A talisman is an object thought to have magical powers, that bring good luck, and provide strength, comfort, and meaning to those who wear them. Last season, the Chicago Cubs finished 74-88, 19 games out of first place in the NL Central. So far this season, they are 58-55, only 2.5 games out of first place. Mike Tauchman was in Korea last season. Now he’s batting leadoff for Chicago, and his play has kept Seiya Suzuki out of the lineup the last few days. I don’t believe in coincidences! I kid, as there are many factors as to why the Cubs are much improved this season, but Tauchman has been a stabilizing force at the top of the lineup for a Cubs team that is fifth in runs scored and eighth in OPS. Let’s dig in.
Tauchman is 32 years old, 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, and bats from the left side.
The Colorado Rockies selected him in the 10th round of the 2013 MLB Draft. He was traded to the New York Yankees in 2019 and then was sent packing to the San Francisco Giants two years later. After a few months in the Bay Area, he was outrighted to Triple-A and elected for free agency. No MLB teams came calling, so he took his talents to South Korea and played there for a season. In January of 2023, he signed a minor-league contract with the Cubs, played 24 games in Triple-A, then became a fixture with the big club in May.
Throughout his minor league career, his batting average was high, power was middling, plate discipline was excellent, and he showed some need for speed. The walk rate was over 10% while the strikeout rate was in the teens. The ISO was often sub-.100 but the batting average was consistently in the .290 range. He stole over 20 bases in three minor league seasons with the Rockies organization.
While he did make it to the majors with Colorado, he only received 32 and 37 plate appearances. He didn’t get his first real look in MLB until after he was traded to the Yankees. In 2019, Tauchman received 296 plate appearances and racked up 13 home runs and six stolen bases. The slash was .277/.361/.504 with an 11.5% walk rate, 24% strikeout rate, and .227 ISO.
In 248 plate appearances this season, the slash is .278/.368/.425 with a 12.1% walk rate, 19.8% strikeout rate, and .146 ISO. He has six home runs and five stolen bases.
The Statcast numbers aren’t anything to get excited about. The average exit velocity is 88.4 mph while the maxEV is 109.4 mph. The barrel rate is 6.6% while the launch angle is 6.9 degrees. That’s okay, though, as the allure of this talisman is not power. That said, he is not completely devoid of it.
Tauchman has a solid approach at the plate, as he hits the ball to all fields. He’s pulling the ball 35.3% of the time while going oppo 31.7%. He does hit the ball on the ground often, though, as the 45.2% groundball rate is top 45. He’s in the 55th percentile for sprint speed, so it’s probably better that he hits it on the ground, instead of popping it into the air. He does have a 25.9% line drive rate, which is top 10, so that’s good.
Y’all know that I’m all about the plate discipline numbers, although I have made some adjustments this season. Cough, Adolis. Cough. Garcia. Cough. Christopher. Cough. Morel. Anyways, Tauchman has a minuscule 7.9% swinging strike rate and 21.9% chase rate. The swinging strike rate is top 35 while he’s top 10 in chase rate. Excuse me. I, uh, have to go to the restroom.
Since about mid-June, Tauchman has primarily been the leadoff man for the Cubs. That encompassed 184 plate appearances. In that span, he’s slashed .284/.359/.469 with a 10.3% walk rate, 19% strikeout rate, and .185 ISO. A .359 OBP would be top 30 in the league.
Tauchman won’t provide too much power, but he could be a nice source of batting average, runs scored, and a few stolen bases. He’s batting leadoff and the Cubs have one of the best offenses in all of baseball. A sneaky stat is that the Cubs lead the league in pitches per plate appearance. So, if Tauchman does get on base, that slightly increases the stolen base window, especially since he gets on base at a high clip.
