The Sockman Cometh

 

I can say I've seen Mike Tauchman play live for 3 different teams. 2018 Rockies, saw them in Cincinnati, he didn't have a great day there. 2019 Yankees, I think he was there in July, didn't have much luck against Verlander. And 2023 Cubs, cracked a homer off of Gerrit Cole. It's insanely strange how Tauchman's career has gone in just 5 years.

I had assumed that the full extent of Tauchman's MLB powers came with the 2019 Yankees. After that season he had less and less presence on subsequent teams, from the 2020 Yanks to the 2021 Giants, where he hit under .200 and struggled to impact a team that would eventually win the NL West. However, like many MLB also-rans, Tauchman recaptured his swing in the KBO league, and hit .289 with 43 RBIs and 12 homers in that time. For a guy that hadn't truly excelled to this extent since Albuquerque, Tauchman was motivated to return to the bigs. The Cubs signed him, he eventually made the team after some time in Iowa, and...he's been leading off ever since.

Tauchman's Cubs numbers have been the outfield bat's best showing since 2019. He's hitting .272 with 42 RBIs and 7 homers, on par with the norm for him. Tauchman is technically the designated OF bat, but he's also been platooning with Morel and Suzuki to get more reps. The outfield flexibility has been one of the Cubs' best assets this year, because at any point Cody Bellinger, Ian Happ, Mike Tauchman, Christopher Morel or Seiya Suzuki could form a kickass outfield, and they're all really nice options both at the plate and in the field [though admittedly Morel's not great defensively]. Having Tauchman as another versatile outfield guy alongside Bellinger, that's...a lot going right at once.

It is a good thing the outfield battery has been so successful, because it's coming at a time where the rotation is having some issues. The cumulative ERA ballooned, especially after Stroman got hurt, and things have been switched around. Drew Smyly's now working out of the bullpen while Javier Assad's starting again. This has worked, as Assad's last three starts have been wins. You also still have Justin Steele and Kyle Hendricks doing relatively well, but there was just a stretch where everybody, especially Wesneski and Taillon, were getting beat up a lot. They all seem to be recovering though, as Taillon had a much better start yesterday. The next week or so of easier series' might level the ERAs a bit more. 

The Cubs are still a contender, man. They're gonna get even hotter with all these games against the Royals and Tigers coming up. Buying low on Bellinger, Tauchman and Gomes was a smart strategy, as, clearly, was bringing Jeimer Candelario back. As of right now they're tied for the last spot, and need to keep this momentum up to secure it. I think it's possible, though not 100% confirmed yet. Let's see how they do this week. 

Coming Tonight: A guy who used to be a late rookie call-up in a veteran contender. Now he's sort of a veteran contender surrounded by too many rookie call-ups.