Good Vibes Only: PCA’s Legs, Happ’s Clutchness, Steele’s Dominance, Suzuki, Ballesteros, Prospects, More

The Cubs won a game by TWO runs yesterday. Today is a Friday. The Brewers are on tap. And apparently the world might end in about four months. So I thought we could do another “Good Vibes Only” post about the Chicago Cubs. Here’s just a collection of positivity around the team. They might not deserve it, but we certainly do.

  • Pete Crow-Armstrong is a perfect 15/15 in stolen bases so far this season, which means he’s tied for the 18th most stolen bases in the entire league. And that’s with by far the fewest plate appearances of anyone ahead of him.
  • Likewise, PCA’s 3.4 BsR (base running runs above average) ranks NINTH in MLB and his 5.4 Def rating ranks 36th. Those are incredible sums with so few games played. So even though he’s struggling on offense, he’s already been worth 0.7 WAR. If he can get to like a 90 wRC+ (a very reasonable goal, imo) he’s going to be an extremely valuable player.
  • Ian Happ had a really poor start to the year, but has since turned his season around (115 wRC+). But his production in high leverage moments this season is kind of absurd: .306/.405/.639 (191 wRC+ in 42 PAs classified as high leverage). Because of that, he’s ranking out as one of the most clutch hitters in all of baseball.
  • Over the last calendar month, Justin Steele’s 39.0 IP are tied for third most in MLB. His 1.38 ERA is second best in MLB. And his 1.1 fWAR is t-7th most. He’s on an absolutely incredible run and is every bit as good as he was last season.
  • Maybe it’ll prove to be too-little, too-late, but have you realized how good Seiya Suzuki has been swinging it for over a month now? In his last 133 PAs, Suzuki is slashing .286/.361/.496 (143 wRC+) with six doubles, two triples, five homers, and six stolen bases. I didn’t realize it was that good!
  • Another guy whose good stretch has gone by quietly: Dansby Swanson. Over his last 101 PAs, Swanson has a 111 wRC+. And his 0.7 WAR over that stretch is roughly top-50 in MLB among all position players.
  • Cody Bellinger is currently riding a nine-game hitting streak and is slashing .306/.346/.403 (115 wRC+) with just a 15.8% strikeout rate over his last 133 PAs. Not a lot of slug there, but there’s still value.
  • Brett mentioned Nico Hoerner’s nice run in the bullets this morning.
  • Tyson Miller has a 1.43 ERA in his 17.2 innings since the Cubs plucked him from the garbage heap.
  • One of the Cubs most exciting prospects, Moises Ballesteros, got bumped up to Triple-A and IMMEDIATELY started raking. He has 13 hits through his first eight games, including four doubles and a homer. He’s INCREDIBLY young and potentially a catcher. If the Cubs can find a way to have him stick behind the plate, he’s looking like a potential breakout star. If not, his bat is still likely to play in the big leagues, sooner than later. Just perhaps as a DH-only type. We are in no position to not be thrilled about a bat that potentially awesome.
  • And Ballesteros is hardly the only Cubs prospect having a good season. We’ve liked what we’ve seen from Owen Caissie as a 21-year-old in Triple-A. And Matt Shaw is just about ready for a promotion to Iowa, himself — he’s got a 135 wRC+ overall and is slashing .286/.453/.750 (239 wRC+) since June 13. Oh and then there’s James Triantos!
  • I made a poorly worded comment about Christopher Morel having a “borderline special” bat. I think if I could get another chance, I’d rephrase it as borderline special talent or something like that. Because the truth is, I still really believe in his bat long-term. The growth he’s shown this year in terms of his walk and strikeout rate while maintaining top-level power really is something to keep an eye on. For example, over his last 106 PAs, Morel may have “only” a 119 wRC+, which is actually pretty good, but he’s doing it with a .222 BABIP, an 11.3 BB%, a 10.1 barrel%, and a 20.8 K%. I really think those are the bones of something really, really good.
  • And lastly, if the Cubs do continue to suck, at least there’s this!
  • written by

    Michael Cerami began covering the Chicago Cubs for Bleacher Nation as a part-time contributor in 2015. One year later, he joined Bleacher Nation full-time, covering the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball. Today, Michael runs Bleacher Nation, contributing as a writer (Cubs, MLB) and an editor for all sections of the site, including the Chicago Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks, as well as MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL. In 2019, Michael was the co-host of NBC Sports Chicago's Cubs Post-Game Show Outside the Ivy. You can find him on Twitter/X @Michael_Cerami

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