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This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat publication. To learn the complete publication, click on right here. And subscribe to get it often in your inbox.
CHICAGO — If it seems like Christopher Morel is launching baseballs at a historic fee for the Cubs, that’s as a result of it’s true. The listing of gamers who’ve pieced collectively a stretch of video games just like Morel’s current sizzling streak is an actual who’s who of the lengthy, storied historical past of the franchise.
A question into the 10-game stretches mirroring Morel’s current run all through Cubs trendy historical past reveals the likes of Kris Bryant in 2016, Sammy Sosa in 1998 or 2001, Ryne Sandberg in 1990, Billy Williams in 1970, Ernie Banks in 1958 and Hack Wilson in 1930, amongst a small listing of others. Simply put: the search reveals a few of the biggest offensive seasons in crew historical past.
“He’s hitting it pretty dang hard and pretty far when he makes contact,” Cubs supervisor David Ross mentioned. “That’s just such a threat.”
In the ninth inning of Sunday’s 2-1 loss to the Phillies, Morel belted his eighth residence run since rejoining the Cubs from Triple-A Iowa. In the method, Morel …
- Joined Aristides Aquino (eight in 2019), Mike Schmidt (9 in 1976) and Luis Gonzalez (9 in 2001) as the one MLB gamers since 1900 to have not less than eight homers of their first 11 video games of a season. Thanks to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs for that be aware.
- Extended his streak with not less than one hit and one run scored to 11 video games. Only Hank Sauer (12 video games in 1954) had an extended streak of that sort in trendy Cubs historical past. In the Majors, White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson was the final to realize the feat with a 12-game run in July 2021.
- Ended the nine-game highway journey with seven homers by means of Minnesota, Houston and Philadelphia. In Minneapolis, Morel blasted the Cubs’ two farthest homers of the season: a projected 461 ft into Target Field’s third deck in left on May 14 and 429 ft to the second deck in proper on May 12.
In 40 video games between the Majors and Triple-A Iowa this season, Morel is now batting .342/.418/.795 with 19 residence runs, 12 doubles, two triples, 45 RBIs and 46 runs scored. That features a .957 slugging share in his 11 video games with the Cubs, with whom he has additionally struck out at a 37.5% clip.
“Christopher’s far from the finished product when it comes to his plate discipline,” Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly mentioned. “We’re never going to take the aggressiveness away from him. I think you have to live with the swing and miss.”
Kelly defined {that a} focus for Morel proper now could be to determine his injury zones and to study to “eliminate pitches” within the course of. The hitting coach mentioned that’s particularly the case with elevated fastballs. Going into Sunday, Morel had an anticipated SLG of .849 on heaters (all sorts) within the upper-third (and simply above) the zone in his small pattern of ’23 at-bats. That mark was .452 final yr.
“He’s just going to get better and better,” Kelly mentioned. “They just start to figure out, not necessarily what the top of the strike zone is, but the top of their zone and how they handle those pitches.”
It was clear that the 23-year-old Morel had nothing left to show within the Minor Leagues. He pressured the Cubs’ hand with relentless manufacturing and has not let off the gasoline. Now, Ross is searching for methods to maintain Morel concerned, shifting him all around the infield and outfield, or slotting him in as a chosen hitter.
“What I love about Mo,” Ross mentioned, “is he simply performs with a ardour, and likes to go on the market and play regardless of the place we put him within the lineup, regardless of the place I put him within the discipline.
“He comes in with a real threat in the bat, real aggressiveness, real athleticism all over the field. And I’m excited to continue to see his career develop.”
