These 3 Cubs are floundering at the plate over the last 2 weeks

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Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer admitted it'll take lengthy winning streaks for his team to get back into the postseason picture and avoid selling at the trade deadline for the third straight year.

It's easy to point to the team's bullpen struggles in the season's first two months - but the offense has lacked the necessary firepower, as well. Lately, it's hard to pinpoint many guys who are living up to expectations, but there are 3 players who have really been struggling.

3 Cubs players who are floundering at the plate: #3 - Christopher Morel

Remember when the Cubs, at long last, promoted Christopher Morel after watching him torch Triple-A pitching for the first month of the season? Remember how he continued decimating big league pitching, homering what felt like every single game?

Yeah, those days are long gone. Over his last 15 games, Morel has a .212 OPS - that's right, his OPS is lower than you'd even like his average to be. His .040/.172/.040 slash line in those 9 games is brutal and a 40% strikeout rate tells you what you need to know about how things are going for the Cubs' utilityman right now.

Without Cody Bellinger's bat in the lineup and without much else in terms of power, Morel's struggles have contributed in a big way to Chicago's recent offensive woes. Getting him sorted out has to be a priority, because the Cubs have no chance of turning their season around without him being a key contributor.

3 Cubs players who are floundering at the plate: #2 - Matt Mervis

Speaking of young Cubs looking lost at the plate, rookie first baseman Matt Mervis is in the same boat as his teammate Morel. He's batting just .050/.136/.100 over the last two weeks and the plate discipline he demonstrated during his rapid ascent through the minors has evaporated - evidenced by a 40% strikeout rate.

Cubs fans hoped Mervis would be that much-needed power presence once he reached the big leagues, but so far he's managed just four extra-base hits in 74 at-bats, including a pair of home runs. He's shown flashes of making adjustments, but hasn't been able to lock in since coming to Chicago.

We’re trying to reiterate to him that this is still your game, you’re the same player. This is you and what you do best and we’re going to try and continue to stick to that. Obviously there’s some challenges, especially him coming up with a little bit of notoriety. People knew who he was. The power is real. All of that is real and guys have treated him like he’s a power threat in our lineup.
Dustin Kelly on Matt Mervis

With Eric Hosmer a thing of the past and Trey Mancini still finding his footing with his new team, first base continues to be a major issue for the team, especially offensively. Hopefully, with more reps, Mervis will begin to settle in and show why he rocketed his way through the ranks over the last two years.

3 Cubs players who are floundering at the plate: #1 - Seiya Suzuki

The last spot on this list could have easily gone to Patrick Wisdom, whose struggles at this point are well-documented, despite his team-leading 14 home runs and .486 slugging percentage.

In his last 15 games, the Chicago outfielder is slashing just .186/.286/.209 with 16 strikeouts to just six walks in 43 at-bats. Suzuki had surged alongside Morel when he was hot in May, but has cooled off simultaneously, dealing a tough blow to the Cubs' offensive production.

Thankfully, he's continued his strong play in right field. Baseball Savant pegs him in the top two percent in terms of outfield jump and in the 89th percentile in arm strength. His barrel rate is down and he's been the victim of some questionable calls at the plate, but regardless of the cause, the Cubs need to get him going again. Maybe getting him attacking more first-pitch strikes?

Next. In the Running or Not. 3 reasons Cubs are still in the running and 2 reasons they're not. dark

If Suzuki ever finds more consistency in terms of production, he has all the makings of a future All-Star. But the highs and lows have plagued him his first year-plus in MLB and finding ways to avoid the ebbs and flows needs to be a major focus for both him and the organization as we head into the summer months.

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