MESA, Ariz. \u2014 Carson Kelly paused before analyzing what he could do to replicate his sensational first half in 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook back at video and see what you did,\u201d Kelly replied. \u201cThere were some ups and downs like every year. But this offseason, just evaluated where did it go wrong a little bit, how can we prevent doing down that downward spiral.\u201d<\/p>\n
Manager Craig Counsell likes the quality and depth of the Cubs\u2019 catching. Kelly hit 12 home runs, drove in 33, posted a .376 on-base percentage and .899 OPS in the first half.<\/p>\n
That production was necessary because Miguel Amaya suffered an oblique strain on May 24 that sidelined him for 2 1\/2 months – about one month more than initially projected. Amaya sprained his ankle in his first game back on Aug. 13 and never returned.<\/p>\n
Moises Ballesteros, 22, batted .333 in 39 at-bats after a Sept. 1 promotion and gained notoriety for successfully challenging seven calls with automated ball-strike system in two consecutive games.<\/p>\n
But Ballesteros lacks the experience and the defensive tools of Kelly and Amaya. And Kelly, 31, slipped to a .218 batting average and .596 OPS in the second half.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were a couple mechanical changes that needed to be made, and I think we pinpointed where it went wrong a little bit,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cI was in a worse position than I was earlier. It\u2019s crazy how any little thing can make you just a little bit off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kelly still managed one of the best offensive seasons of his career. He also caught a career high 105 games, but that could dip this season if Amaya, who posted a .281 batting average and .814 OPS in 103 plate appearances, can stay healthy.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Amaya) was very productive while he played,\u201d Counsell said. \u201cCarson had arguably his best season as a major leaguer. I don\u2019t know what that tells us about this year, but I think we\u2019ve got some catchers with the ability to produce offensively.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have Bally involved in this too. So I think we\u2019re we have a good I think we have a good catching situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Counsell also pointed to the continuity of the catchers and becoming familiar with the coaching staff as well as their \u201csystem.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes things a lot easier,\u201d Counsell added. \u201cI think we\u2019re in a very good position.\u201d<\/p>\n
To Kelly\u2019s credit, he resurrected his career prior to the 2025 season with an offseason program that addressed his hitting and defense. And he maintained a conditioning program that kept him healthy for the duration of 2025.<\/p>\n
His ability to adjust behind the plate fortified a solid relationship with the pitching staff. He improved with a one-knee set up that he employed in 2023-24 in Detroit under manager (and former catcher) A.J. Hinch and catching coach Ryan Sienko.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing a student of the game, as players we continue to learn,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cThe day we stop learning is the day we get closer to the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
After joining the Cubs, Kelly gained more knowledge from 82-year-old special assistant\/catching guru Jerry Weinstein.<\/p>\n
\u201cJerry has been phenomenal,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cI\u2019ve been blessed to have good coaches and a lot of people who take pride in what they do and sharing their knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MESA, Ariz. \u2014 Carson Kelly paused before analyzing what he could do to replicate his sensational first half…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":510216,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[363,99],"class_list":["post-510215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=510215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510215\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/510216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=510215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=510215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=510215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}