CHICAGO — If a Cubs fan was asked on Feb. 9 when pitchers and catchers reported to rank the top three offseason moves by the Cubs, they’d probably look something like this:

1. Superstar slugger Kyle Tucker (in a blockbuster trade with Houston)
2. Closer Ryan Pressly (in a separate trade with Houston)
3. Left-handed starter Matthew Boyd (two-year, $29 million free agent deal)

Two and three are up for debate, but catcher Carson Kelly might have slotted in at four. Or if you were really concerned about pitching, you might put him at five behind Ryan Brasier and/or Colin Rea. This was a backstop who had accumulated 7.0 fWAR in parts of nine seasons and was expected to split time with Miguel Amaya, after all.

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You’d have a strong case that Kelly has been the biggest signing so far for the Cubs – something he showed once again on Friday.

Kelly compiled his second multi-home run game of the season and his third of his career in the Cubs’ historic 13-11 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday at Wrigley Field. He’s hitting .419 in 11 games this season, has a monstrous 1.675 OPS and an other-worldly 322 weighted runs created plus – 222 percentage points better than league average. He has a 1.4 fWAR this season, which is tied for fourth in baseball.

He’s so hot right now, that fans were chanting his name on Friday at Wrigley Field as he stepped up to bat before his final at-bat.

“It’s pretty cool,” Kelly said after the game. “I’ve never had that before. Very, very special.”

OK, that’s fair, chanting a player’s name is rare and reserved for those really special players. But has he experienced a hot streak like the heater he’s riding now?

“Not that I can think of,” Kelly said. “I mean it’s been good. What’s really been working is just staying pitch-to-pitch. Win every single pitch and staying locked in no matter what the score is, no matter what the situation you’re going to continue to compete. It’s been a lot of fun so far.”

It’s buoyed an area of the team that was a weakness last year. Cubs catchers had a .601 OPS last season, the fifth-worst mark in baseball. Amaya and Kelly have combined for a 1.105 OPS this season, tops in baseball. Amaya hasn’t been a slouch either – he’s hitting .283 with a .770 OPS, a home run and 12 RBI this season.

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But Kelly has been so good and so valuable. It has helped make the bottom of the order a threat for the Cubs this season. The Cubs’ No. 7 through No. 9 hitters were a weakness for much of last season – they sported a .612 OPS through their first 100 games, 24th in baseball. This season, that group has an .828 OPS, the best in baseball.

It’s nice to have someone like Kelly down there, eh?

“Wherever in the order, yeah, if you have somebody just hitting a homer every time,” Ian Happ quipped after the game.

There’s no questioning his value now.

“He’s been awesome,” Happ said. “He’s been fantastic, not only offensively, behind the plate and what he brings. But his at-bats have been really, really impressive and to get hit in the hand the way he did, come back right after, continue to have good at-bats, obviously today the two big homers.

“But yeah he’s been a stud.”