Cubs Need to Emphasize Right-Handed Power, Rather Than Lefties Like Kyle Tucker

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of © David Banks-Imagn Images

 

Since 1947, there have been 28 player-seasons in which a right-handed Cubs batter hit at least 35 home runs. That's a respectable number, though obviously, it's a bit inflated by the presence of two men: Sammy Sosa and Ernie Banks. Sosa had 10 35-homer seasons in a Cubs uniform; Banks had six. Still, there have been plenty of other sluggers who found significant success. Hank Sauer, Aramis Ramírez and Derrek Lee each had multiple 35-homer campaigns, too.

By contrast, the only three 35-home run seasons by left-handed Cubs batters were:

• Billy Williams in 1970
• Williams again in 1972
• Kyle Schwarber in 2019

As I've discussed here before, the temptation is to imagine that Wrigley Field is truly symmetrical. Its marked dimensions are:

• 355 feet to the left-field corner
• 368 feet to left-center
• 400 feet to center
• 368 feet to right-center
• 353 feet to the right-field corner

In reality, though, that symmetry is an illusion. The 400 marker is essentially in dead center, but the deepest part of the park is to its right, as the wall slopes away in that direction. (Wrigley is one of just a few parks in the league at which the farthest fence is not marked.) The "well" in the left-field corner is longer and flatter than the one in right field, which means the ball sneaks out of the park down that line better than to right. The wall arcs away more in right field, so that the 368 is farther toward center field in left than in right.

The effects of the wind have always been better for hitters aiming for left field, too. When the wind blows in, it usually comes from right field, knocking down balls hit that way. When it blows out, it has a much more democratic positive effect on fly balls, and if anything, it often pushes it better toward left. Arguably, that's all been heightened by the renovations since 2015.

Since 2021, pulled batted balls in the air at Wrigley have broken down by handedness as follows:

• Left-handed batters: .602 average, 1.290 slugging, 96.7 MPH exit velocity, 24° launch angle, 15.6% home runs
• Right-handed batters: .576, 1.258, 94.7 MPH, 24°, 17.2% home runs

The raw numbers are better for lefties, but that's because we're working with a better selective sample. Despite hitting the ball two miles per hour harder at the same launch angle, lefty hitters are getting the ball out of the park less often. Hitting homers to right field at Wrigley is just too hard to make it a fair fight.

Obviously, this doesn't mean the Cubs should abandon the effort to maintain lineup balance. In truth, though, they already have it. Michael Busch only managed 34 homers during the regular season, but he was arguably the Cubs' best hitter. Pete Crow-Armstrong had a brutal second half, but he'll be back in the lineup next year and still has significant offensive upside. Ian Happ is a better hitter from the left side. At least one of Moisés Ballesteros and Owen Caissie is likely to play a major role in 2026. That's plenty of left-handed talent. They're extremely unlikely to re-sign any of Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger or Schwarber, but they can get by without those guys. Tucker, in particular, proved not to be an especially good fit for Wrigley Field at this stage of his career.

The lineup needs more right-handed thump, though. Seiya Suzuki leads the charge from that side, and was perfectly adequate in that regard in 2025. Dansby Swanson was better this year than in either of his previous campaigns with the Cubs, including hitting 24 home runs. Nico Hoerner was a great all-around hitter. However, the team's first-half power binge gave way to a second half with a dearth of punch from the right side.

If Miguel Amaya comes back and has a healthy 2026, he and Carson Kelly could give them a bit more consistent production at catcher. Matt Shaw went on a tear during the second half, although it now reads more like a hiccup between long, bad stretches than like a turning of the corner toward stardom. Rather than put all their hope in the incumbent options, though, the Cubs need to sign a slugger this winter. Eugenio Suárez is the most obvious fit, but another intriguing one could be long-time Cubs nemesis Pete Alonso.

Although reportedly looking for a seven-year deal, Alonso is much more likely to settle for a four-year pact this winter. He would make a tremendous addition to the heart of the Chicago order, as the team's DH against righties and a right-handed platoon partner for Busch at first base. Right-handed power is fairly expensive, but relatively plentiful. There are several ways to solve the problem. The Cubs just need to choose wisely. 

 

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[squally1313]

Yeah, I think in a vacuum, feel out what kind of pitching you can get for a Shaw-led package, and then feel out what kind of pitching you can get for a Ballesteros/Caissie-led package, pair the return from a Shaw package with Suarez and pair the return from the second package with Alonso, and see which one you like better. 

1. Busch
2. Suzuki
3. Happ
4. Suarez/Alonso
5. Dansby
6. PCA
7. Hoerner
8. Shaw/Ballesteros/Caissie
9. Kelly/Amaya

[Bertz]

So on the one hand, you look at this lineup and it's not great that the second best source of RHH power is either Dansby Swanson or whoever is catching that day.

On the other hand. while it's not your focus here regarding handedness, it is worth noting that even without a major power threat the team should continue to be dangerous against LHP.  Each of Suzuki, Swanson, Hoerner, Kelly, snd Shaw had a wRC+ of at least 125 against lefties.  Everyone but Shaw, who wasn't yet a big leaguer, did it in '24 as well.  Add a complimentary RHH bat to the 1B/DH/RF mix (Paul Goldschmidt?) and give some of PCA's playing time against lefties to Alcantara and you've got a deep lineup for LHP to navigate.

