Tyler Colvin Draws Closer to Making the Chicago Cubs

Tyler Colvin exploded at the plate yesterday – again – with four hits including a triple and a homer against the San Diego Padres. The hits came against Major League caliber pitching, including lefty Clayton Richard, to boot. The kid has done nothing but hit (literally, nothing but hit: he has yet to take a walk) since the start of Spring Training, and it’s hard to imagine the Cubs not taking him to Chicago with them.

Maybe it’s no longer a question as to whether Tyler Colvin will make the Cubs’ opening-day roster.

Manager Lou Piniella ratcheted things up just a little bit Saturday after watching Colvin go 4-for-5 with a homer and 2 RBI in a 2-2, 10-inning tie with the San Diego Padres.

“He’s not looking for a roster spot; he’s looking for somebody’s position,” Piniella said.

Piniella tried to calm things down a bit when asked it Colvin was going to get that position.

“This is spring training,” the manager said. “But I tell you what, it’s impressive, isn’t it? He’s going about it the right way.”

Colvin isn’t packing his bags for Atlanta and the regular-season opener yet.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” he said after a postgame session in the weight room. “Right now, all I have to do is wait until our last game on April 3 and see what he says.

“I’m just going about it trying to get ready for the season, have good at-bats and make it tough on them.” …

“He’s taking aggressive passes,” Piniella said. “He looks like a major-league hitter up there.”

With less than a week to go before spring training ends, it will be awfully difficult for the Cubs to send Colvin down to the minor leagues. Piniella admitted as much Saturday.

“Yeah, it really is,” he said. “Let’s be perfectly clear about that. I don’t think the way this kid’s playing that he’s satisfied just making our team. Remember what I said about 4-5-6 days ago that if he’s on our team, we’ve got to play him some. He’s making it very easy to do that.” Daily Herald.

At present, the Cubs are down to Sam Fuld and Colvin as the fifth outfielder. Fuld brings the slightly better glove and more speed, but Colvin clearly has the more potent bat. Piniella keeps saying he won’t keep Colvin up unless there are regular at bats for him, but once Xavier Nady is ready to play the field – in a month or two – where will those at bats for Colvin come from? Are the Cubs really prepared to sit one of the starters? And even if they do, are they really prepared to also sit Nady?

It’s just hard to see Colvin getting more than a couple of at bats per week.