CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs offense has looked hot through 24 games this season – much like they did at this point last year.

But this is not a direct copy-and-paste from the 2024 squad – and they certainly hope they don’t follow a similar path from last season.

The 2024 Cubs started 17-9, had a top-five offense with the warm, summer months on the horizon and looked poised to play into October. They went 11-21 after that and went from averaging 5.4 runs in their first 26 games to 3.4 in their next 32, the second-lowest output in baseball that stretch.

[Cubs Takeaways: What we learned in extra innings, 3-2 loss vs. Arizona]

“When you go through something like last year, the offensive struggle – I mean, that was a first for me, just an offensive struggle that we went through as a team. It shakes you a little bit, for sure,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said before the Cubs’ series finale loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday at Wrigley Field.

It was a similar story in 2023, when the Cubs went 10-18 in May. 

The elongated slumps each season torpedoed the team’s playoff chances. They simply can’t afford a stretch like they have the past two seasons if they want to be competing in October.

But the Cubs believe they’re better equipped to avoid a massive drop-off like they have done the past two Mays. The biggest – and most obvious – reason is their newest slugger, Kyle Tucker. He’s slashing .302/.404/.615 (1.019 OPS) with six home runs, 23 RBI and 22 runs through 24 games and has been a threat near the top of Counsell’s lineup.

“He’s an elite offensive player and he’s continued to be so this year,” Counsell said. “It’s just not every team has offensive players this good. Most teams don’t. And that’s a really nice thing to have. He’s off to a great start and that’s always a plus, too. But he’s been a big deal, no question about it.”

Watching Tucker can help young players, too.

“Everybody watches his at-bats with a little bit more intent,” Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly told Marquee Sports Network during the last homestand. “Guys listen when he talks and they understand that this guy has a really good plan. He’s committed to what he’s going to do and if he doesn’t, if that plan doesn’t work out in his favor, it’s not like he’s throwing helmets, smashing bats. It’s like, ‘Go up there and have another at-bat next time.’”

But just how do you measure the impact a player like Tucker has on the rest of the lineup directly and not just process-wise? Does Pete Crow-Armstrong, Jon Berti or anyone else near the bottom of the order have a different mindset at the plate knowing a star player like Tucker is hitting in the No. 2 spot? There’s no clear-cut answer.

“[A star] didn’t help me get a hit, I can tell you that. Prince Fielder doesn’t help you get a hit. I wish he would have helped me,” Counsell said with a laugh. “When you’re going through a game and a guy [is] having success and there’s traffic on the bases, I think that’s great for an offense. And I think players like that produce it. I think that the ability to just hit a ball out of the park in some situations, that’s a big deal, right?

“But is Kyle Tucker helping Nico Hoerner get hits? That’s a stretch. You know what I mean?”

OK, fair enough. So, let’s look at other measurable ways in which the Cubs can avoid a prolonged stretch of poor performance.

The other key reason the Cubs believe they can sustain offensive success is the maturation of some of their young hitters.

Michael Busch and Crow-Armstrong, both second-year players, have looked solid this season. That wasn’t the case in 2024. Sure, Busch finished the year with 21 home runs and a .775 OPS in his rookie campaign but in May, he hit .208 and posted a .712 OPS, the worst month of his season. Crow-Armstrong was an elite defender all year but through his first 66 games, he hit .180 with a .523 OPS, three home runs and 51 strikeouts.

Busch has a .994 OPS with five home runs this season and Crow-Armstrong has a .258 average, .772 OPS, three home runs and eight stolen bases. They’re just better hitters this season. That’s development at the big-league level. It’s not a “Eureka” moment that allows the pair to just flip a switch; it’s a natural progression that the Cubs saw over roughly 12 months for both.

“It’s not one moment, it’s a culmination of getting better,” Counsell said. “Pete hit a double on a changeup to left field [on Saturday]. It’s not ‘the moment,’ but it just shows you, would he have done that in May of last year? Right? I remember I went up right up to [assistant hitting coach John] Mallee and just said, ‘We’re making progress.’

“And that’s what you want to do. You want to make progress. So, things like that, I think, show you you’re making progress.”

Of course, the Cubs will go through struggles this season, it’s the nature of a 162-game season. That’s why we keep emphasizing “prolonged” or “elongated” because there will be stretches this season where the Cubs go on losing streaks or aren’t hitting consistently. A pitcher – like Merrill Kelly did on Sunday – could have a great game that stymies you.

The key is building up a deep and diverse enough offense that allows you to minimize those valleys. A star player like Tucker helps. The maturation of young hitters helps, too. Veterans like Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner, Seiya Suzuki and Dansby Swanson contributing is a factor as well. Having role players who can provide different elements – Vidal Bruján and Berti’s speed or Carson Kelly and Amaya platooning to make the catching position a strength, for example – is another aspect.

“I think in some areas, yes, we are more insulated maybe is the right word,” Counsell said. “But there’s things that can happen. There’s injuries and there’s slumps and there’s a great pitching performance. There’s things that you run into. That’s why it’s a daily grind, and it’s a daily challenge to win a baseball game.”