I believe I've already talked at great length about how wonderful the Chicago Cubs have been doing this season. Several...several times. To the point where all 29 other teams have got to be sick of it by now.
But here...I need to talk about Dexter Fowler. Because this is a guy that people counted out years ago, and now he's become one of the more unlikely sources of power for the Cubs.
Keep in mind...Fowler wasn't even supposed to be playing for the Cubs this year. Thanks to the Cubbies locking up Jason Heyward, Kyle Schwarber (so they thought) and Jorge Soler, they really didn't need Dexter Fowler back at the top of the season, so he was left to sign somewhere else, and...he almost did. For a few weeks, we kind of assumed Fowler would be suiting up the Orioles, which would have changed that dynamic and potentially brought them a few more wins than they have right now (which is plenty).
However, at the last second, Fowler opted out in favor of going back to Chicago, where he had one of his best offensive seasons since coming up with the Rockies. And that was an amazing decision, because thanks to Fowler, the Cubs have become the best team in baseball by far. Yes, Dexter Fowler, the guy everybody took out of their binders after a quiet 2011 season, is one of the prime players in Chicago.
It's because he was finally given a proper place for his abilities, and because he had the right kind of roster to fit into and thrive with. He's obviously not the star of the show, but he can come in when you least expect it and do something really cool. He's also a nice base-stealer, and a pretty decent defensive outfielder. He's one of those five-tool guys that the Cubs weren't expecting to just have handed to them (thanks to a trade with Houston in '15).
Fowler's probably going to be a huge part of the playoff effort once September comes (in a few days), and will probably be one to watch for in some tough games. I love that he's come this far, and I love that he might go farther.
Coming Tonight- The exact person the Rangers needed to pick up.
I couldn't find the numbers but I'm pretty sure the Cubs had a losing record while Dexter was on the DL. There were other factors to be sure but he is a key man at the top of the order. Same last season. Nice custom!
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