One key way the Cubs are generating offensive pressure in 2025.
Welcome to your off-day Short Porch, a quick hit on an element of the 2025 Cubs that you can enjoy in just a few minutes. Today, we’re feeling the need for speed and so are your North Siders, who have stolen more bases than any other team in baseball.
Now, it’s worth noting that the Seattle Mariners are giving the Cubs a run for their money here (pun maybe slightly intended). They’ve stolen one fewer base in three fewer games. But the takeaway is clear: this year’s Cubs are running when they get a chance and that may be contributing to some of the offensive prowess they’ve shown so far this season.
Just how good has the Cubs offense been overall? They have the second most fWAR as a team at 5.5 fWAR just shy of the Yankees 5.9 fWAR. They have the fifth highest team wRC+ at 121, meaning they’ve been 21% better than the park and league adjusted average team at run creation. They’ve scored the most runs by any team in baseball at 124 and the second place Yankees at 107 aren’t merely the victim of fewer games here.
And while there are likely a number of factors contributing to the offensive output the Cubs have shown so far in 2025 (for example, having the 4th most long balls at 27 so far this season surely isn’t hurting) the running game is a factor. Take a look at every Cub with a stolen base so far this year:
Clearly the track meet is being led by one of the fastest players in baseball, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and his 97th percentile sprint speed. However, PCA isn’t the only player who’s been off to the races this year. Nico Hoerner and Jon Berti each have six stolen bases a piece. I have to believe that number will go up for Berti, who should see more playing time with Matt Shaw heading to Iowa for a bit. Neither Hoerner nor Berti are particularly speedy, coming in at the 74th and 67th percentile for sprint speed respectively.
Even beyond the above core who are responsible for 19 of the Cubs’ 29 stolen bases so far this season, the other 10 are spread out among six other players who have just taken advantage of situations to put pressure on the other team heading 90 feet down to the next base.
It’s a bit to early to know if this surge in steals is situationally dependent or a team philosophical shift on running more. Either way, it’s correlated with quite the offensive outbreak from the Cubs. Here’s hoping they keep it up.