How Dexter Fowler is making the Cubs go

11:43 AM ET

CHICAGO — By now you know what Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon says to leadoff man Dexter Fowler before every game.

“You go. We go.”

Over the first month of the season, that saying couldn’t be more accurate. Fowler hasn’t stopped “going” since Opening Day, compiling video-game-like numbers with a .506 on-base percentage, a 1.198 OPS and 215 OPS+ — second best in the National League this season. For perspective, the league average OPS+ is always 100.

Fowler’s team is 14-5 as it begins a homestand Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers. And it’s no coincidence the success of the team and the player go hand in hand.

“He stays within himself,” Fowler’s teammate and good friend Jason Heyward said over the weekend. “Doesn’t try to do too much. He’s aggressive in the strike zone and uses all of his tools. He takes advantage of the lineup around us.”

That’s the technical breakdown. Veteran David Ross put it more succinctly.

“He’s our MVP,” Ross said. “No question about it. Maybe of the league so far.”

That’s high praise considering first baseman Anthony Rizzo is among the league leaders in home runs and RBIs, and starter Jake Arrieta is 4-0 and just threw a no-hitter.

The common thinking regarding Fowler is that he’s playing with a chip on his shoulder after being spurned in free agency this past winter. It’s well documented how he famously returned to the Cubs at the last minute, taking less money for one year than the team originally extended to him via the qualifying offer back in November. And he never found a multiyear deal from another team to his liking despite a monster second half last year.

But the chip-on-the shoulder reasoning doesn’t do service to how hard Fowler worked this offseason. He shed what little body fat he had while putting on close to 20 pounds of muscle. It’s made a world of difference — especially batting left-handed, which has traditionally been his weaker side.

“From a technical perspective, …

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