5 surprises that helped propel the Cubs to the brink of the postseason

The end of the 2023 regular season is upon us, and the Chicago Cubs may just make the postseason. There were certainly a lot of ups and downs this year, but all told, it was pretty great to watch this team play competitive baseball once again.

Whether the team makes the playoffs or not, there are plenty of unexpected things to look back on that happened this year; some good and some bad. Here are 5 surprises we saw this year that helped the Cubs, if nothing else, knock on the door of October baseball once again.

5 Cubs surprises - #1: Kyle Hendricks returned to form

Veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks hasn't skipped a beat since returning from a capsular tear that sidelined him in July of 2022. Going into the year, not many had Hendricks' return on their minds, much less expecting to see him to excel after a serious shoulder injury.

But since late May, Hendricks has compiled 132.2 innings with a 3.66 ERA and 91 strikeouts. More importantly, his bad outings have been few and far between. Nobody should expect to see Hendricks return to his 2016 heights especially since his bread and butter is a changeup. But the guy has been a solid mid-rotation starter and he has kept the team in the majority of his 23 starts, 12 of which have been of the quality variety.

The Cubs will most likely pick up Hendricks' club option for 2024 and look to keep him in the starting rotation. If he continues to put up solid numbers, I'd even like to see Hendricks come back on a short-term deal after 2024. He has played every season of his big league career with the Cubs so far and he is a delight to teammates and fans alike. I also very much like the idea of Hendricks finishing his career with Chicago as the last remaining member of the 2016 World Series team to help pass the torch to the next generation.

5 Cubs surprises - #3: Cody Bellinger's resurgence

I feel like a broken record raving about Cody Bellinger all the time, but I will do it until the day he signs his next contract. A contract that better be with the Chicago Cubs.

It's hard to believe that Bellinger signed a prove-it deal last winter worth $17.5 million, but he played his way into a massive pay day this winter. The expectations were low for the 28-year-old outfielder/first baseman, but perhaps that's why he shattered them.

In 478 at-bats, Bellinger owns an elite .305/.355/.531 slash line with 26 home runs, 95 RBI and 20 stolen bases. His outstanding defense in center field was a phenomenal addition, but his ability to transfer that caliber of defense to first base was more important for the Cubs' needs this year. Eric Hosmer, Trey Mancini and Matt Mervis all failed to take the reins of the position, making Bellinger an even more important cog in the machine.

I expect Bellinger to sign a massive deal this offseason that could end up boasting the most guaranteed money for anyone not named Shohei Ohtani. For heaven's sake, the Cubs need to re-sign this guy if they hope to seriously compete in the near future because he just turned in an MVP type year and would be in the conversation to win that award if he hadn't missed a month with an injury.

5 Cubs surprises - #4: Matt Mervis struggled hard

OK, this one wasn't a total shock, because prospects come up to the majors and struggle all the time. I guess I was just hoping for a little more pop out of Matt Mervis' bat after the historic 2022 season he posted, where he smacked 36 homers and drove in 119 at Triple-A. As a lefty power-hitting first baseman, everything was in place for Mervis to stake his claim in the majors. But things didn't turn out like that.

After getting the call up in May, Mervis found his way back to Triple-A Iowa after just a month and a half. While the 25-year-old looked more than capable of playing defense, major league pitching just seemed to chew him up at the plate. When he was able to connect, Mervis crushed the ball but his hits were just too few and far between.

The good news is that Mervis has seemingly made adjustments and he did continue to rake at Iowa. He finished the year with 22 home runs, 23 doubles and a .932 OPS. I think Mervis will get another chance to prove himself with the Cubs and hopefully his adjustments transfer to the MLB level because his power is off the charts and the team could use more home runs in the lineup.

5 Cubs surprises - #5: Justin Steele established himself as an ace

This one hurts to write about right now because up until recently, Justin Steele looked like he might squeak out the National League Cy Young award. However, the southpaw's last two starts were ugly and he surrendered six earned runs in each contest. While Steele's numbers inflated over the past two weeks, frontrunner Blake Snell kept his foot on the gas and looks poised to take home the coveted award.

Although a Cy Young Award isn't in the cards this year, Steele has still been an unbelievably valuable arm for the Cubs and they would likely not be on the cusp of the playoffs without him. The 28-year-old owns a 3.00 ERA in 168 innings with a career-high 170 strikeouts and 16 wins. Those are incredible numbers and hopefully they give Steele the confidence to continue this dominance into the future.

Steele will be at the front of the Cubs' rotation for the foreseeable future since he's under team control through 2027. I find comfort in the fact that he took a massive step forward this year and he seems ready to build on that success to help the team make the playoffs again.