Ian Happ batting for the Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs’ offense has been one of the best in the big leagues this season. The Cubs have enjoyed the addition of Kyle Tucker, the ascension of Pete Crow-Armstrong, and the steady presence of players like Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch this season. Despite some severe pitching woes, Chicago still holds a three-game division lead and has won ten more games than they have lost. And they don’t look to the slowing down anytime soon.
But perhaps another addition to the Cubs has been the true key to their success. Someone who would otherwise go unnoticed, and isn’t even known by some Cubs diehards.
An unlikely hero
On the latest episode of The Compound Podcast, Cubs star Ian Happ detailed what he believes has been a huge reason for the Cubs’ success.
Happ credited new Cubs first-base coach Jose Javier as a key reason for the Cubs’ offensive dominance thus far.
“He’s been great, whether it’s jump breaks, figuring out tips, or figuring out situationally when to run,” Happ said of Javier. “Obviously, we have a fast team — Pete (Crow-Armstrong) is going to steal a bunch of bags, Nico (Hoerner) is going to steal a bunch of bags,” said Happ. “It’s so much easier to score runs. In situations where we’re up 3-1 in the fifth and we have an opportunity to get aggressive, the ability to keep adding on and doing it in different ways … We’re able to put pressure on defenses. It’s huge.”
Make that No. 12 for PCA 🔥
Pete Crow-Armstrong now sits atop the MLB stolen bases leaderboard!
A fast start
The Cubs have stolen 63 bases this season, which ranks third in the big leagues. This aggressiveness on the basepaths has complemented their offense very well. The Cubs have scored an MLB-leading 293 runs this season. One might say that they got the power and they got the speed to be the best in the National League.
Chicago has five players currently with at least seven stolen bases, and three with at least 10. The power/speed combination of Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong this season has been fun to watch. Both players have hit 12 home runs and stolen 14 bases.
Last season, the Cubs ranked seventh in the majors with an 82.7% success rate on stolen bases. This season, their volume and efficiency are up. The Cubs have stolen 63 bases on an 86.3% success rate, the second highest in the big leagues. For context, 75% is considered the benchmark of adding value to an offense.
Javier played professionally for six seasons in the Yankees system before making the transition to coaching full-time. His experience has no doubt helped him to relate to players and communicate effectively.
Since then, he landed a job back with New York as a defensive coach for the Yankees, where he specialized in outfield defense and baserunning. This may have piqued the interest of the Cubs brass. Cubs manager Craig Counsell took a chance on him and hired him as the Cubs’ first base coach after the firing of Mike Napoli. So far, the move seems to be paying dividends for the Cubs and Counsell.
