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5 mind blowing statistics from the Chicago Cubs' first month
Although the Cubs suffered a three-game sweep at the hands of the Miami Marlins to close out the month of April, the team still performed well overall while getting unexpected production from old and new faces. With the Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Brewers ahead of them, the Cubs currently sit third in the NL Central with a record just above .500 at 14-13. There is plenty of room for improvement, which could probably be found by a couple by making a couple of roster moves, but there is still a lot of promising stuff to take away from the first month of the season. Here are 5 impressive stats from the first month of Chicago Cubs baseball in 2023.
1. Cody Bellinger's .641 slugging percentage
I don't want to jinx anything, but it certainly looks like the old Cody Bellinger is back after his first month in a Cub uniform. After a slow first week, Bellinger began to rake at the plate and he never looked back. After homering in back to back games against the Marlins, Bellinger is now second on the team in home runs (7) and RBIs (18) with an impressive slash line of .297/.371/.641 and a stellar wRC+ of 155. His .641 slugging percentage ranks 7th in the entire league among qualified hitters, making him one of the best power hitters of April.
Many were skeptical about the Bellinger signing when it happened, but it is starting to look like a steal as Bellinger is playing a huge part of the Cubs solid offense. Along with the return to form at the plate is Bellinger's ever consistent defense in center field and adequate speed on the bases (4 stolen bags this year). At just 27-years-old, Bellinger is making the case for a long-term stay in Chicago, which I am all here for if he keeps putting up these numbers at the dish. Bellinger has a mutual option for 2024, but he will likely seek a larger contract if his production continues on this path.
2. The rotation's 3.43 ERA
The Cub's starting rotation has been mostly solid so far, ranking 2nd in the National League and tied for 5th in MLB with a 3.43 ERA. Leading the charge in his sophomore season as a full time starter is LHP Justin Steele, who is currently first in the National League with a 1.49 ERA over 36 innings. Alongside Steele is sanker specialist Marcus Stroman, whose high groundball percentage is playing well with the Cubs' newly improved infield defense. With gold glove candidates Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner gobbling up balls up the middle, while Wisdom and Mancini/ Hosmer cover the corners, Stroman is comfortable letting his sanker sank which has resulted in him posting a 2.29 ERA over his first 6 starts.
Behind the one-two punch of Steele and Stroman is Drew Smyly, who has been surprisingly solid so far and emerged as the third starter. With a 3.21 ERA and a WHIP of just 0.93, Smyly's first month was highlighted by his perfect game bid against the Dodgers on April 21st. The back of the rotation could use some improvement, as Jameson Taillon is hurt and Hayden Wesneski has gotten shelled on several occasions but has been better recently. The unsung hero in all this success is veteran catcher Yan Gomes, who is proving to be an invaluable backstop on and off the field. The rotation will have to continue to dominate if the Cubs hope to make a run at the division.
3. Patrick Wisdom's 10 home runs
Cubs third baseman Patrick Wisdom is flashing the power this year with 10 home runs already swatted after just a month. This is one of the best starts by a Cub ever in terms of home runs, as Sammy Sosa only had 6 through his first 26 games in his record setting 1998 season where he smacked 66 dingers during the regular season.
If Wisdom keeps this 10 home runs per month pace, he will have over 60 long-balls by the end of September which is just insane. From a league standpoint, Wisdom is tied for 2nd along with Pete Alonso and Rafael Devers with Max Muncy leading the pack with 11 homers. With a general lack of power in the Cubs' lineup, Wisdom's slugging ability is not only cool for the record books, but much needed as only him, Bellinger and Gomes have more than 5 home runs on the year. Hopefully he can stay healthy and continue this impressive tear.
4. Nico Hoerner's 25 game on base streak
Cub's second baseman Nico Hoerner has been outstanding in the first month, as the 25-year-old has reached base safely in almost every contest of the season so far with his streak extending to 25 games on Sunday. His production out of the leadoff spot is something the Cubs haven't seen in years, and his ability to set the table has been a huge part of this offense. Hoerner has earned that contract extension as he is leading the team in several categories like batting average (.328), hits (39) and stolen bases (10). The stolen bases stat is truly impressive, as Hoerner is currently tied for sixth in the entire league in the category. With a new era of stealing bags seemingly on the rise, Hoerner's ability to take that extra base is incredibly valuable.
MLB | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
Stolen Bases | 392 | 586 |
Date | Through May 8th | Through April 30th |
5. The team is 2nd in the League in batting average
Despite the flaws of this team, which has mostly been the back of the rotation and the bullpen, the offense is miles beyond what is was last year. And no other stat truly showcases the transformed offense than the team's batting average of .276, which is tied for 2nd in the entire league behind only the 23-6 Tampa Bay Rays. The guys you see in the everyday lineup have simply been producing at a consistent level while there seems to be a focus on playing small ball and keeping the line moving. This has resulted in several convincing offensive outbursts, including six games in the month of April where the team scored 10 or more runs. For reference, the Cubs accomplished that feat 6 times during the entirety of the 2022 season.
2022 Cubs scoring 10+ runs in a game: 6 times
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) April 21, 2023
2023 Cubs scoring 10+ runs in a game: 6 times … though the first 20 games.
Hopefully the best is yet to come, because while Bellinger, Hoerner and Happ have been rock-solid, Seiya Suzuki and Dansby Swanson have not shown their full capabilities, especially in home run department as each man has just 1 dinger each so far. The hottest hitters in the system are also not even on the active roster, as Christopher Morel and Matt Mervis are currently lighting Triple A on fire for the Iowa Cubs with the former leading the International League with 11 home runs and the latter continuing his herculean performance from last year. Morel and Mervis will find their way to the Major League roster at some point this season, hopefully giving the team even more of a dangerous offensive presence.
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