Chicago Cubs Rookie Among Major League Leaders Since All-Star Break

As the Chicago Cubs approached the trade deadline, the lineup's weak spot had been third base. From the start of the season until the All-Star break, Cubs third basemen combined to produce the lowest wRC+ in MLB, just 50.

There were big moves to be made for a third baseman, such as Eugenio Suarez or Ryan McMahon, but the Cubs stood pat and trusted former first-round pick Matt Shaw. And ver the last month, the sources of production in the Cubs lineup have drastically changed.

Since the All-Star break, Shaw ranks fifth in MLB with a 1.141 OPS among hitters with at least 70 plate appearances, behind Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, Shohei Ohtani and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The Cubs' rookie third baseman also ranks first in isolated power (.456), second in slugging percentage (.779), fourth in wRC+ (212), tied for seventh in home runs (8) and 21st in batting average (.324).

Meanwhile, Suarez has a .381 OPS with the Mariners and McMahon has a .661 OPS as a Yankee. Shaw's fifth-inning solo home run on Wednesday helped the Cubs secure a 4-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Cubs went into the All-Star break tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the most runs scored in MLB at 508. Considering Shaw leads the team in home runs and RBI since the break, a strong offense could have turned into a juggernaut.

But it's been quite the opposite. With Shaw's uptick in production came a major falloff for most of the lineup. Since July 18, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kyle Tucker, Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch each have batting averages of .205 or lower and OPS below .640. The first two were All-Stars, while Suzuki tied for the team lead with 25 home runs and Busch had a team-high .925 OPS at the break.

With their best four hitters collectively slumping, the Cubs are just 11-13 since the All-Star break and hopes of winning the National League Central division for the first time since 2020 have nearly evaporated.

It certainly doesn't help that they're competing with the best team in baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers, who've won 12 straight games and have a 27-4 record since July 6. That incredible run has turned the Cubs' 6.5-game lead in the division on June 17 to an eight-game deficit heading into Friday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Strides have come from the Cubs' former top prospect, Shaw, but he's gotten little help from those who had carried the load in the first half. Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays was a prime example, as Ian Happ, Tucker and Carson Kelly each struck out with runners on second and third base in the eighth inning.

With 42 games left, the Cubs still hold the top Wild Card spot and are projected to win 94 games with a 99.1% chance to reach the playoffs, per CBS Sports' odds. But if the offense can't figure things out soon, hopes of a playoff run will continue to dwindle.