The Cubs May Not Have a Place for Pedro Ramírez This October

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Pedro Ramírez has been one of the cooler storylines for the Chicago Cubs this season. Just 21 years old when the season began, he has since turned himself into a valuable piece of Chicago’s lineup. In 191 plate appearances with the Cubs, Ramírez is hitting .285/.347/.436. For a bottom-of-the-order bat, that’s some pretty impressive production. Considering his age, there should be plenty of room for him to continue growing as a player. The Cubs appear to have found themselves a young player capable of contributing at the major-league level, which is never a bad thing. As good as Ramírez’s bat has been this season, though, there are some questions about his role once the postseason gets underway.

Ramírez has spent time at second base recently, with Nico Hoerner currently occupying shortstop in the absence of Dansby Swanson. He’s also moonlighted at third base when Alex Bregman takes a day at designated hitter, but those days are few and far between. He's a much better third baseman than a second baseman, which is unfortunate for him, because the team's need is for a better second baseman. Although he has an outfielder's glove from his time in the minors, he's yet to crack that crowded picture for the parent club. When you start looking at the potential postseason roster, there simply may not be a lot of playing time available for him, assuming Dansby Swanson is activated from the IL before the Wild Card round.

If Swanson remains sidelined when the postseason begins, this could become a completely different conversation. Ramírez would have a much clearer path to playing time, and the Cubs could continue using the versatility he's provided throughout the season. But if Swanson is healthy and ready to go before the end of the regular season (which seems likely, given the latest updates on his condition), Ramírez could end up being the odd man out.

There might be some regression (or at least rebalancing) forthcoming for Ramírez, anyway. His production has been boosted by success against left-handed pitching, in a very small sample size. Ramírez has just 34 plate appearances against lefties this season, but he owns a .928 OPS in those opportunities. Against right-handed pitchers, that number drops all the way to .718. Scouts and underlying data agree, however, that he's actually a better hitter from the left side, facing righties. If the stronger side for him is one from which he's been a bit exposed, it might mean he's not ready to contribute at the plate this postseason.

The Cubs are not going to bench Hoerner, Swanson or Bregman in favor of Ramírez in any game that matters down the stretch—not even once. Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Tyrone Taylor and Pete Crow-Armstrong have the outfield covered, and Michael Conforto (the fifth Beatle of the group) means they can fill the grassy spots plus DH. Matt Shaw is back from his injury, and his skill set overlaps pretty substantially with that of Ramírez. When you zoom out and look at the entire roster, it looks like Ramírez's only role on this team once Swanson returns is as an emergency fill-in.

Ramírez has done everything the Cubs could have reasonably asked from him during his rookie season. He's provided quality offensive production, gotten on base at a strong rate, and shown enough versatility to move around the diamond. There’s plenty to like about his long-term future in Chicago. But the postseason is a completely different situation. You’re no longer trying to develop young players or find out what they can become. Every roster decision is about putting the best possible group on the field to win that specific game. When you consider Ramírez’s defensive limitations, his modest production against right-handed pitching, and the sheer number of other options the Cubs have available, it becomes difficult to find a consistent role for him this fall. He might be shuffled to the bottom of the deck down the stretch—an ace in the hole, to be played when the chips are down and things are desperate or to be held for a bigger play next year.