Chicago Cubs Shocking Slugger Has Been One of Baseball's Best Hitters

The Chicago Cubs have gotten production beyond their wildest dreams from one of their offseason signings.

May 5, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly (15) reacts after hitting a home run against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning at Wrigley Field. | David Banks-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs have powered their way to a comfortable lead in the National League West with one of the best starts in all of baseball over the first month and change.

A hot start that has been fueled largely on the backs of an offense putting up some historic numbers has put the Cubs in a position they have not been in a long time.

When a lineup is producing the kind of numbers that Chicago's has thus far, it's never just because of any one player.

What is required is success from unlikely sources, and there is one Cubs star who has encapsulated this better than anyone else.

Entering the offseason, Chicago needed to add another catcher to platoon with Miguel Amaya following an inconsistent season from the youngster.

It wasn't exactly an earth-shattering addition when they landed on Carson Kelly, but the 30-year-old has come out of absolute nowhere to be one of the best hitters in baseball over his first 20 games in the lineup.

The absurd slash line of .361/.500/.820 with eight home runs and 23 RBI already jumps off the page, but it's the advanced stats which really show just how great he has been.

In terms of wOBA -- which represents Weighted On-Base Average -- Kelly's mark of .547 ranks him at the top of the league, ahead of even Aaron Judge during a legendary season for the New York Yankees superstar.

Kelly is not just mashing the ball well, he's seeing it incredibly, too.

With strikeout and walk rates in the 99th or better percentile, the slugger is among the most disciplined hitters in the game right now.

The sample size for Kelly is smaller given the fact that he is platooning, but he is more than making the most of his opportunities.

Kelly has not just been a fun story for the Cubs this season, he's been one of the best hitters in all of baseball.

If he can keep it up, he won't just be an All-Star for the first time in his career, he will be making a case to get MVP votes, as well.

Most importantly, Kelly's continued production would put Chicago in a place where they keep winning and potentially gear up for a deep playoff run.