Making The Case For Christopher Morel As The Cubs' Leadoff Hitter

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The Chicago Cubs are a team without an identity. Perhaps shuffling the batting order could help give them one.

Image courtesy of © Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

Sure, it would be easy to say, well, yes, they do; Craig Counsell’s ball club is an underachieving disappointment. While that’s true, and I’m writing this in the wake of yet another series loss to the hated St. Louis Cardinals, one that came on a decisive one-run game on Father’s Day, there’s quite a bit more to that. As the Cubs sit at 34-38, eight and a half games behind the rival Brewers, the losing is the result, not the team’s identity. Look around the clubhouse and see a team desperately wanting to deliver for its fans and the city. From a vibes standpoint, it’s miraculous; the elite pitching and equally entertaining antics from breakout star Shota (Mike) Imanaga are appointment television for the sports world.

Another player you can throw into that category of Cub that provides even a modicum of enjoyment to watch is rotating third baseman Christopher Morel. Morel is a spark plug with his play and through his “never say die” attitude. We all know that “If You Can’t find it at Binny’s, It’s Probably Not Worth Drinking,” but Morel is one of (maybe) five guys on the team worthy of the “Binny’s Toast of the Game” on any given night. If this thoroughly enjoyable paragraph, comprised with such conviction, isn’t already evidence enough as to why Morel should be a fixture in the lead-off spot, let’s digest some stats: According to Baseball-Reference, Morel is slashing .198/.306/.381, a modest starting point but it gets better the deeper you dig.

One of the Cubs’ major problems in this perplexing start to the 2024 season has been getting down and out quickly in counts. You’ve got batters like Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki who swing away early in counts. Belli is, of course, fabulous as a two-strike hitter and puts the ball in play better than just about anyone in the majors, but he’s doing it in a plethora of situations with the bases empty. Counsell and his consortium of staggeringly brilliant baseball minds must devise a plan to cash in runs early, but you can’t do that without putting traffic on the base pads. I offer that Morel is striking out nearly 10% less than he was in 2023 and is walking more: from 31.0% to 22.3% and 8.4% to 11.7%, respectively. Perhaps beyond working with the hitting coaches in 2024, Morel better understands that his role with the team is to set the table for the middle of the order to do some serious damage. Scoring runs and scoring them early eludes the Cubs on a seemingly nightly basis for the past six weeks or so during this stretch of misery. The Cubs not only rank near the bottom of scoring in the majors per a nine-inning game, but they don’t often put up runs in the first three innings, including the putrid finale versus the Cardinals. 

It’s a multi-pronged problem, but it’s a top-of-the-line-up problem: I love Mr. Palatine himself, Mike Tauchman, but his highlights are becoming few and far between, and he lacks the serious wheels of a guy like Pete Crow-Armstrong. I’d argue that putting Morel at leadoff and Tauchman second creates a much bigger problem for opposing clubs.

Imagine you’re opposing pitcher, Jared Jones of the Pirates; Morel laces a sharp single down the first base line, cruising into first, fist-pumping, and letting out an emphatic “let’s go!”. No outs and a lead-off man aboard. Then, here comes Mike Tauchman, who has plate discipline and chews up a ten-pitch at-bat, eventually drawing a walk. Do you see where I am going with this? Morel is now in scoring position, a threat to run, and, more importantly, gives us a chance to jump out in front early and in style. We’ve seen so much positive energy from Christopher Morel, in his commitment to improving his defensive role at third and in his relentless approach to each at bat. Of course, he threatens to launch the ball with blistering exit velocity, but he also makes sure the opposition knows about it. Last season, watching him race around the bases after crushing a walk-off homer versus the White Sox, shedding his blue pinstriped jersey, I witnessed in him the attitude that should be the prototype of a team looking to not only get back to the postseason but make a run in it. Christopher Morel has an identity; he’s a winner, and if Counsell installs him in the lead-off role, the Cubs will be, too. 

Writing for and being a fan of the Chicago Cubs has been arduous since late April, but here the NL Central stands with Milwaukee holding a six-and-a-half game lead over St. Louis, the current second-place team. With over three full months of baseball to play, I think I speak for all of Cubs nation when I say I’ll be damned if I’m going to give up now.

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