Chicago Cubs Have the Best Outfield in Major League Baseball

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Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

No team in baseball features a better trio on the outfield grass than the Chicago Cubs. There isn't a whole lot of room for debate here, either. 

As a group, the Cubs' outfield ranks first in fWAR (5.0), well ahead of the New York Yankees (4.2) and even farther ahead of the Boston Red Sox (3.0). While it would be an oversimplification to attribute the team's early success specifically and solely to that group (given the success of Michael Busch and the tandem of Miguel Amaya and Carson Kelly behind the plate), it's certainly been the outfield leading the way. This was always possible, but it was far from guaranteed, so seeing it come to fruition is as encouraging as it is satisfying.

The acquisition of Kyle Tucker was obviously a boon. With such little positional flexibility when the offseason began, moving Cody Bellinger out of town and finding a suitable replacement for Seiya Suzuki's glove in right represented one of the only paths toward legitimate addition within the lineup. Tucker has been crucial to the team's early run to the top of the National League Central, but it's been far from the only element driving the offensive (and defensive, for that matter) pace thus far.

In addition to pacing the league in fWAR, the Cubs' outfield leads the league in isolated slugging (.236) and strikeout rate (16.5%), while sitting top five in batting average (.291), on-base percentage (.367), and stolen bases (21). Their 22 home runs are tied with the Yankees atop the leaderboard, as well. To say that it's a potent group would be an understatement.

Tucker has been as advertised. Plenty of ink is still to be spilt over the team's efforts to retain their new-ish superstar, but even with a little bit of a recent "cold" streak, he's still a top-10 position player in most categories. His 168 wRC+ ranks seventh, while his walk rate (15.3%) continues to outpace his strikeout rate (11.7%). 

While Tucker had the ability to raise the floor of what this group could produce, it's been Pete Crow-Armstrong who has pushed the ceiling upward. Not all of the stats look great. He's still reaching base at a barely a .300 clip, but he's tamped down the strikeouts on his way to producing a 139 wRC+. That's all despite a very cold start. The power has really manifested, to the tune of a .287 ISO that even narrowly surpasses that of Tucker (.285). We knew the speed would be there, and lo: 12 steals. 

The mildly ironic thing is that the star-level play we see from each of Tucker and Crow-Armstrong on a daily basis has overshadowed the contributions of Ian Happ atop the lineup. He's running a 120 wRC+, with virtually no power to speak of (.102 ISO). Generally a slow starter, that Happ is already a worthy contributor without the power (which we don't typically see until May, anyway) really gets moving speaks to the actual ceiling of this group.

Then there's the defensive component. The Cubs lead the league with 10 Defensive Runs Saved in the outfield, even with Tucker rating a bit below average. It helps that Crow-Armstrong is jumping his way to covering more ground than almost any individual outfielder in baseball, but Happ's defense looks legitimately good in the face of metrics that have soured on him throughout his Gold Glove run.

It's the combination of offense and defense that has given the Cubs two of the nine most valuable players in baseball—and we're not just talking outfielders. There are 162 qualifying position players in the league. Crow-Armstrong ranks third in FanGraphs WAR, and Tucker sits ninth. Happ's farther down the list, at 63rd, but it's nearly impossible to overstate the level at which this outfield has performed. 

They've been much-needed, too. While catcher (Amaya/Kelly) and first base (Busch) both sit in the top seven in positional value, the middle infield spots have both been middle-of-the-road. Third base is near the bottom of the league (28th). Seiya Suzuki's phenomenal production as the DH is vital, but since his defensive homes are in the outfield, he feels like an extension of that corps.

Consider some of the groups that were projected to be among the best in the league on the grass in the National League alone. Arizona. San Diego. Milwaukee. FanGraphs's preseason positional power rankings had the Cubs eighth in left field, 12th in center, and fifth in right. They've blown them all away. And then you get into the value of pushing Suzuki into a full-time role as the designated hitter. 

It's this group that has not only made the Cubs into a legitimate NL contender, but a singularly watchable winner. After a handful of years of middle-tier, outright boring baseball, the Cubs have become one of the most exciting teams in the sport on the strength of their outfield.

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