Chicago Cubs Hitter of the Month: April 2024

Thirty games is quite a lot of data to analyze, especially given that the MLB season used to start during the second week of April (it now starts in late March). Some hitters are notorious for being “slow starters,” warming up at the plate as the weather does. However, there’s bound to be a batch of players who start the season hot out of the gates, and the Cubs had some surprising contributors play the part this year.

These are North Side Baseball’s top Cubs hitters from April (and March).

Honorable Mentions

CF Pete Crow-Armstrong: 18 ABs, .278/.278/.500, 116 OPS+, 1 HR, 4 RBI
The rookie center fielder was pressed into action once Cody Bellinger collided with the brick wall in the outfield at Wrigley, and he’s looked the part so far in limited exposure. His sample isn’t nearly big enough to give him a spot on the list, but PCA’s performance thus far in 2024 is reassuring to those worried after he went hitless in his September cup of coffee last year. Crow-Armstrong may be sent back down to Triple-A Iowa after Bellinger returns, but if he keeps hitting like this, his glove and speed on the basepaths mean he’s likely in the majors to stay.

OF Alexander Canario: 22 ABs, .273/.360/.455, 129 OPS+, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Yet another top outfield prospect who struggled in the majors as the Cubs collapsed down the stretch in 2023, Canario has also responded well to more consistent playing time in the major leagues this season. Like PCA, Canario has been a benefactor of the mounting injuries that have piled up on the Cubs early this year, which have taken Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki out of the outfield fold for now. Canario has some of the best raw pop in the entire organization. If he continues to establish himself as a trustworthy slugger, he’d add a lot of credibility to the middle of the Cubs’ lineup.

CF/1B Cody Bellinger: 84 ABs, .226/.320/.440, 113 OPS+, 5 HR, 17 RBI
Bellinger makes the honorable mention list by being the Cubs’ best power threat not named Michael Busch thus far (Christopher Morel’s hot streak to start May notwithstanding). He was just catching fire at the plate once he fractured a few ribs in the outfield, though he’s already resuming baseball activity and shouldn’t be out for much longer. PCA, Canario, and the runner-up on this list have done an admirable job filling in for the 2019 NL MVP, but the Cubs are a much better team when Bellinger is batting third in the order.

Top 4 Cubs Hitters of the Month (April)

#4 2B Nico Hoerner: 111 ABs, .261/.336/.342, 96 OPS+, 0 HR, 7 RBI
Putting a guy with a below-average OPS+ and just one stolen base (his trademark skill) at the fourth spot on this list should be evidence that the Cubs won 18 games last month despite their offense rather than because of it. Nevertheless, Hoerner has been the hottest hitter on the team for weeks following an abysmal start, and he’s got a 283 OPS+ so far in May (through just two games, but still). Given the injuries to many of the team’s top offensive threats, Hoerner’s consistency atop the lineup is key while the Cubs try to navigate the toughest part of their schedule this season. If he can return to being a threat on the basepaths (he’s already got three steals in May), Hoerner will continue to be one of the league’s most underrated second basemen. 

#3 OF Seiya Suzuki: 59 ABs, .305/.368/.525, 153 OPS+, 3 HR, 13 RBI
It’s a real shame that Suzuki is dealing with an oblique strain right now because he came storming out of the gates to begin the season. It feels like a lifetime ago that he was benched for a few games last August due to profound struggles at the plate; whatever happened during that rest period completely revitalized him as a player, as he finished 2023 as the hottest hitter on the team and continued it right into 2024. It’s been nice to see some of the top prospects get some real run at the MLB level in his place, but the Cubs are desperate for Suzuki to come back at this point. Today (May 2) was the first time in six games that the Cubs scored more than five runs in a game.

#2 OF Mike Tauchman: 75 ABs, .307/.435/.520, 173 OPS+, 3 HR, 10 RBI
If it were not for a historic home run binge, Tauchman would be the top guy on this list. He struck out nearly as much as he walked (18 Ks to 15 BBs), put up a team-high OPS of .955, and settled into an everyday role near the top of the lineup, all while filling in for a couple of injured stars in the outfield. This feels eerily similar to his explosion last May when Bellinger injured his knee in Houston (please stop running into walls, Cody) and then tapered off down the stretch. However, Tauchman remains one of the best fourth outfielders in the game, and he’s been nothing short of a savior with his early season batting bonanza. Whether sustainable or not, being 73% better than the average hitter across the entire month is a feat worth celebrating. Have yourself a month, Michael.

#1 1B Michael Busch: 94 ABs, .266/.333/.500, 136 OPS+, 6 HR, 17 RBI
Hand up; I was very skeptical of the Jackson Ferris-Michael Busch trade when the Cubs made it with the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason. I suppose it’s a good thing I’m not the general manager because Busch has been the Cubs’ ostensible slugger in the early portion of the season, hitting five home runs in five games to tie the franchise record in mid-April.

He’s cooled off a bit since then, but Busch has taken advantage of his first extended opportunity in the majors. Along with reliever Yency Almonte (scoreless in nine of his last ten appearances), the Cubs are getting some positive early returns on the trade with the Dodgers. It’s too soon to say for sure, but Busch is starting to prove himself as the (delayed) heir apparent to Anthony Rizzo’s first base throne.