Buck Coats:

[UK1679666180]

Now that he's officially gone to super-utility, does anyone see him becoming a better version of Jose Macias? Unlike Macias, he has a strong arm and an eye at the plate not geared towards hitting a pitcher's pitch?

[rawaction]

Buck has always been one of my favorites. I still think he could hit for power. He apparently puts on quite the batting practice show. No tools stick out a ton, but he can do a little of everything. Above average arm, Better than average speed, quick bat which makes contact, better than average defensive OF (below average IF). He could make the majors as a utility player.

[weather2]

Enlighten me. What do you mean he is now officially a utilility player?

 

 

He played 94 games at SS and 24 in the OF last year.

 

I understand he will play at bit of OF in spring training this year.

 

What has changed from last year when we was an unofficial utility player?

 

Did someone in the Cubs organization make a proclamation?

[craig]

I still think he's maybe a stretch, unless his infield defense is improving and/or diversifying. Seems to me that all I know at this point is that he's a good outfielder but a bad SS.

 

A big-league utility player needs to have multiple positions at which he's good enough defensively that a big-league manager will actually play him there. Not sure having played some bad minor-league SS qualifies.

 

I don't think his current SS would allow him to function as anything more than a 3rd string emergency SS in the majors, perhaps comparable to Mark Bellhorn in 2002. Has he played enough 2B or 3B to be even close to good enough defensively to be a 2nd string guy at one of those positions, in the majors?

 

If he could polish his 3b defense enough to be considered as a respectable fielder there, that could help him.