The Chicago Cubs’ 2024 season has not gone the way fans envisioned at the beginning of the year. As August draws to a close, the team is 5.5 games out of the final wild card and unlikely to qualify for the postseason. However, the Cubs have been playing better lately. The bullpen, which served as an early catalyst for the team’s decline, has rebounded and performed excellently over the past month. The team’s 13-7 record since July 31 is good if they can keep up that pace and get a little lucky along the way, as the teams ahead of them have no chance.
Nevertheless, someone has to step in. The Cubs have players who either have the necessary experience or have already shown that they can perform at their best even in longer periods of success. The team can rely on these three Cubs in the final month of play.
The Cubs spent most of last winter trying to get Cody Bellinger back in the fold after he posted a .307/.356/.525 batting average with 26 home runs and 87 RBIs in 2023. The ability to play Gold Glove defense only raised his level even further, and they brought him back on a three-year deal with two player options in the final two years. Bellinger hasn’t replicated that hitting power of last season, and while we were OK with some regression, now is the time for him to really get going again.
A former Rookie of the Year, MVP, and Comeback Player of the Year, Bellinger has the skills and experience to be one of the most dynamic players in MLB. He’s played in the postseason in five different years and knows how to bounce back when needed. Last season, he posted a 142 wRC+ in the second half instead of the 123 wRC+ he currently has. He’s proven he can be that guy, and the Cubs desperately need him at his best to close out the year.
