Sunday, August 03

Welcome back to the Cubs Beat newsletter. Jordan Bastian has covered baseball for MLB.com since 2005, including the Cubs since the 2019 season. With Jordan off this series, MLB.com’s Paige Leckie is handling this edition.

WASHINGTON -- The baseball season, while long and at times grueling, is not often described as “steady.” It’s a hectic 162 games, with ups and downs happening as often as the sun rises and sets. 

So when a player can conduct themselves in a consistent, stable manner, it’s noticeable. And, oftentimes, that steadiness will lead to results. 

That’s what’s happening with Michael Busch. Entering his fifth and final at-bat of the Cubs’ series opener vs. the Nationals on Tuesday, Busch had reached base in each of his past nine plate appearances, spanning three games. That streak ended when he flew out to left fielder James Wood, but it was an impressive feat nonetheless.

Even his manager, Craig Counsell, took note. 

“When he gets hot, to kind of see [it], just every at-bat, tough at-bats,” Counsell said. “I think he was on -- I can’t remember the last at-bat on [Friday] -- what, eight straight? I know he was on all four times on Sunday, and then the first four times tonight. So just really good at-bats.”

That streak of reaching base in nine straight plate appearances marked the longest of Busch’s career. And while it might seem short, it is four plate appearances longer than his previous high-water mark (five over a stretch from April 3-5, 2024).

Over that three-game stretch, Busch posted an MLB-best 2.286 slugging percentage, going 6-for-7 with two triples, two home runs, three walks and seven RBIs.

That consistency pays off and has an immediate and long-term impact on his teammates. 

On Tuesday, Busch worked a seven-pitch plate appearance in the fifth inning, resulting in a bases-loaded walk to give Chicago a much-needed insurance run -- and keep the inning rolling. 

If Busch had not walked, if he had either hit the ball into play and risked hitting into an out or struck out, there wouldn’t have been a chance for Nico Hoerner to hit a two-run single two batters later and boost the Cubs’ lead to 7-3.

That plate appearance is evidence of Busch’s patience at the plate. He took the first pitch he saw, a ball up and inside. Next pitch, a four-seam fastball in the middle of the zone, he fouled off. Another ball, then a called strike two on a sinker over the center of the plate and down in the zone. Busch took note and didn’t make the same mistake on the next pitch, an almost identical sinker middle-down that he fouled off (though he fouled it into his foot and there was a delay to ensure he could continue).

Good to go; Busch saw just two more pitches. A ball in the dirt low and away, then another ball -- this one low and inside -- later, Busch was jogging down the first-base line as Ian Happ trotted across home plate.

Busch’s chase rate ranks in the 83rd percentile, the third-best rate among the Cubs, with just Carson Kelly and Kyle Tucker ahead of him. Busch is also in the 91st percentile in xwOBA (expected weighted on-base average, which helps judge the quality of contact, rather than just the result of each at-bat).

But beyond the stats and results, it’s Busch’s steady presence and his emphasis on routine and consistency that makes a difference for the Cubs. Just ask young phenom Pete Crow-Armstrong, in his first full season in the Majors.

“He’s just steady; he’s got a slow heartbeat,” Crow-Armstrong said Tuesday night. “... And I think that really is an advantage for him, at least from the outside looking in. … And I’m starting to find out, too, [that] to have any sort of success here, you have to have some sort of routine that you can really fall back on. And I think he’s -- he’s just very pro, and he seems very peaceful as he goes about his day, and I can really appreciate that.”

“I think everybody admires that in Michael, for sure,” Counsell said Wednesday. “I always believe every player has their own form of leadership on a team, and Bushy definitely provides leadership to our veteran players in that regard.”

The MLB All-Star ballot launched on Wednesday, giving Cubs fans a chance to vote for Busch (first base), Hoerner (second), Dansby Swanson (shortstop), Matt Shaw (third), Happ (outfield), Crow-Armstrong (outfield), Tucker (outfield), Seiya Suzuki (designated hitter) and Kelly (catcher).

While the Cubs have a few players putting up All-Star caliber seasons so far, Crow-Armstrong (team-high 15 HRs, 21 stolen bases) and Tucker (team-high four triples, .393 OBP) are leading the charge.

Click here to check out the full All-Star ballot. Fans can vote up to five times a day through 11 a.m. CT on June 26. For more information on Phase 1 of voting, click here.

Suzuki led the Majors with 12 doubles in May. Who was the last Cubs batter to notch at least a dozen doubles in a month?

A. Nick Castellanos

B. Mark Grace

C. Derrek Lee

D. Billy Williams

• Crow-Armstrong became the fourth-fastest Major Leaguer to record 15+ homers and 20+ stolen bases in a season. Read more >>

• These Cubs prospects took center stage in May. Read more >>

• Matthew Boyd delivers gem as impressive season continues. Read more >>

“I think it’s leadership for everybody else to know that you’re doing to get the same kind of response to a question no matter what’s going on, you’re going to get the same ‘Hello’ every day, the same reaction when you come back to the dugout, that’s something that creates trust among your teammates.” -- Counsell, on Busch

A. Castellanos

Prior to Suzuki last month, Castellanos was the last Cubs hitter to collect at least 12 doubles, racking up an even dozen in the last month of play in 2019. Suzuki also drew 10 walks, making him the first Cubs batter with 12 doubles and 10 walks since March/April 2007 (Derrek Lee). Suzuki was the first Cub to have at least 12 doubles, 10 walks and 25 RBIs in a month since Sammy Sosa in June 2001.

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