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Entering the 2023 Major League Baseball regular season, the biggest question the Chicago Cubs faced was where would their power generate from. The Cubs compiled a roster of players that were capable of putting the ball in play but may struggle to put the ball over the fence. Little did the Cubs, and their fanbase, know that third baseman Patrick Wisdom would get off to a historic start to the 2023 season.
Wisdom had 2 home runs in the Cubs' 10-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Monday night and is now tied with New York Mets' first baseman Pete Alonso for the most home runs in Major League Baseball this season.
Patrick Wisdom is tied for the league lead with 8 home runs!@ColeWright & @CliffFloyd30 on Wisdom’s hot streak. pic.twitter.com/0s9BxRAqQ8
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 18, 2023
Wisdom has now homered in four consecutive games and has reached a milestone in Cubs' history.
"The Cubs have such a historic franchise. To be alongside some of the greats is pretty cool."@PatrickWisdom5 is the 4th Cub since 1901 with 8 HRs in the first 15 games of a season. He follows Gabby Hartnett (1925), Hank Sauer (1954) and Lee Walls (1958). pic.twitter.com/P5ADr0UO9F
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 18, 2023
Wisdom is off to a strong start to the season overall as he is slashing .288/.351/.788 with a 192 wRC+ and .470 wOBA. Wisdom faced questions over what his role would be on the 2023 Cubs considering the defensive struggles he experienced last season along with offensive draughts. Wisdom slashed .179/.263/.397 in the second half of the 2022 season to go along with an 85 wRC+.
Perhaps the most important aspect of Wisdom's start to the 2023 season is that he is continuing his trend of lowering his strikeout rate. Wisdom struck out at a 40.8% clip during the 2021 season and was able to lower that to 34.3% during the 2022 season. The rate is down to 31.6% this season for Wisdom and while it is still high, you can live with that number as long as the third baseman is showing consistent power.
Wisdom does not reach free agency until 2027. Meaning, if this current offensive form of Wisdom is the player that he will be moving forward, the Cubs may be able to remove third base from their list of areas that they will need to address moving forward.