The 2023 season was fun in many aspects for the Chicago Cubs. From Cody Bellinger's reemergence to Justin Steele blossoming into a homegrown ace, there was plenty to look forward to as the team positioned itself for an exciting future on the North Side.
Even though the Cubs fell just short of their first postseason appearance since 2020, it was clear that the Cubs' brass needed to build upon its new core.
Similar to the circumstances surrounding Joe Maddon's hiring, the Cubs realized that they reached the stage of their rebuild where it was time for someone with a winning pedigree to take the lead.
Fate played in the Cubs' favor once again when Craig Counsell and the Milwaukee Brewers parted ways in the offseason.
With Justin Steele and Seiya Suzuki sidelined with injuries early in the 2024 campaign, it'd be hard to imagine that the Cubs would be a .500 team, let alone above that. But Monday's extra-inning victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks was another example of how Counsell has made an impact early on.
It feels different on the North Side as the winds of change seem to have traveled in similarly to the hope that sprung in 2015.
Bellinger and Nico Hoerner, for the most part, have been cold to start the season. But like the little engine that could, the Cubs keep chugging forward.
Hoerner broke through in a big way on Monday. Down 2-1 in the top of the ninth, he stole home all the way from second base. His manager had nothing but glowing things to say afterward.
With the emergence of newcomers Shota Imanaga and Michael Busch, Counsell seems to be pushing all the right buttons to keep the team a lean, mean, winning machine.
As the team continues its series in Arizona on Tuesday, it's all smiles back in Chicago as Craig Counsell continues to leave his mark on an exciting Cubs team.
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