On yet another hand I mostly hate this class of FA bats.  I want no part of Suarez or Alonso, and Bregman/Bichette aren't really power guys.  Maybe there's a trade option worth considering (Taylor Ward??), but if we're sticking with FA either think small or go all the way for Tucker IMO.  No half measures.

[Rcal10]

36 minutes ago, Bertz said:

So on the one hand, you look at this lineup and it's not great that the second best source of RHH power is either Dansby Swanson or whoever is catching that day.

On the other hand. while it's not your focus here regarding handedness, it is worth noting that even without a major power threat the team should continue to be dangerous against LHP.  Each of Suzuki, Swanson, Hoerner, Kelly, snd Shaw had a wRC+ of at least 125 against lefties.  Everyone but Shaw, who wasn't yet a big leaguer, did it in '24 as well.  Add a complimentary RHH bat to the 1B/DH/RF mix (Paul Goldschmidt?) and give some of PCA's playing time against lefties to Alcantara and you've got a deep lineup for LHP to navigate.

On yet another hand I mostly hate this class of FA bats.  I want no part of Suarez or Alonso, and Bregman/Bichette aren't really power guys.  Maybe there's a trade option worth considering (Taylor Ward??), but if we're sticking with FA either think small or go all the way for Tucker IMO.  No half measures.

If Alonso would agree to DH, mainly, and we can get him for 4 years, he would be the most appealing to me of the big bat signings. But I generally agree with you that there isn’t much. Maybe they just go with a right handed bat who hits lefties well to platoon with whichever prospect they bring up for the every day line up (Cassie or Ballasteros). There are a good number of right handed bats that hit lefties. (NOT TOMMY PHAM). Laureano, Hays and Andujar to name a few. 

Edited October 23, 2025 by Rcal10

[squally1313]

2 hours ago, Bertz said:

On yet another hand I mostly hate this class of FA bats.  I want no part of Suarez or Alonso,

Certainly see the red flags in Suarez, I just think his profile is so markedly different from everyone else on the team that he would almost balance out the lineup by him being so unbalanced himself, while still giving you a good glove in the field.

Alonso hit the piss out of the ball this year, 93.5 EV after a previous career high of 91, 54.4% hard hit% after a previous career high of 47.3%, 8th in baseball in xwOBA. It's probably dumb to have your best two hitters be 1B-only, but if we're looking for 150-200 PAs at first against LHP anyways, it's not as redundant. 

Having said all that, agree with your last point in that Tucker is by far the best option of the hitters. 

[PVG]

I can’t argue with MT’s stats re Kyle Tucker- .747 (home) vs .923 (away) – why would he want to come back? on top of that, he seems fragile.

And I know correlation isn’t causation – but didn’t it seem, didn’t it feel like that when he was hitting the entire team was hitting – and when he stopped they did too. How do you measure that? Is it leadership, did he take the pressure off of his teammates? – that first half was magical. How do we recapture that?

[Victor Reichman]

Cubs shouldn't resign Tucker with Boras always jamming for the last dollar and a long term deal. Beillinger had an overall better year and far more versatile. No to either

Trading Shaw, and more to get an aging Alonzo who isn't a good fielder, can only DH for us, and would be horribly expensive is beyond foolish. Why do you think so many teams were interested in Shaw? This was his 1st full yr. He has speed, great defense and some pop when he is on. His future is bright. Eventually, he will be a cornerstone like Nico.

 

 

[mul21]

1 hour ago, Victor Reichman said:

Cubs shouldn't resign Tucker with Boras always jamming for the last dollar and a long term deal. Beillinger had an overall better year and far more versatile. No to either

Trading Shaw, and more to get an aging Alonzo who isn't a good fielder, can only DH for us, and would be horribly expensive is beyond foolish. Why do you think so many teams were interested in Shaw? This was his 1st full yr. He has speed, great defense and some pop when he is on. His future is bright. Eventually, he will be a cornerstone like Nico.

 

 

Holy horsefeathers, why does everyone think Tucker is a Boras client?  It's been discussed here ad nauseam that he isn't.

[Arlen]

Well, I'm 66, but I could consider signing-up.

[Andre and Ryno]

I like Alonso for these same reasons.  And it's important that his market is somewhat limited.  1B/DH is perhaps the only position the Dodgers aren't interested in, which takes the largest bidder off the board.  The Yankees will likely go with Ben Rice at 1B and have Stanton and plenty of others to rotate through DH.  The Phillies have Harper at 1B and are not going to swap Schwarber for Alonso.  The Braves are set at 1B (Olson) and DH unless they trade someone.  The Red Sox have Casas but are a bit of a wild card.  The Angels have Trout at DH and Schanuel playing 1B for free.  The Blue Jays (Vlad) and Giants (Devers) are set at 1B but maybe have room at DH if Alonso is willing to give up 1B completely.  The Astros are likely set, but like Boston their roster is somewhat in flux.  The Rangers could maybe use Alonso but have bigger holes elsewhere.  Other teams that might be interested are generally not likely to pay for pricey free agents (Seattle, Baltimore, Cincinnati).

Realistically Alonso's market is the Mets and Cubs, with the Red Sox and Astros as wild cards, and then a Mystery Team or two.  And lots of chatter in NY is that the Mets need to improve elsewhere; that chatter seems overstated, and the Mets seem to need Alonso, but he might also still be peeved by last year's awkward contract negotiations. 

The most likely outcome is that Alonso stays in NY, but his market is much smaller than people realize, which helps the Cubs.