Craig Counsell reveals Wrigley Field X-factor Cubs are using to 'advantage'

For more than a century, baseball teams and players have been trying to find any minute advantage they can. So it should be no surprise that the Chicago Cubs and manager Craig Counsell are trying to use their own ballpark, Wrigley Field, to give them the tiniest edge.

After the Cubs struggled to score at home last season, Counsell realized he had to weaponize the unforgiving Wrigley winds that can rob players of home runs.

“A lot of the offseason for me was about, where can we create advantages for our group of players?” Counsell told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. “It’s kind of like a therapist. You have to acknowledge Wrigley. There are 13 position players and 13 pitchers. Every day, one side’s pissed, one side’s happy. But we’ve got to win a baseball game.”

It meant learning not to rely on the home run to win games. So far, it’s worked. The Cubs are 17-12 and in first place in the NL Central. Their home run rate is considerably lower at home than on the road (2.8% vs. 4.8%), but Chicago has still scored more total runs at home entering play on April 29.

“When the wind is blowing in? The home run doesn’t exist. It’s baseball without a home run,” Counsell continued. “It’s really embracing that. And maybe if the other team doesn’t completely embrace that, we can get an advantage. It’s the same conditions. Can we just be a little ahead of it?”

Kyle Tucker has jumpstarted the Cubs’ offense

Craig Counsell reveals Wrigley Field X-factor Cubs are using to 'advantage' — David Banks-Imagn Images

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The Cubs aren’t homer-dependent, but the lineup has plenty of pop. Chicago is tied with the Athletics for fifth in the baseball with 38 team home runs, and Kyle Tucker is leading the way with seven of them.

He also leads the Cubs in total hits (33) and leads all Cubs players with at least 70 plate appearances in OPS (.975), while ranking second in doubles and stolen bases with eight each.

So it should be no surprise that the Cubs seem to be all-in on retaining their prized offseason acquisition.

“I’m hearing that the Cubs have wrapped their brain around, doesn’t mean he’ll accept it, wrapped their brain around whatever it costs we’re paying it and they want to keep Tucker, that’s what I’m hearing,” ESPN radio host David Kaplan revealed last week the Cubs Rekap podcast.

That could mean as much as $500 million to keep Tucker in Chicago, but the guy has made three straight All-Star teams and is off to a roaring start in his age 28 season. That’s what that kind of talent costs.