Some Positive Perspectives On An Otherwise Dreary Cubs Season
Today, we take a quick look at a handful of somewhat positive stories to try to find a semblance of a silver lining to the disappointing Chicago Cubs season.
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Pregame Pepper - Socializing Some Cubs Positivity
Leading Off
Five High Notes From The Lackluster 2022 Chicago Cubs Season
By Brian Harl
Spoiler Alert: The Chicago Cubs don’t make the MLB postseason this year. What started as an attempt to achieve mediocrity, at this point the Loveable Losers are somewhere between thinking about putting together a run towards a .500 season and just trying to not lose 100 games. While Cubs fans lament the frustrating and forgettable 2022 campaign, it is worth exercising our perspectives and noting a few intriguing and mostly positive stories before we put a lid on it.
Steele Can Deal
Seriously though - how good has this guy been lately? Over his last nine starts, he has put together a 1.47 ERA (top among NL starters) with 6 quality starts and 59 strikeouts in 49 innings pitched. Want more? Since 1901, only one other Cubs lefty, beloved Jon Lester, has put together more games (seven) with nine or more strikeouts (Steele has six, including three out of his last four starts). According to Brendan Miller, Steele’s four-seam fastball ranks in the 97th percentile of horizontal movement in the MLB, giving it practically the movement of a cutter with the gas of a fastball. He continues to get better and better, and when he isn’t striking out guys, he is inducing ground balls at around a 50 percent rate. Here is hoping for continued success for the young lefty.
Nick Madrigal’s Second-Half Surge
After being traded to the Cubs by the White Sox at the deadline last year, Madrigal struggled out of the gate. His May and June statlines were forgettable, with his batting average sputtering between .200 and .250, a far cry from the .340 average in his 2020 rookie season and the .305 he put up last year before being sidelined with a torn hamstring. Two stints on the IL didn’t help early this year but now things seem to be turning around. Over his last 15 games, Madrigal is putting up a resurgent .327 average and a .393 OBP and is staking claim to the team’s leadoff spot. He has seven weeks left to keep it up and end his 2022 season on a positive note.
Contreras and Happ Stay Put At The Trade Deadline
In a move that practically surprised every Cubs follower this season, Willson Contreras and Ian Happ are still playing for the team after the trade deadline. Virtually everyone expected at least one, if not both, to be headed elsewhere as the Cubs look to continue seeking youthful talent in their rebuild. It became apparent that potential suitors were unable to meet the Cubs’ front office demands for either of the stars, so instead of letting them walk for pennies on the dollar, they remain for at least the remainder of the season. Both are putting up outstanding seasons and were the Cubs’ two All-Star selections this year. A season after seeing the likes of Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Javier Baez depart Chicago in return for tranches of prospects, it is nice to get to watch Contreras and Happ play for the Cubbies at least for the remainder of this season. Contreras could fetch the team a compensatory draft pick if he declines a qualifying offer for next season, while Happ remains under team control for one more season.
Franmil Reyes Takes Advantage Of An Opportunity
Not wholly unlike Madrigal’s story above, Franmil Reyes has been turning on the heat after the Cubs gave him a new lease on MLB-level play this season. In 10 games (41 at-bats) with the Cubs, he is putting up outstanding numbers: a .368 average, 14 hits, 2 home runs, 2 triples, 3 doubles, 7 RBI, and 5 runs scored. This includes a nine-game hitting streak. Not bad for a player claimed off of waivers. Reyes admitted that his confidence has rebounded since joining the Northsiders after a perplexing and disappointing start to the season with the Cleveland Guardians. While he almost certainly won’t be able to sustain his current pace, he quite possibly can capitalize on this resurgence and become a dynamic contributor for the rest of the season.
Field Of Dreams Game Captivates
Despite featuring two sub-.500 teams without a shot of even glimpsing the playoffs this season, the Field of Dreams game gave us fans an enjoyable show. Chicago’s Drew Smyly tossed a gem, allowing just four hits and two walks while striking out 9 of the 22 batters he faced. While I personally wasn’t a fan of the mutated Harry Caray hologram that led the seventh-inning stretch, most of the other festivities satisfied the baseball masses. A 4-2 win by the Cubs, which included offensive output by Seiya Suzuki, Nico Hoerner, and Nick Madrigal, was just some icing on the cake and it allowed Cubs fans a few hours to forget about the dismal 2022 season and witness this well-executed take on our pastime in a bit of a vacuum.
Brian Harl is a freelance baseball writer and an editor for the IBWAA Here’s The Pitch Newsletter. He is a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan and enjoys baseball history and trivia. He is actively involved in IBWAA and SABR groups. You can find him on Twitter at @cubs_corner.