It’s still only May, but the Cubs have already made their mark as one of the more prolific base-stealing teams in MLB.

They’ve swiped 63 bags so far this year, the third-most in all of baseball and the second-most in the NL. They’re just two behind their divisional rival Milwaukee Brewers, even with six fewer attempts.

On the latest episode of The Compound Podcast, Cubs left fielder Ian Happ gave credit to the team’s first-year first base coach Jose Javier for the work he’s done.

“He’s been great, whether it’s jump breaks, figuring out tips, or figuring out situationally when to run,” Happ said of Javier. “Obviously we have a fast team — Pete (Crow-Armstrong) is going to steal a bunch of bags, Nico (Hoerner) is going to steal a bunch of bags.”

Crow-Armstrong’s 14 stolen bases this year rank him third in the NL and sixth in MLB, while Hoerner has 10 of his own. But one player’s speed has been a welcome surprise: Kyle Tucker.

Tucker is a perfect 14-for-14 through 50 games, tying him with Crow-Armstrong on the leaderboards. He only stole 11 through 78 games in his injury-shortened 2024.

“That’s the cool thing,” Happ said. “Tuck’s stolen bases — he’s been great at it in his career. Seeing guys that are good runners but (not the ones) that you think will go out and take 30 bags a year … It’s been really fun.”

Happ’s co-host Dakota Mekkes added that Javier could have a lot to do with players like Tucker and Dansby Swanson adding on to the running threat.

“I wouldn’t call (Tucker) or (Swanson) burners, but they’re smart and they get good jumps,” Mekkes said. “That’s where a first base coach comes into play … He watches film on all the guys that could come out of the bullpen, every starter.”

“Sometimes it’s about understanding that in certain counts, guys go to off-speed more, or they like to bounce stuff more,” Happ added.

For Happ, the Cubs’ all-around ability on the basepaths is what has made the offense so dynamic.

“It’s so much easier to score runs,” Happ said. “In situations where we’re up 3-1 in the fifth and we have an opportunity to get aggressive, the ability to keep adding on and doing it in different ways … We’re able to put pressure on defenses. It’s huge.”