Many MLB fans picked the Chicago Cubs to win the National League East, and so far, those predictions look correct.
The Cubs' success has been built on the backs of their offense, which has been as balanced as it is overpowering to opponents. According to FanGraphs, the Cubs are ranked in the top six of nearly every major statistical hitting category: first in runs scored and stolen bases, third in OPS and home runs, and sixth in average and on-base percentage.
There are two key pillars to these rankings. First, the trade for outfielder Kyle Tucker has been everything the Chicago hoped it would be. The former Houston Astro is slashing .284/.395/.547 with nine home runs and ten stolen bases.
Second, its the official arrival of outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who is taking the baseball world by storm with his electric base-running and pound-for-pound blend of speed and power. The California native is slashing .265/.303/.537 with nine home runs and 12 stolen bases.
The starting pitching has been perfectly adequate for the Cubs, but with Shota Imanaga hitting the injured list, there's a hole to fill. Chicago has called on top prospect Cade Horton to fill the hole.
Horton, 23 from Oklahoma City, is the 46th-ranked overall prospect and eighth-ranked right-handed pitching prospect on the MiLB Top 100 Prospects list. He has a 70-grade slider on the 20-80 grading scale, making it one of the best pitches in all the minor leagues.
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Horton getting called up is exciting and well deserved, but there's a little more pressure to perform for him then realized despite the Cubs' solid start.
What's gone missing in Chicago's overall success is how unsupportive the bullpen has been. The Cubs rank 22nd in ERA, 25th in WHIP, 26th in walks per nine innings, and second-to-last in strikeouts per nine innings. It's been the clear unit of weakness for the team.
The team has been fortunate the offense has clicked so strongly, because they've needed those big run surges to win games. The competitive starting pitching has been an important barrier for the Cubs to get complete team wins.
Imanaga had a 2.82 ERA and 1.10 WHIP when he hit the IL. Those are big shoes for Horton to fill, but he'll need to fill them to give Chicago's electric offense the platform it needs to secure comfortable wins. He'll have run support most rookie pitchers could only dream of, but he can only control what he can control, and that includes holding up his end of the bargain the way his prospect status commands.
