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Chicago Cubs could see significant improvement from within

By Bill Felber

CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 2: Members of the Chicago Cubs return to the dugout after the national anthem before the National League Wild Card game against the Colorado Rockies at Wrigley Field on Tuesday, October 2, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 2: Members of the Chicago Cubs return to the dugout after the national anthem before the National League Wild Card game against the Colorado Rockies at Wrigley Field on Tuesday, October 2, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 28: Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs in the dugout after hitting a home run against the St. Louis Cardinals on September 28, 2018 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Cubs won 8-4. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images) /

Kris Bryant

An injured shoulder limited Bryant to a career-low 102 games last year. It also severely reduced his power. Prior to suffering the mid-June injury, he was pretty much his usual self, having hit nine home runs, driven in 36, and carrying a .280/.362/.481 slash line. That’s off some, but not a lot, from the .287/.388/.526 slash line he generated in his first three seasons,

But in the 36 games he played following his first trip to the disabled list, Bryant produced just four homers, just 16 RBIs, and a .256/.331/.416 slash line. The shoulder injury, in short, reduced him to the level of an average major leaguer…and a part-time one at that.

His WAR, which had averaged 6.6 in his first three seasons, dropped to 1.9 in 2018

Assuming Bryant is fully recovered from that shoulder problem entering 2019, his return to pre-2018 form would give the Chicago Cubs what they had prior to last season: an MVP caliber middle-of-the-order hitter who doubles as a totally competent infielder. Without making a single move, they would “acquire” nearly five games of WAR.

And there’s some reason to hope for even more. Bryant will be 27 in 2019, an age generally identified as a ballplayer’s “prime.” His full potential is perhaps best  illustrated by his best season to date, his 2016 MVP year. Bryant, who was 24 at that time, batted .292 with a .385 on base average, a .554 slugging average, a 146 OPS+ and a 7.4 WAR.

Were that type of season to suddenly appear in the middle of the Cubs lineup, Joe Maddon would have a formidable offense indeed.

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