One of the secrets to the Cubs’ success is hitting .248.
Chris Coghlan gets a fraction of the attention that Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Dexter Fowler, Starlin Castro, Addison Russell … OK, he gets a fraction of the attention that pretty much everybody else gets.
But he has played in a career-high 130 games this season and has 15 home runs, far more than his previous single-season high of nine. Manager Joe Maddon has put him at five different positions and hit him in all nine spots in the lineup. He has made one error.
He received more attention for a catch he made falling into the stands at Busch Stadium on Wednesday than for just about anything he has done this season. But he has made other great plays in right and left field this year, as well as at second base.
You need guys like this. You need guys like this in the postseason, when things get strange and heroes come out of nowhere. You need guys like another CC, Craig Counsell. The Craig Counsell who was a career .255 hitter? Yes, but more importantly, the Craig Counsell who scored the World Series-winning run in 1997 for the Marlins and won the National League Championship Series most valuable player award in 2001 when he was a Diamondback.
If the Cubs are fortunate enough to play more than one game in the postseason, don’t be surprised if the player nobody talks about has people talking.
