Chicago Cubs: Four position players who must excel in 2018
2. Addison Russell
2017 was not good to Russell on a number of fronts.
First of all, he was the subject of allegations of domestic abuse and marital issues, which clearly became a distraction for him on the field.
Furthermore, he only played 110 games due to injuries, particularly to his throwing shoulder.
The result: a season in which he hit just .239 with 12 home runs with 43 RBIs after hitting 21 homers and driving in 95 runs in 2016.
Now, Russell’s numbers on the whole weren’t necessarily much worse, if worse at all, versus previous seasons. He hasn’t really hit for high averages yet or been a stellar on-base guy. But the dip in power really showed up in the Cubs’ lineup.
Then, throw in the fact that the Chicago Cubs were potentially looking to trade him in the offseason for more pitching, possibly electing to roll with Javier Baez at shortstop after he had a breakout 2017.
Addison Russell heard trade rumors this winter but says he’s glad to still be in a #Cubs uniform: “The core is still here. Who would want to break that up? It’s a beautiful thing, Javy and I in the middle. ... We have a lineup that can stack up with the best of ‘em.”
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) February 17, 2018
With all that behind him this year, can Russell make similar strides to Baez and ramp up his power back up?
His current projected 2018 slash line of .249/.325/.752 looks to be about in line with what to expect. But after seeing what he did in 2016, I think the projected home runs (15) and RBI (60) are a little low. I don’t see a reason that he can’t hit 20 home runs and 75-80 RBI if healthy.
If he does, the Chicago Cubs’ lineup will benefit hugely from it.