Article: Top 25 North Side Baseball Most-Viewed Articles of 2023: Part 3 (11-15)

[Seth Stohs]

We're back for Part 3 of our Most-Viewed articles of 2023 series. It could potentially be called the "If you're going to call up prospects, play them." 

Image courtesy of © Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

In late July, there were a lot of rumors surrounding who the Cubs might acquire at the trade deadline. Would they be busy? Then in August, the Cubs were playing well and there was a lot of thought on the site and among Cubs fans that there were a few minor leaguers who could come up to the club and provide a spark.  A couple of those players were called up but were not played enough to provide a lot. 

#15  The Cubs and Pete Crow-Armstrong Might be Facing a Good Dilemma 
by Brandon Glick
Aug 6 

It was early August, and the Cubs were on a nice run. They were seemingly back in contention for a playoff spot. Meanwhile, top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong was playing well in Double-A and had just been promoted to Triple-A Iowa. Could he be called up to the big leagues and hopefully provide a much-needed spark? Well, a month later, PCA was called up. The 21-year-ol made two starts. After that, he was used as a defensive replacement in the late innings. His bat has a lot of work to do yet. His glove, however, is ready to play in the big leagues today. 

#14  September Call-Ups: Bring Me Canario 
by Brandon Glick
Aug 23

About one week before rosters could expand from 26 to 28 players, Brandon was considering several potential options for recall. In this article, he touted the reasons to promote the powerful Alexander Canario. He had hit 37 home runs at three levels in 2022, but then he had a career-threatening injury. He got back on the field in the second half of the season. He played 10 games for South Bend and then hit .276/.342/.524 with 12 doubles and eight homers in 36 games. Ultimately, he was called up and played in six games for the Cubs. he had five hits including a double, a triple, and a home run. 

#13 3 Hitters the Cubs Could Target at Trade Deadline 
by Matt Trueblood
June 27 

It was still just over a month from the 2023 trade deadline, but Matt started digging into which hitters could help the Cubs if they found themselves contending. He mentions three players, each from National League teams. And without giving too much away, the Cubs got one of the three, and the other two players were not traded at all. 

#12  What’s the Deal with Alexander Canario 
by Brandon Glick
Sept 9 

Brandon got his wish. Canario was called up when rosters expanded, but then he (and then PCA) were used very sporadically. Manager David Ross said that he was going to play the guys that get them here. Canario played on September 6th and then didn’t play until the 19th. That day, he hit his first double and first home run and drove in five runs. And then he again didn’t play for two more days when he was a pinch hitter

#11 A Trade a Day: Should the Cubs Trade Cody Bellinger to the Twins 
by Matt Trueblood
July 15

When players sign one-year, make-good deals with an organization, the hope is that they 1.) prove healthy, and 2.) return to their best form. Cody Bellinger, the former MVP with the Dodgers, signed a one-year deal with the Cubs and it couldn’t have gone much better. He returned to his previous form offensively and continued to play strong defense. When a team signs a player to a one-year, make good deal, they want to see the player do well since they got him for cheap, but also because they can decide to potentially trade him. The Cubs found themselves too close to contention to make a trade, and yet ultimately, outside of the playoffs, so Bellinger remained through the full season.

The countdown will continue tomorrow, but if you missed a previous edition: 

Part 1 (21-25)
Part 2 (16-20)
Part 3 (11-15) 
Part 4 (6-10) - Coming Tomorrow! 

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