Chicago Cubs Bench Guys Aura Rankings: April 9 Edition

[Brian Kelder]

The Cubs are off to a tremendous, exciting start, and the bench players have been integral to it. Gone are the days of flailing tiny infielders and large men with contact issues. In their stead are guys with game-changing speed, impressive beards, or both. Here's the latest edition of Bench Guys Aura Rankings.

Image courtesy of © Matt Marton-Imagn Images

1. Jon Berti: After the Monday night game, can there be anyone else in the top spot? Berti scored a run by himself. He was hit by a pitch, stole second, stole third, and scored ahead of Jake Burger's throw against a drawn-in infield. That's truly game-changing stuff. 

Berti can play every infield position (besides shortstop) at a passable level and has manned left field in the past. Currently, his on-base percentage is at .333. Players like Berti are the unsung heroes and occasional backbones of playoff teams. Monday night, we saw a glimpse of how impactful such a player can be. He was a great, under-the-radar signing by Jed Hoyer.

2. Justin Turner: Turner was initially ranked first, but you can't do this and keep your spot. To be honest, I'm not nearly as bullish on Turner as I was early on. He's taking at-bats from Michael Busch and providing very little value. He's just 4-for-18 on the season, with all the hits being singles. This has some Eric Hosmer vibes, though at least Turner is drawing walks to go with his hits.

3. Gage Workman: His middle name is Tater. He's a tall, strapping, bearded lad. The defense, in theory, is good. However, he's 0-6 with five strikeouts. Watching him hit, this is not going very well. Maybe the Cubs can offer something back to Detroit to keep him around, because he clearly isn't ready for the majors. Vidal Bruján will be healthy soon and should take this spot.

Note that Carson Kelly is not included, because he's not a backup. For this purpose, Miguel Amaya and he are considered co-starters. Each has played seven games so far.

Possible Additions to the Bench to Replace Workman
If you want a longer rundown, we have it here. These are 40-man players and how they're starting off through seven games in Iowa.

• Owen Caissie: .905 OPS, but a sprained ankle. He's likely to get called up for an injury to a corner outfielder, if he's healthy whenever that happens.
• Kevin Alcantara: Off to a slow start for the third consecutive season, sporting a .486 OPS. He is streaky. A better defender than Caissie, he'll get the call if something happens to Pete Crow-Armstrong.
• Ben Cowles: He's off to a hot start. This is from the linked article by Jason Ross:

Quote

Ben Cowles, INF - 10% BB%, 36.7% K%, 3 XBH, 159 wRC+ : We barely got to see Cowles in 2024 after the trade in which the team acquired him and Jack Neely, as he had a broken wrist. However, a successful Arizona Fall League and a hot start to the season make you excited about the future. He hit the ball hard, clubbing the I-Cubs' first home run of the season. It's still early, but if he can continue looking solid, he would make himself an interesting injury replacement if someone such as Jon Berti or Gage Workman came up lame.

There you go! If needed immediately, Cowles is probably ahead of James Triantos (.214 AVG, .517 OPS for a guy with a hit tool that needs to carry).

Do you guys enjoy this format? Am I way off base? Let me know below. I'm a middle school teacher in real life; there's no way I can be sensitive anymore.

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[G.Krisch]

Cowles is off to a great start except for the Ks. Ouch.