After beginning the season with a 30-20 record, optimism is high in the Windy City for the Chicago Cubs. In contrast to the other Chicago-based team, the Cubs have expectations of being true contenders this season, the first such season since their World Series core disbanded. With a commanding three-game lead in a sneaky good National League Central, the Cubs have been receiving some love from the national media.Â
In a recent Power Rankings article by ESPN, the Cubs are ranked as the sixth-best team in MLB, with a specific shoutout given to slugging shortstop Dansby Swanson.Â
âSince being dropped to eighth in the batting order at the end of April, Dansby Swanson is hitting close to .400 with an OPS over 1.000. He’s back up higher in the order as he has seemingly figured things out after the slow start, raising his batting average from .185 to .262 in that time frame. It’s hard to know for sure, but the lineup change may have helped him relax. Pitches he was swinging through previously, he’s now hitting with authority, making him a bigger part of a dangerous offensive attack in Chicago.â
An explosive offense
Undoubtedly, the main reason for the Cubs’ success this season has been their offense. Chicago ranks 4th in team OPS (.782), Slugging (.447), OBP (.335), and Walks (190). They have also hit the fifth most homers in the big leagues with 69. In addition, they have scored more runs than any team with 293.Â
This offense has been firing on (almost) all cylinders. The only weakness has been the third base position. The Cubs have the second-worst OPS among third basemen with a .540 clip, significantly below their team average mark. But with the recent recall of Matt Shaw, a great lineup may soon nullify their biggest weakness. This offense is good enough to help the Cubs make serious noise this season.Â
Pitching has lagged behind
So if the Cubs’ offense is borderline top-3 in Baseball, why are they ranked down at sixth? The simple answer is the pitching staff. While their rotation has accumulated an 11th-ranked 3.71 ERA, their bullpen is much worse.Â
So far this season, Cubs relievers have allowed a 4.23 ERA, which ranks 19th in the Majors. This is after a recent hot stretch, but the numbers still reflect a sub-optimal unit. The bullpen has let the Cubs down in several big spots this season and has cost the team multiple wins. This was seen most recently in their last loss to the Miami Marlins. Down to their last strike, the Marlins were able to squeeze out a one-run victory on a walk-off triple from Jesús Sánchez
While this is something they will surely address at the deadline, the unit is poor as it currently stands.Â
When you combine one of the best offenses in the Majors with a middling rotation and a poor bullpen, you get ranked as the sixth-best team in MLB. Given their record, quality of opponents, and holes in the roster, I would say this ranking is fair. But with an upcoming stretch against sub-par opponents, the Cubs may soon shoot up this list.Â
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