By Andrew Wright
Contributing Sports Writer
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After back-to-back disappointing seasons for the Chicago Cubs, this year felt like the make-or-break season. Between having the highest paid manager in MLB, the acquisition of superstar Kyle Tucker and other things, Chicago needed this season to be the one in which it got back on track.
The season is a little over 1/3 of the way complete and it appears the Cubs have done just that. Chicago is a season-high 14 games over .500, its best start through 56 games since it started 40-16 in 2016.
Not all of the success, but most of it, can be attributed to two players that are well on their way to their first All-Star Game appearances.
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Seiya Suzuki, OF/DH
Suzuki was a solid player in each of his first three seasons in the MLB, and he is finally having his breakout year in his fourth.
He is currently batting .273 with a .903 OPS and an MLB-best 51 RBI. He has constantly produced in the middle of the Cubs order and has made himself the perfect No. 3 hitter between Kyle Tucker and another player we'll get to in a moment.
Suzuki is well on pace to break his career-high home run total of 21 that he set two seasons ago, and with continued run production and slugging, he could find himself as a dark-horse MVP candidate.
Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
Much like Suzuki, Crow-Armstrong is undoubtedly in the middle of his breakout season and at just 23 years old, we could be getting a glimpse at the next 10 years of his career.
Crow-Armstrong has a .275 average with a team-leading 15 home runs. He is second ine MLB with 50 RBI, just one behind his teammate. Crow-Armstrong has also been a weapon on the bases, as he is 16-for-19 in stolen base chances.
He leads the National League with a 3.2 WAR, and trails only Aaron Judge for the MLB lead. He has rapidly positioned himself as a front-line MVP candidate and it is looking more and more likely that both he and Suzuki will make their first career All-Star game appearances this season.
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