obstacle, but that hasn't been the case here in April. A .200 BABIP suggests he's due for some positive regression and the Cubs will gladly welcome that when it comes.
Veteran reliever Hector Neris has a proven track record of success
Boy, if Hector Neris struggles like he has in April for the entire season, that's one signing that will be talked about for years - and not in a good way. To put it mildly, the longtime Astros and Phillies bullpen staple hasn't been the stabilizing veteran presence Jed Hoyer hoped for when he signed the 34-year-old to a one-year, $9 million pact this offseason.
His biggest blow-up, of course, came via a blown save against the Rockies during the opening homestand. After the Cubs opened up a huge lead early, the bullpen imploded, allowing Colorado to tie the game before Chicago eventually put them away for good in a 9-8 win at Wrigley. Neris, for his part, allowed two earned on three hits that night in just two-thirds of an inning.
With the bullpen, as a whole, struggling - and shorthanded with Julian Merryweather out for the next couple of months, Craig Counsell needs Neris to step up and anchor that relief corps. He hasn't done it yet, but we're talking about a guy with a 3.17 ERA in more than 300 appearances dating back to 2019. We're not panicking over a pair of early-season outings gone wrong.
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