Struggling Chicago Cubs Slugger Seen as Bounce Back Candidate

The Chicago Cubs need to get their star slugger going, and there could be some hope that he will eventually turn things around this season.

Jun 9, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Christopher Morel (5) high fives teammates after scoring on a three-run double hit by outfielder Ian Happ (not pictured) in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park / Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

It's no secret at this point that the Chicago Cubs are struggling mightily.

Once at the top of the NL Central standings, they now own one of the worst records in the National League at 36-39 but were able to rattle off two wins in a row that puts them only one game out of a Wild Card spot.

Despite all the doom and gloom that has surrounded this team during their rough stretch, there's a real chance this group puts it all together and makes a run into the playoffs.

To do that, though, they're going to need their star players to start playing to that level.

One Cub who has had a down year is Christopher Morel.

He emerged as a breakout performer last season when he slashed .247/.313/.508 with 26 homers and 70 RBI, but so far, he has not been the same player.

That doesn't mean he can't turn things around, though.

Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report lists the slugger as one of his players who could have a bounce back performance before the year ends.

"... there's just too much raw power in Morel's bat not to continue to be intrigued by his power potential ... In the meantime, he's probably going to hit near 30 home runs this season," he writes.

If that's going to happen, it needs to take place soon.

Morel is slashing just .197/.303/.371 with 13 homers and 41 RBI across 74 games, including going 2-for-24 in his last seven contests with no extra-base hits.

The thought entering this season was that his output would explode with 500 at-bats based on what he did in 2023 with less than 400. That has not translated, though, and he has easily been one of the most disappointing players in Major League Baseball this year.

His wRC+ is 93 compared to being above the league average of 100 the past two seasons, so his offensive value is not making up for his poor defense that has seen him post a defensive bWAR of -0.7 this year.

If he's going to be part of this team going forward, he has to be a good hitter because, right now, he has not shown the ability to add anything when playing in the field.

Morel was floated as a possible trade chip over the winter with the thought Chicago could sell high on his value based on what he had shown during his young career. They opted to keep him on the roster thinking he'd be a huge part of their lineup.

That hasn't been the case in 2024, but there's still time for him to turn things around.