If the Cubs are going to claim another World Series ring, they'll need several things:
-Good health
-Good luck
-Players exceeding expectations
There's only so much you can do in regards to health and luck. It is what it is. Players get hurt. Sometimes the ball just doesn't drop.
But that third point is the biggest key.
The Cubs believe they have a number of players ready to take a step forward in their development. Here are six breakout possibilities:
Addison Russell
After 2016 and an incredible showing in the World Series, Russell looked to be on the cusp of entering the conversation as the top shortstops in the game.
MLB
Instead, 2017 was a mess for him both personally and professionally. Between off-the-field family issues and injuries that included plantar fasciitis and a bum shoulder, Russell had a year to forget both in the field and at the plate.
Russell is already entrenched as one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball (maybe second-best behind Andrelton Simmons), but his offense could be where he really sees a jump in 2018.
Despite down numbers overall last year, Russell saw improvement in hard contact for a second straight season and saw a dip in his soft contact percentage. He used the whole field more than he ever has before and set a new career mark with a 23 percent line drive rate.
In other words: Russell hit the ball harder in 2017 and became less pull-happy.
He wasn't as patient in 2017 as he flashed in his first two years in the big leagues, but if he can get back to better strike zone organization, Russell is ready for a huge season at the plate hitting behind the heart of the Cubs order.
Kyle Schwarber
It's not just the weight loss that makes the Cubs giddy about a potential explosive season for their left fielder.
Much has been made about Schwarber's struggles to begin 2017 and his weight loss since. But he was a different hitter after a short stint in the minors last year.
Upon arriving back in the big leagues, he hit .255 with a .338 on-base percentage and .565 slugging percentage, totaling a .903 OPS. If you extrapolate that stretch out to 500 at-bats, Schwarber would be on pace for 45 homers.
With a little more luck and a lot more confidence, the real Kyle Schwarber will stand up in 2018.
Albert Almora Jr.
Just a few months ago, Almora was everybody's favorite pick for a 2018 breakout. He should see significantly more playing time this year compared to last and he finished the season on a hot stretch — .337 AVG, .878 OPS over the final two months.
Almora's name has been around forever as the first draft pick of the Theo Epstein regime, but last year was his first full wire-to-wire season in the big leagues.
The one thing that may hold Almora back is his aggressive approach at the plate. Even with eye-popping numbers in August and September, he only walked twice.
Willson Contreras
Confidence is not an issue for the Cubs' young backstop. After settling into the cleanup spot in the order behind Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo last year, Contreras flashed his skillset with an incredible stretch in the middle of the summer.
Over the course of nearly two months (before a hamstring injury landed him on the DL), Contreras posted a .313/.381/.669 slash line (1.050 OPS) with 16 homers, 10 doubles, 45 RBI and 26 runs in a 45-game stretch from June 16 through Aug. 9.
Per 162 games, those numbers would look like this: 58 HR, 36 2B, 162 RBI and 94 R.
Of course, it's ridiculous to expect that type of performance from Contreras all year long, but imagine what his 2017 end-of-season numbers would've looked like had he not missed a month in August/September.
Carl Edwards Jr.
Like Almora and Contreras, 2018 was also the first full year in Chicago for Edwards.
Things got off to a smashing start with Edwards as he posted a 1.72 ERA, 0.83 WHIP 12.6 K/9 in his first 33 games. But in the 40 games that followed, Edwards sported a 4.11 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and walked 24 batters in 35 innings. (It's worth noting, he also still had sparkling strikeout numbers: 12.8 K/9.)
Therein lies his problem: walks. Edwards was still one of the toughest pitchers in baseball to square up, so if he can figure out his control and find some consistency (two things he's working hard on), he could take a giant leap.
6. Tyler Chatwood
The home/road splits are the easiest numbers to point to with Chatwood here as he escapes the bandbox that is Coors Field:
2017
Home - 6.01 ERA
Road - 3.49 ERA
Career
Home - 5.25 ERA
Road - 3.31 ERA
But it's more than that. Chatwood is only 28, has a fastball that averages just a shade under 95 mph and adds three above-average complementary pitches (changeup, slider, curveball).
The Cubs believe strongly in their pitching infrastructure and have been touting Jim Hickey's impact in replacing Chris Bosio as pitching coach.
There also isn't much pressure on Chatwood. Pitching in front of a stellar infield defense and a powerful offense, the Cubs don't need Chatwood to be anything more than a No. 5 starter in this rotation.
Honorable mention: Ian Happ
2018 will be Happ's first full year in the big leagues and he should be better equipped to handle the full season and avoid running into a wall late in the year.
But it's hard to go up after hitting 24 homers and posting an .842 OPS in just 364 at-bats as a rookie, while setting a Cubs franchise record for most homers in a player's first 115 career games.
Happ may cut down on strikeouts, increase his walk rate and provide more consistency in 2018, but he also will probably experience some of the same struggles other guys on this list have experienced.