The Increasing Murkiness of the Cubs' DH Spot

[RandallPnkFloyd]

There hasn’t been any real consistency this year as to how the Chicago Cubs have utilized their designated hitter slot. The early expectation was to deploy Nick Madrigal primarily at third base from the jump. Christopher Morel would see more looks as the DH until the latter gained more comfort transitioning to his new position. 

Image courtesy of © Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

Christopher Morel showed enough early improvement, though, to see more time. Combined with the offensive ineptitude of Nick Madrigal, that projection didn’t even remotely pan out. Morel started at the DH spot only seven times in March & April against 22 starts at the hot corner. As such, the team has gone through much of the year without a surefire solution at the position. Eleven players have at least one start as the team’s designated hitter heading into the weekend. 

In a general sense, rotating the DH makes some sense. Especially as the team has sought more time for Pete Crow-Armstrong in center field, it allows you to work with Ian Happ, Cody Bellinger, and Seiya Suzuki there. Mike Tauchman, when healthy. Patrick Wisdom’s power bat, on occasion. However, the leaders in DH that started this year have been Morel (19) and Suzuki (18). 

However, an important component is taking shape on the North Side that will likely impact how the Cubs intend to use that spot moving forward. And while that component is developing, it’s anything but clear. It’s the increasing inability to put either Morel or Seiya Suzuki on the actual baseball field. 

We’ve touched on Morel’s defense of late (and throughout the year). While the eye test might’ve shown some steady improvement early in the year, it’s obvious that he lacks the chops to be a viable long-term solution at the position. He lacks the instincts and probably some tools to make it a success. A similar situation is developing in the case of Suzuki. Friday afternoon saw him drop yet another routine fly ball, something that’s become alarmingly common for him despite a steady run as a fielder during his days over in Japan. 

Morel has been, statistically, the worst third baseman in baseball by Fielding Run Value. Among third sackers with at least 200 innings, only Jeimer Candelario’s -6 is close to Morel’s -8 on that end of the leaderboard. Suzuki, meanwhile, ranks 34^th out of 42 right fielders in FRV (-3). He’s in league with names like Gavin Sheets and Nick Castellanos, who have a…certain reputation with the glove. Suffice it to say neither player has a long-term future in the field. 

This presents an interesting dynamic for how the team will utilize the DH spot moving forward. With two players becoming increasingly unreliable in the field, how do you balance the only spot they might be fit for? 

Rotating Suzuki into the slot more frequently seems more likely in the immediate future. Assuming Pete Crow-Armstrong is healthy, an outfield configuration of Happ, PCA, and Bellinger seems most appropriate for the defensive side of things. And since you don’t want Seiya’s bat out of the equation, he’ll have to get his plate appearances from that particular spot. When one of those guys needs a blow, or you want an offensive bump, given PCA’s shortcomings on that side, you throw Suzuki in right and let David Bote, Patrick Wisdom, or Miles Mastrobuoni handle the hot corner. 

It also presents some interesting trade deadline implications. With the team likely to fall on the sell side of things, do they prioritize moving one to free up that DH spot for the other and improve team defense? I suppose that would depend on what they’re seeking in return, between lower-level prospects, high-upside guys who are blocked (a la Michael Busch), or, more unlikely, a surefire longer-term piece in part of a larger deal.

It presents an interesting quandary for Craig Counsell in a season full of them. A team that was so good on defense a year ago finds themselves trying to handle two regulars whose defense appears to be in steady decline. At the very least, it adds another curious element to how the team approaches this month’s deadline. 

View full article

[Matt W]

Great piece, Randy. This is is something to at I’ve been giving a good deal of thought to , lately. Keeping both of these guys on roster is increasingly untenable. It’s important to remember that , as good as the SP has been, it’s still a pitch-to-contact type group and will require a stout D.

The other factor(s) to think about which weren’t covered here at Matt Shaw and Moises Ballesteros. Ballesteros, in particular , is really coming for it and will, undoubtedly, require some significant DH reps. Shaw, on the other hand, is also coming for it and appears to be likely honing on 3B reps, unless Hoerner is realistic trade chip(whole other discussion that I’d love for you & Matt to explore).