Yes, I know the Cubs season was unpleasant and kind of crazy, but you got to admit that there was SOME good about the season...(Frank Schwindel comes to mind?)
So lets explore some of those fun and crazy stats and stat leaders for the 2021 Cubs!
Ian Happ lead the Cubs in games played(148), started(120), and at-bats(465). The ironic thing is he ended up with only a .226 BA, due mostly to his cold first half of the season. We started seeing the 2020 Ian Happ in August and September...maybe he can do it again in 2022?
Ian Happ also lead the Cubs in hits(105), runs(63), RBIs(66), and walks(62). Again, how Happ can REALLY hit showed up in the latter half of the season, also showing his discipline at the plate with 10 more walks than the next leader (Contreras with 52).
Frank Schwindel lead the team with a .342 batting average in 222 ABs. That is hardly sustainable for a whole season...especially if you're a guy picked up off waivers and about 30 years old...but if he could keep a .300 average in 2022, I'd be pretty excited.
Trayce Thompson technically lead the Cubs in OPS(On base + Slugging), but his limited 28 ABs gives a too-small portion.
Thompson: 28 AB, 1.114 OPS
Schwindel: 222 AB, 1.002 OPS
So, I would have to give this to Schwindel, since this OPS consistency lasted for 222 ABs.
Patrick Wisdom lead the Cubs with 28 homeruns (breaking Bryant's rookie homerun record), but also a MLB leading 40.8% K rate. Although Happ technically lead in strikeouts(156), with Wisdom having 153, Happ also had about 130 more ABs than Wisdom. What can I say? If I was the Cubs general office, I would be at a loss at what to do with Wisdom- whose power is obvious, but the strikeout rate absolutely ridiculous.
Javier Baez led the Cubs with stolen bases (13), but of current players, Rafael Ortega led with 12 SB. I admit Ortega wouldn't be my first guess for stolen bases, but he seems more strategic than speedy and magical (like Javy).
Willson Contreras led the Cubs with 14 HPB (Rizzo also got plunked 14 times with the Cubs), so...I guess Contreras is either a disliked guy, or his stare invokes some crazy pitches.
ONTO PITCHING LEADERS
Kyle Hendricks was a leader in a lot for the Cubs. I'll list them all, some good, some not so good.
181 IP.
32 GS (Tied with Davies)
14 Wins
131 Ks
200 Hits allowed
101 Runs allowed (96 ER)
31 HRs allowed.
So...too many hits, too many runs, too many homeruns. But he's got good durability and the strikeouts are a nice plus.
Brad Wieck led the Cubs in ERA (minimum 15 games played) with a 0.00 ERA. You can't get much better than that...of course he had to deal with some heart problems, so he missed the latter half of the season.
Zach Davies led with 75 walks...Um...that's not too good. The Cubs better lose him over the offseason.
But...Davies, Tepera, Chafin, and Kimbrel threw the Cubs first combined no-hitter and the only no-hitter for the Cubs this year. No idea how Davies managed to do that, but, sometimes these guys surprise ya!
Rex Brothers led with 57 games played in. That's not a bad thing- usually it shows reliability, but Brothers really struggled this year- with a 5.26 ERA.
Like I have said over the past few articles- the Cubs definitely need pitching help.
What can we get from this to transfer to next year?
- The Cubs need guys who strikeout less. (Maybe getting a new hitting coach will help)
- Happ and Schwindel need to make the Opening Day roster and cement a spot in the Cubs roster.
- Trayce Thompson needs another shot in 2022, along with Alfonso Rivas and Michael Hermosillo.
- Hendricks needs to get results along with his stability. He's got the innings, not the results.
- Cubs need to get Chafin and Tepera back, or at least more reliable bullpen.
- #Schwisdom 2022: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1097517905/schwisdom-2022-unisex-t-shirt-cubs-shirt?ref=shop_home_active_3
- Wisdom Graphic Tee: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1098665893/patrick-wisdom-graphic-unisex-tee-cubs?ref=shop_home_active_1
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