The Summer of Mike Tauchman |
When you analyze why the Cubs have soared from near the bottom of the National League to in line for a playoff spot, there are many players who deserve praise. Justin Steele making the official jump to ACE in MLB has been a huge boost to the Cubs, his steadiness on the mound has translated to wins, it feels, every time he pitches.
Cody Bellinger’s month-plus-long hot streak has massively helped the Cubs. Day after day, Bellinger has been in the mix of producing runs, and the Cubs have boasted the best offense in baseball after the All-Star break in large part because of Bellinger. Adbert Alzolay has truly come into his own as a closer and has both lengthened and solidified the Cubs bullpen. Jeimer Candelario was the Cubs’ big add at the trade deadline and has done his part in strengthening the Cubs’ lineup. Dansby Swanson is proving to be worth every penny of his big contract, and his power numbers are surging. There is a multitude of reasons that the Cubs have raised their playoff odds to above 50%, but one of the biggest and most unsung heroes of this Cubs team has been Mike Tauchman. Tauchman is a slight journeyman in MLB. He debuted in 2017 with the Colorado Rockies and played a total of 52 games over two years. The next three seasons Tauchman spent in the Bronx with the Yankees, and he set career highs across the board in 2019. In 2021 he was traded to the Giants, which is how he finished that seasons, and he did not make the pros at all in 2022. The Cubs signed Tauchman to a minor league deal ahead of the 2023 season, but it appeared early on that he had a chance to make the roster out of camp. With Christopher Morel and Matt Mervis not making the team initially and Seiya Suzuki on the injured list — Tauchman seemed to make sense on the roster. Instead, the Cubs went with a third catcher (Luis Torrens, not Miguel Amaya), Edwin Rios (back in the minor leagues), and Miles Mastrobuoni (back in the minor leagues) and left Tauchman in AAA. Tauchman is a Palatine, Illinois native — and officially joined the Cubs in May — and has been a massive boost to the Cubs in 2023. Not only has Tauchman provided excellent outfield defense and productive offense, but he has slid into a role the Cubs have been looking to fill since 2016. The Cubs obviously won the World Series in 2016, and one of the most important factors was the fact that they had Dexter Fowler setting the table. The Cubs said that year, “You Go, We Go” in regard to Fowler and Tauchman has had much of the same effect here in 2023. The Cubs are 32-21 in games that Tauchman starts, and he has led off in 36 of those games. He has accumulated a WAR of 2.1 in just 68 games this year (more than Marcus Stroman, Ian Happ, and Christopher Morel). “He embodies a lot of our strength, which is depth and pretty high-character guys,” Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner told The Athletic last month. “If you look at the path of his career, he’s taken on some really challenging things, playing overseas and going up and down, not starting in the big leagues this year, all of that. I have a lot of belief in guys like that who kind of just keep going.” In fact, the Cubs are 16-6 in their last 24 games — and five of those six losses have been in games that Mike Tauchman has not started. While you can give your praises to the likes of Bellinger and Swanson and Steele, the fact of the matter is the Cubs are a more productive team with Tauchman in the lineup, specifically leading off. “The instincts sometimes can outplay raw talent,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “He’s got a high baseball IQ.” He’s had game-saving plays in the outfield, a walkout robbery of a home run in St. Louis, and a few timely hits that have swung the outcome of the game. He may not be the fastest or biggest, or most talented guy in the room, but he impacts the game — and he is a big reason the Cubs are playing winning baseball.
