Welcome back to the Cubs Beat newsletter. Jordan Bastian has covered baseball for MLB.com since 2005, including the Cubs since the 2019 season. |
CHICAGO -- One of the surprises of the first month of this Major League season has been the high-octane performance by the Cubs’ lineup. The group has applied pressure with stolen bases, while also showing the ability to clear the fence. The early-season showing by the offense has been a driving force behind the Cubs climbing to the top of the National League Central. Adding star outfielder Kyle Tucker has made an immediate impact, but there has been damage done up and down the order to put Chicago at or near the top of multiple statistical categories. “You’re not going to score seven, eight runs a night. That’s impossible,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer cautioned recently. “But I think the more we can continue to grind out pitchers, make good decisions, get ourselves good counts, we have a chance. But I would kind of file that under the category of, ‘It’s still early,’ and we need to remember that.” Fair enough, but let’s look at five wild numbers from the Cubs’ first month of production: |
170+ runs in the first month The Cubs currently have 172 runs scored on the season, putting the team on a path to one of the best runs-per-game showings in modern team history. There has only been one other Cubs team since at least 1901 to produce 170+ runs before the end of April. The 2008 North Siders scored 171 runs in March/April that spring. Historic power-speed showing The Cubs have already topped 35 homers and 40 stolen bases before the end of April. The only other team in franchise history to reach those benchmarks in any month was the 1985 Cubs, who had 40 homers and 43 steals in September/October. It’s only been done 14 times overall since at least 1901, with the 2024 Brewers the only other team to achieve the feat in March/April. |
Five players with at least five homers Tucker, Carson Kelly, Seiya Suzuki, Michael Busch and Pete Crow-Armstrong have each launched at least five home runs so far this season. According to team historian Ed Hartig, this is the first time in club history the North Siders have had five players do that before the end of April. Hartig notes that only the ‘19 Cubs (Javier Báez, Willson Contreras, Jason Heyward and Anthony Rizzo) and the ‘94 Cubs (Leo Gomez, Ryne Sandberg, Scott Servais and Sammy Sosa) had four players with at least five homers before the calendar flipped to May. Tucker’s 20-25-25-30 month So far this month, Tucker has already amassed at least 20 walks, 25 runs, 25 RBIs and 30 hits for the North Siders. You have to go back to 2001 (September/October) to find the last Cubs player to do that in a single month. That last instance? None other than Slammin’ Sammy Sosa. Before that, Hack Wilson hit those marks three times (May, July and August) in his incredible 1930 campaign. |
As the Crow-Armstrong flies
Crow-Armstrong has already reached at least 12 steals, 15 extra-base hits, 20 runs and 30 hits this season. Since 1901, PCA and José Reyes (2007 Mets) are the only players to hit all those numbers before the end of April. Two of the most recent occurrences in any month include Shohei Ohtani (September/October ‘24) and Ronald Acuńa Jr. (June ‘23). You might recall that Ohtani and Acuña each won the NL MVP in those seasons.
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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Prior to Crow-Armstrong this season, who was the last Cubs player with at least 12 stolen bases before the end of April? A. Nico Hoerner B. Tony Campana C. Brian McRae D. Kiki Cuyler |
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Moisés Ballesteros collected a pair of hits for Triple-A Iowa in a 6-4 win over Louisville on Sunday. One day earlier, the I-Cubs catcher rattled off five hits in seven at-bats in a doubleheader against the same opponent. That’s just how things have been going for Pipeline’s fourth-ranked Cubs prospect (No. 65 on the Top 100 list). “He’s an enjoyable hitter to watch,” Cubs director of player development Jason Kanzler said recently. “As much as we don’t know how to define the phrase ‘hitter-ish,’ he very much has the hitter-ish trait. It’s fun to watch a guy like that.” Through 22 games this season, Ballesteros has hit at a .414 (36-for-87) clip with a .475 on-base percentage and .586 slugging percentage for Iowa. The catcher has two homers, seven doubles, one triple, 12 RBIs, 14 runs and nearly as many walks (10) as strikeouts (12). Ballesteros is still just 21 years old, too. “What’s impressed me the most,” Kanzler said, “is remembering his age, and that he’s doing this as young as he is. He vaulted himself through the Minor Leagues using his bat. And what I don’t want anyone to forget is he’s making substantial progress catching.” In particular, Kanzler said Ballesteros’ pitch-to-pitch focus -- both mentally and physically -- has been a noticeable improvement early on this season. He noted that the catcher has also “tightened up” his throwing mechanics from his footwork to his arm stroke. “We’re not looking at him as only a bat,” Kanzler said. “We are trying to develop a whole player, and he is developing on both sides of the ball.” |
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• 5 reasons the Cubs have a case as NL’s top team. Read more >> • Colin Rea’s steadiness has helped Cubs rotation. Read more >> • Another setback for Cubs righty Javier Assad. Read more >> • 10 teams whose playoff odds have changed the most. Read more>> • 10 surprises from the season’s first month. Read more >> |
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“Pete’s ability is just to affect all facets of a game, and I don’t think there’s many people that can do that. I don’t think there’s many players right now in the game that can do it to the level that Pete does. And that’s why he’s so much fun to watch. I think there’s been a lot of talk about getting more athleticism in the game. And I think when you see someone like Pete, that’s why that drum beat is so loud. You see the fan connection and reaction to players like that.” -- manager Craig Counsell, on Crow-Armstrong |
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C. Brian McRae Crow-Armstrong and McRae (1996) are the only Cubs players since at least 1901 to collect 12+ stolen bases in the first month (March-April, technically) of a season. McRae also swiped 12 in 13 chances during that ‘96 season, ending the year with a career-high 37 steals overall. |
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