Peering around the league, trying to distinguish between teams bound for postseason “appearances” and those who might make true postseason “runs”, Craig Counsell has his club tentatively planted in the latter category. Far from being one-dimensional or dependent on a particular player, this team can do a lot of things well. With both speed and power, they’re second in baseball in runs per game, even amid a bit of a skid. They’re equally adept at keeping runs off the board, though, and that’s no longer thanks solely to their stout middle infield.

Pete Crow-Armstrong is the anchor of the outfield group—the frontman. With his 11 Outs Above Average (OAA), he patrols center field like a night shift security guard at the Field Museum. Flanked by his experienced running mates Ian Happ in left field, and Kyle Tucker in right field, Crow-Armstrong has sanded off the rough edges on his game. He not only shows excellent speed and playmaking ability when he reaches the ball, but has improved his reads and routes to the ball. He’s come into his own as one of the game’s premier defenders. Getting to stand between Happ and Tucker, who in their own right are two of the most fundamentally sound players at their positions, has created a residual impact for the dynamic Crow-Armstrong. Together, this trio of outfielders stands to make the Cubs a real force to be reckoned with when October arrives.

Although they’re just 6-6 over their last 12 games, the Cubs have been consistently excellent this year. They survived a vicious early schedule, shredded a soft patch over three weeks from the middle of May to the start of this month, and win games in myriad ways. Take for instance, the closing game of the Cubs’ three-game series in Washington D.C. versus the Nationals. With the Cubs maintaining a slim 2-0 lead, Nats speedster C.J. Abrams sliced a low-flying ball into right, over the head of Michael Busch. Tucker charged after the ball as Abrams rounded first base, trying to stretch the in-between play into a double. Tucker scooped up the ball and threw an absolute rope to Nico Hoerner, waiting at second base to apply the tag.

The play not only eliminated a serious baserunning threat, but served as a microcosm of the types of plays this World Series contender of a club can make. It’s plays like this (and hopefully a whole lot more, versus playoff-caliber teams) that will allow the Cubs to have the type of run they’re envisioning in the playoffs. If their recent series versus the Detroit Tigers was a litmus test, they failed it. There is still a long way to go, but this stout outfield can help get them there. 

In the playoffs, teams get greedy. That’s not a manager’s foolish roll of the dice or a reckless turn toward baseball insanity; it’s a survival tactic. The air changes in the playoffs. Stranded runners can and will haunt a team, and could very unkindly escort a team directly out of postseason contention. What this means, in practical terms, is that with two good ball clubs squaring off, runners are going to push the limits to reach scoring position, making the defensive awareness of the outfielders all the more imperative. Happ, Tucker, and Crow-Armstrong, all lurking in the outfield, prepared to make a play on anything shot in their direction, is a weapon bespoke to Chicago’s North Side club. Along with the rest of their teammates, the outfielders have thus far turned in an impressive body of work, which hints at a greater passion and determination to erase the sins of the previous few seasons. This is supposed to not only be a playoff team, but a dangerous one once they get there, and these three know it.

This season is starting to move faster, and the schedule is getting both tougher and more crowded. With that pace comes the clarity of some previously unknown factors, such as the increasing likelihood that Crow-Armstrong will be the starting center fielder for the National League All-Stars. But, what’s even more clear: The Chicago Cubs are a team that will not succumb to its own miscues. They plan, they adapt, and they succeed. The club possesses an uncanny aptitude to take what they do well and make it better. Three big reasons why can be found in the outfield.