Chicago Cubs Slugger 'Unluckiest Hitter in Baseball' This Season

One of the reasons why the Chicago Cubs have struggled this year is because one of their breakout stars has not been able to follow up last season's output, but it seems like that's due to poor luck more than anything.

May 14, 2024; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Chicago Cubs designated hitter Christopher Morel (5) / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

It was a brutal stretch for the Chicago Cubs to close out the month of May.

They might be the happiest team to see the calendar flip to June as they have to focus on putting their 10-18 record and 4-13 spurt from the month's midpoint behind them.

The Cubs will have their work cutout for them.

After holding a comfortable position in the Wild Card race and sitting close to the top spot in the NL Central at one time, they are now two games below .500, sit one back of a playoff spot, and are third place in their division.

What has really plagued Chicago is their lack of offense.

For them to turn things around and get back to being contenders, they'll need their star hitters in this lineup to start producing.

Christopher Morel is one who needs to find himself at the plate.

He had a breakout season in 2023, slashing .247/.313/.508 with 26 homers and 70 RBI across his 107 games and 388 at-bats. This built upon his impressive rookie year. He has also posted OPS+ figures of over 100 in back-to-back seasons.

Unfortunately, the 24-year-old has not been at that same level in 2024.

Morel is slashing .200/.305/.380 with 10 homers and 35 RBI. Those are respectable numbers, but there were major expectations placed upon the rising star to become a workhorse in this lineup and produce on a consistent basis.

However, it seems like it's not all his fault.

According to Seth Carlson of Just Baseball, Morel has been "the unluckiest hitter in baseball" when taking a look at his wOBA and xwOBA advanced numbers.

His wOBA, or Weighted On-base Average, sits at .302 entering Saturday while his xwOBA, or Expected Weighted On-base Average, is .380 per FanGraphs.

"But the advanced metrics tell a different story ... That is to say, there is a silver lining in all of this: No one stays this unlucky all season. And especially not players like this talented 24-year-old," writes Carlson.

The frustrating thing is waiting until everything evens out.

If the unlucky factor is to be believed, then Morel could be poised to go on a tear in the second half of the season, something the Cubs desperately need if they are to earn a spot in the playoffs.