Chicago Cubs’ Bottom of the Order: The Unlikely Heroes of MLB’s Hottest Offense
CHICAGO — Picture this: It’s a Friday night at Wrigley Field, and the crowd is buzzing with excitement. The Chicago Cubs are in the midst of a thrilling comeback against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the unlikely hero of the night is none other than catcher Carson Kelly. Batting eighth in the lineup, Kelly has already smashed two home runs and driven in five runs, helping the Cubs secure a wild 13-11 victory.
As Kelly steps into the batter’s box for his fourth at-bat in the eighth inning, he hears something unexpected from the stands: “Car-son, Kel-ly. Car-son Kel-ly.” It’s not every day that a catcher batting at the bottom of the order gets such a reception, but then again, it’s not every day that a team like the Cubs is getting this kind of production from the bottom of their lineup.
Fast forward a couple of days, and it’s the Cubs’ No. 7 hitter, Pete Crow-Armstrong, who is basking in the adoration of the Wrigley Field faithful. During a two-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the crowd chants “P-C-A, P-C-A” as Crow-Armstrong continues to impress. With a slugging percentage of .897 against the Dodgers in their seven-game season series, the L.A. native is earning every bit of the attention he’s getting.
It’s not just Crow-Armstrong and Kelly who are making headlines. The Cubs’ 7-8-9 hitters are generating as much buzz as other teams’ 1-2-3 hitters, propelling Chicago to the top of the run-scoring leaderboards in MLB. Heading into their weekend series against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Cubs are averaging 6.3 runs per game, nearly a full run higher than the next best team, the New York Yankees, who average 5.5 runs.
The secret to their success? The bottom of the order, which includes Crow-Armstrong, Kelly, and fellow catcher Miguel Amaya. This trio, along with newcomer Kyle Tucker, has transformed the Cubs’ offense into the best in the league over the first month of the season.
Even Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has taken notice, saying, “This team is a completely different ballclub than the one we saw in Tokyo. They’re playing a lot better.”
Indeed, the Cubs’ trip to Japan in mid-March was a low point, as they managed just four runs in two losses to the Dodgers. But something clicked for the Cubs’ young players, particularly Crow-Armstrong and Amaya, late in the season. Crow-Armstrong, a first-round pick by the New York Mets in 2020, began to show his potential after being traded to the Cubs for Javier Baez. His OPS jumped 150 points in the second half of last season.
Amaya, once a promising prospect sidelined by injuries, found his form at the plate after eliminating a leg kick. His OPS jumped over 200 points from the first half to the second last year. The addition of Kelly via free agency has been a revelation, as he’s produced a 1.413 OPS in 14 games.
As Crow-Armstrong puts it, “Me and Miggy [Amaya] talk about that a lot. We take a ton of pride in being at the bottom and producing at the bottom, and f—ing turning the lineup over. That’s where we belong right now.”
- The Cubs lead the majors in home runs (13) from their 7-8-9 hitters.
- They have as many home runs as 21 other organizations’ 1-2-3 hitters.
- They are tied with the Yankees for first in slugging and third in home runs.
President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer acknowledges the impact of the bottom of the order, saying, “Last year, I felt like our offense really struggled because the bottom of the order really wasn’t producing.”
The individual transformations of the players have been key. Crow-Armstrong got “on-time” with his swing, Amaya eliminated his leg kick, and Kelly has found something he believes in, leading to his current success.
Kelly’s production has even prompted Crow-Armstrong to slow down on the bases when hitting behind the catcher. “I have no inclination to steal when Carson is hitting,” Crow-Armstrong quipped. “It looks like he’s seeing f—ing beach balls.”
Perhaps the best illustration of the Cubs’ depth on offense is what happened the day after Kelly hit for the cycle earlier this month in Sacramento: He got a day off. “The fact that he gets an off day the day after he hits for the cycle and the day after a two-homer game is pretty funny,” Crow-Armstrong said with a laugh.
The Cubs are getting the best version of Kelly, who is hitting .342, something the Diamondbacks were hoping for during his time with them from 2019 to 2023. Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen remarked, “Carson Kelly is a way different player than when we had him. Good for him. We always believed in the potential. It seems like it’s coming together for him.”
Hazen also sees the potential coming together for the Cubs, who have a similar offense to the Diamondbacks, with plenty of power and speed. “PCA is a stud,” Hazen continued. “That was probably more of an age/experience situation …. Their lineup is way deeper, way more dangerous and way more dynamic than I remember being last year.”
The Cubs are the first team in major league history to compile 35 home runs and 35 stolen bases in the first 25 games of a season. They lead all of baseball in batting average (.265), on-base percentage (.346), stolen bases (40), and OPS (.806).
As the longest-tenured Cub, Ian Happ, puts it, “We’ve been consistent against everyone. Scoring late, adding on. We’ve done it against everybody. It’s been 1-9, the ability of guys to get on base and make things happen. Every day is someone different.”
The Cubs have faced the toughest strength-of-schedule month of any team in baseball this season, yet they’ve already won season series against the Dodgers and Diamondbacks while splitting six games with the San Diego Padres. Easier days should be ahead.
While the bottom of the order has been the difference-maker, one player near the top is also doing his part. Tucker has been every bit as good as advertised, becoming the first Cubs player since 1900 to record at least seven home runs and seven stolen bases within the team’s first 26 games. “He’s unbelievable,” Crow-Armstrong stated simply.
It’s not all perfect for Chicago. The team has a glaring hole at third base after sending down struggling prospect Matt Shaw, and shortstop Dansby Swanson is off to a slow start, striking out 33 times in 104 at-bats. But even he got into the flow in Wednesday’s win over the Dodgers, going 2-for-4 while driving in two runs in yet another thrilling Cubs victory, 7-6 over the reigning World Series champions.
Swanson, after his performance, chose to direct the conversation back to the bottom of the order, the driving force behind the Cubs’ 16-10 start, which has them in first place in the NL Central. “Seeing a guy like Miggy or Pete grow up is really fun to see,” Swanson said. “The work, the conversations, the advice, you start to see it show up in real time. As a group, it’s a huge reason we’ve had the start that we’ve had. There’s no drop-off down there. It’s impressive.”
Originally Written by: Jesse Rogers
