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3 reasons to believe in the Cubs following their hot start
The Chicago Cubs are off to a 9-6 start, with a 7-3 record in their last 10 games. David Ross' club took two of three from the perennial powerhouse Dodgers in Los Angeles and continued their impressive road trip on Monday, putting a hurting on the lowly Oakland Athletics by a 10-1 final.
We're not even 10 percent of the way through the 162-game grind, but optimism has already returned amongst Cubs fans. It's an imperfect roster, to be sure, but there's enough to like that folks are already murmuring about being a potential wild card team come October.
Here are 3 (and we could come up with more, but that might be because it's hard to not be overexcited after your team cranks out 20 hits in a win) - reasons to believe in the Cubs and their hot start.
3 reasons to believe in the Cubs: #3 - The offense is dripping with potential and starting to show flashes of it
Cody Bellinger, for the first time in his big league career, went 5-for-5 in the win over the A's Monday. Patrick Wisdom added a pair of home runs, tying him with Pete Alonso for the MLB lead (in three fewer games) - and making it four straight contests with a long ball.
The recently-extended Ian Happ boasts a .962 OPS on the year and no longer has the shadow of free agency looming at season's end after agreeing to a three-year extension with the Cubs. Nico Hoerner looks like the club's long-sought leadoff answer, Dansby Swanson has been every bit as good as advertised (and then some) and the return of Seiya Suzuki drastically lengthens this lineup.
All of this has culminated in a .793 team OPS (fourth in the NL), a .289 team batting average (second in the NL), 22 stolen bases (1st in the NL), 83 runs (fourth in the NL) and .347 on-base percentage (third in the NL). Chicago can beat you in multiple ways - with the long ball, running the bases effectively or just stringing together hit after hit. It's built very differently than what we'd seen in years past, but is showing all the signs of being a potent mix here in 2023.
3 reasons to believe in the Cubs: #2 - The starting rotation is looking more and more like the real deal
Marcus Stroman and Justin Steele both deserve mention among the best starting pitchers in the league halfway through the season's first month. They've been equally impressive and have been anchors atop the starting rotation.
Drew Smyly is settling in after a bumpy start to the season, as is Jameson Taillon. Seeing rookie Hayden Wesneski get a little more comfortable this week against Oakland was a huge positive for the team given his pair of rocky outings to open the year, and it's all positive signs on the Kyle Hendricks front, as well, as the right-hander works his way back from shoulder surgery.
On the season, Cubs starters boast a 2.95 ERA - tops in the Senior Circuit and the third-best mark in all of Major League Baseball, trailing only the Twins and Rays. This group has learned to take advantage of the revamped defense, rather than overpowering hitters and focusing on the swing-and-miss. The result has been a consistent product day-in and day-out, allowing the Cubs to have a chance to win on an everyday basis.
3 reasons to believe in the Cubs: #1 - Dansby Swanson is doing everything needed from a face of the franchise
Dansby Swanson wasn't the most highly sought-after name on the free agent circuit this offseason, nor was he the one with the largest price tag. But he was always at the top of the Cubs' wish list - and not just for what he can do on the field, which is quite a bit.
One of the game's elite defenders, Swanson has regularly flashed the leather at shortstop early on in his Cubs career. He's been just as good with the stick, though, putting up a 130 OPS+ and .358/.424/.415 slash line on the year. But as important and impressive as all that's been, it was what he did in the midst of his five-strikeout game against the Dodgers last weekend that really stood out to me.
Chicago won the game by an 8-2 final, but Swanson couldn't solve the offspeed stuff he was seeing at the plate. He went 0-for-5 with five strikeouts on the night - but when Seiya Suzuki connected on his first home run of the year in his first series back from the IL, it was none other than Swanson there on the top step of the dugout, waiting to congratulate his teammate.
For Cubs' Justin Steele, 2022 breakout was just the beginning. dark. Next
Those types of things don't show up on the scorecard or on the back of your baseball card, but they can make all the difference in the world. Swanson has been everything the Cubs needed and more this year - and his winning attitude and team-first mentality has been center stage during the team's hot start.