4 Stats That Matter for Cubs for the Rest of 2026

At the All-Star break, the Cubs are in a good spot in the race for the playoffs. Five games back in the division and in the first Wild Card spot, they have multiple paths and good odds to reach October. For this to sustain, though—and to overcome a disaster of a pitching situation—four hitters stand out as keys to the lineup. Here are four numbers that matter for those players, as we get back into action.

60
This is the number of games that Seiya Suzuki needs to play for the Cubs in the stretch run. This, of course, means avoiding any further injury; that’s the point. Suzuki tends to take a few weeks of ramp-up after injury—time the Cubs can ill afford this season. 

The lineup would struggle to sustain productivity and balance without Suzuki, especially with Matt Shaw on the shelf. Losing their best non-Pete Crow-Armstrong slugger even for 10 days, with his customary fortnight of struggle afterward, would give a month of lower production from a key bat. Suzuki needs to remain healthy for the Cubs.

25
This is the number of home runs Michael Busch needs to finish with, This year, the Cubs have only been successful during supernova performances by their bats. Nico Hoerner carried them early; Pete Crow-Armstrong and Dansby Swanson have done so lately. They'll need more of this going forward from someone. Busch hasn’t had his traditional five-homer week. In fact, he's only hit 11 all season. A home run per week needs to be his expectation, not the exception—and at some point, he needs to get hot.

This isn’t to say Busch has been bad. His walks have been extremely valuable. But for the Cubs, a team that feeds on outlier performances, Busch needs to get that power back.

.300
This is fairly obvious, but Nico Hoerner needs his luck to change. Yes, it is (at least partially) luck that has his batting average down in the .230s. He’s sporting the same contact metrics as always, but the BABIP has slid to .243. His previous four seasons? .300, .312, .297, .313. It’s just his batting average that has visibly slipped, especially when contrasted with how hot he was to start the season, Regression to the mean will help Hoerner contribute, and is surely what Cubs brass is banking on. There are genuine issues contributing to the struggles, too, though. We've discussed some of them recently. Even going by expected numbers, Hoerner has been struggling for a while now, going longer without a surge than he has in at least two years. He needs to turn it around coming out of the break.

22
Ian Happ has to reduce the strikeouts. Currently whiffing at a 31.5% rate is killing his batting average (.220). This is his highest whiff rate since 2018. In Happ's best seasons, his strikeout rate has averaged 22%. Aesthetically, it’s a bad look to whiff repeatedly instead of making contact, and for fans, it’s sticking in their memories. He isn’t a bad player, but if he can’t strike out less (well, even if he can, but you get my point), his time in Chicago could be running short.

The Cubs are good, and these realistic outcomes would help put them firmly in the playoffs and contending for the division. What do you guys think? Who needs to step up for Chicago?