Concern Level For 3 Struggling Cubs Hitters
Despite Chicago's offensive surge, inconsistent production from key starters threatens the lineup's efficiency. Analyze the underlying metrics and panic levels for three Cubs hitters.
Video Transcript
What is up, Cubs fans?
And welcome back to Cubs Roundtable.
I'm Joey Polizzi, talking about all things Cubs.
And the Cubs have been the best offense over the past month.
They are averaging 5.88 runs since June 5th, which is the best in baseball.
But there are still a few Cubs hitters who are struggling at the plate right now.
The first one is Alex Bregman.
Bregman is having a disappointing first year with the Cubs, and his numbers have been even worse since the beginning of June.
And the biggest concern with Bregman moving forward is, first, hitting with runners in scoring position.
He is one of the worst qualified hitters in baseball this year with runners in scoring position.
And also, Bregman's underlying metrics are a bit concerning.
Barrel rate, bottom 20% of the league.
Hard hit rate, not great.
Expected batting average, not great.
So yeah, there is some panic and concern with Bregman's recent numbers at the plate.
About an 8 out of 10 right here as we head into almost the All-Star break.
The second player that has not hit the ball well recently is Michael Busch.
Busch had a great stretch in May, but hasn't really done much over the last three weeks, batting under 200 since about June 17th.
So he has not hit the ball well even though the Cubs have been a really good offense as of late.
But there's no really concern here with Busch.
His barrel rate, still looking good, and he should produce better numbers at the plate moving forward.
And the last player is Ian Happ.
There's some good with Ian Happ.
Second on that team in home runs, on pace for over 30 long balls for the first time in his career.
But the bad is he has not been hitting the ball well with runners in scoring position, and some of his metrics, like the expected batting average, don't look great at this point in the season.
Still, the home run numbers are great for Happ, and that's why the concern level's about a 5 out of 10.
I would like to see him hit the ball better with runners in scoring position, but the home run numbers this season have been a pleasant surprise.
Let me know what you guys think about these three struggling Cubs hitters.
What's your concern level on all three hitters?
Let me know down below.
And as always, guys, go Cubs go.
