Cubs Positional Performance: Outfield and Pitching Through 5/29

Greetings again, stat-lovers!

On Thursday, we took a look at the performance of the infield, where the best position continues to be shortstop. Third base also has shown some gains in rank since May 3, but the other infield positions have all taken a slide since then. In today's installment, we will take a look at the performance in the outfield and on the mound.

The outfield figures presented below are the standard four-way slash line (AVG / OBP / SLG / OPS), as well as rank in the National League and NL Central.  For pitching, we'll be looking at ERA, WHIP, and FIP (taken from Fangraphs).  The May 4 stats are also included as well as the change in rankings from May 4 (positive being better, negative being worse). Statistics are through games of Thursday, May 29.

LEFT FIELD

Cubs: .264 / .300 / .426 / .726
May 4: .259 / .297 / .420 / .716
NL Rank: 6 (+1) / 12 (-1) / 7 (-2) / 8 (-1)
Division Rank: 2 (+1) / 4 (0) / 2 (-1) / 3 (-1)
NL Average: .253 / .318 / .412 / .730

Junior Lake continues to perform well in left field, hitting .309 / .331 / .545 / .875. His 1-for-25 performance outside of left field is what's hurting him, including nine strikeouts in 12 pinch-hit attempts. The rest of the left-field performers have been pretty bad, with the best of the bunch being Ryan Kalish at .220 / .289 / .293 / .582.

Before we get to the rest of the outfield, it's only fair to provide the following warning from your friends at Bleed Cubbie Blue:

WARNING: Overexposure to the Center Field and Right Field statistics can cause nightmares, temporary blindness, nausea, and excessive head-bashing and facepalming. If symptoms persist for more than four hours, seek professional help wherever it may be available.

CENTER FIELD

Cubs: .256 / .301 / .351 / .652
May 4: .287 / .341 / .365 / .706
NL Rank: 12 (-7) / 13 (-10) / 11 (-3) / 12 (-4)
Division Rank: 3 (-1) / 4 (-2) / 4 (-1) / 4 (-1)
NL Average: .271 / .331 / .413 / .745

That thud sound that you heard was the crashing of Emilio Bonifacio to earth, combined with the rest of the league improving in center field. Since May 4, Bonifacio has hit a paltry .207 / .244 / .317 / .561. Kalish and Justin Ruggiano both have better numbers here but in very limited amounts of plate appearances (29 between the two of them).

Well, at least it's better than the Reds (.229 / .287 / .319 / .606).

RIGHT FIELD

Cubs: .203 / .258 / .284 / .542
May 4: .205 / .226 / .274 / .499
NL Rank: 14 (-1) / 15 (0) / 14 (+1) / 15 (0)
Division Rank: 4 (0) / 5 (0) / 4 (+1) / 5 (0)
NL Average: .265 / .335 / .420 / .756

Yeah, this position is still terrible. The fact that Nate Schierholtz has hit .212 / .321 / .333 / .654 since May 4 -- which has led to a 43-point increase in OPS in right field - tells you all that you need to know. But in the silver lining department, he is 8-for-33 in his last nine games. Baby steps.

TOTAL OUTFIELD

Cubs: .241 / .286 / .354 / .640
NL Rank: 13 / 15 / 14 / 14
Division Rank: 4 / 5 / 4 / 4
NL Average: .263 / .328 / .415 / .743

Maybe it's just best if we move on to the pitching.

STARTING ROTATION

Cubs: 3.74 / 1.237 / 3.18
May 4: 3.72 / 1.291 / 3.39
NL Rank: 8 (+1) / 6 (+2) / 1 (+3)
Division Rank: 4 (0) / 4 (0) / 1 (0)
NL Average: 3.69 / 1.263 / 3.79

Hey, I feel much better now!

As it was on May 4, the Cubs' performance in ERA and WHIP continues to be better than the league average yet still fourth in the NL Central. The Reds, Cardinals, and Brewers are first, third, and fourth in WHIP, while the Pirates still lag well behind (13th). The Cubs lead the National League in FIP thanks in large part to a league low 6.8% HR/FB ratio, allowing a league-low 21 homers.

BULLPEN

Cubs: 3.22 / 1.282 / 3.56
May 4: 3.68 / 1.342 / 4.35
NL Rank: 7 (+1) / 8 (+2) / 8 (+4)
Division Rank: 3 (0) / 4 (0) / 3 (+1)
NL Average: 3.41 / 1.292 / 3.62

The bullpen has seen significant improvement in all three categories, thanks primarily to the performances of Neil Ramirez (0.84 / 0.84 / 1.74), Brian Schlitter (1.17 / 0.91 / 2.72), and Hector Rondon (2.61 / 1.16 / 2.08) over the last 30 days. The downside is that the bullpen still has the worst win percentage in the National League (3-12, .200), but the overall improvement in performance more than makes up for it.

That does it for this installment of Positional Performance. We'll see you again in a few weeks, and hopefully everyone's symptoms from looking at the outfield numbers will have subsided by then. Until next time!