Cubs’ Carson Kelly hopes mechanical change leads to more consistency at the plate

CLEVELAND — Including team success, last season was the best of Cubs catcher Carson Kelly’s career.He posted a career-high 3.6 WAR and reached the playoffs for the first time in his career. But the 11-year veteran went into the offseason searching, feeling he had left some production on the table.‘‘We’re always looking for consistency, right?’’ Kelly told the Sun-Times. ‘‘From a hitting standpoint, it’s getting into the same position every time. And over the course of the year, my hands were getting into different spots, which created a late move and, overall, a snowball effect.’’Kelly limped to the finish line, batting .218 with a .596 OPS after the All-Star break. His luck didn’t turn in his first playoff run, either. He batted .179/.233/.286 in the postseason.Kelly’s hand placement played a role in his numbers taking a nosedive last season. He said that he could have corrected his mechanics earlier but that ‘‘when we do something so repetitively, you think you’re in the same spot.’’His hands were getting tucked behind his body, which threw off his timing and led to him being late on pitches.‘‘Then you look on camera, and you’re like, ‘That’s completely different,’ ’’ Kelly said. ‘‘We have the technology to know our location in space and from different angles.’’All in all, however, 2025 was a bounce-back season for Kelly. He slugged 17 home runs and slashed .249/.333/.428. His .761 OPS was his best since posting an .826 in 2019 with the Diamondbacks.But the rigors of the major-league season eventually…

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