Cubs are crushing pitchers with patience at the plate

In an era of max-effort pitching and uppercut swings, the Chicago Cubs (9-6, 1st place, NL Central) are choosing a different approach: patience. They're not just winning games; they’re dragging opponents through long at-bats, racking up walks and punishing every mistake that follows.

And it’s working.

Entering play Friday, the Cubs lead Major League Baseball in runs (96), RBI (93), walks (76) and hits (130). They rank in the top five in home runs and doubles and are eighth in OPS. 

But the real story isn’t the slugging. It’s how they’re getting there.

They're being aggressive in the zone, not outside of it. Call it selective aggression. 

Per MLB.com's Jordan Bastian, Chicago’s 13.0% walk rate entering Wednesday led the league, and their ability to lay off pitches outside the strike zone — just 29.7% chase rate, fifth-best in MLB — has made every inning feel like a grind for opposing pitchers. They’ve also swung at 69.2% of strikes in the zone, the kind of balance that gets into a pitcher’s head early and often.

Outfielder Kyle Tucker, the team’s high-profile offseason addition, has set the tone.

“Earlier in my career, I could hit pitches off the plate,” Tucker told Bastian. “That doesn’t necessarily mean I should swing at them or want to do that. I think if you just have good plate discipline and are able to take those pitches that are close or just off or whatever, and get into better counts, you’ll get better pitches to hit.”

Tucker has done just that. He leads the league in hits (19), is second in doubles (6) and walks (14), and is a constant on-base presence. More importantly, his approach has become contagious.