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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.
By Jake Misener
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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