Cubs Quick Hits: David Bote Has Struggled Mightily Since Walk-Off Slam

David Bote’s first 91 plate appearances produced a .403 wOBA and some dramatic homers, all thanks to a league-leading exit velocity. But since he blasted a walk-off grand slam against the Nationals on Sunday Night Baseball, he’s struggled mightily.

Bote’s last 97 plate appearances have yielded a 35 percent strikeout rate en route to a bottom-barrel .228 wOBA. Digging a bit deeper reveals more startling facets of his offensive performance. In the same sample size, Bote’s made contact on only 66 percent of his swings, which is in the bottom five percent of MLB.

When Bote does make contact, though, he’s still hitting pitches with an average 91 mph exit velocity. So if the 25-year-old adjusts and makes more contact, his ability to hit pitches hard consistently should again lead to lots of runs.