NEWSLETTER
When the lineup for the home opener came out yesterday, I was unsurprised to see Ben Zobrist’s name penciled into the batting order, covering for Anthony Rizzo at first base. After all, he’s been swinging a hot bat and is more than capable of playing the position (even if he hasn’t done it in a while).
But it’s not necessarily because Rizzo’s original replacement, Victor Caratini, had been doing a bad job. In fact, the Cubs switch-hitting, positionally versatile catcher has been filling in admirably in the corner during Rizzo’s now-extended absence, and he gets the start there tonight.
Through three games at the position, Caratini has recorded four hits (.333 AVG) a run, and an RBI, which is good for a 106 wRC+ (perhaps a far cry from what Rizzo would’ve posted, but, again, back-ups are back-ups for a reason). More importantly, Caratini has done a nice job defensively, and has the highlights from this past weekend to prove it. Let’s take a look at a few.
First up, Caratini reels in a bad throw off the bag from Kris Bryant and gets his foot back in time to nail Domingo Santana with no outs in the ninth:
#Brewers challenge call that Domingo Santana is out at 1B in the 9th; call confirmed, runner is out.
Powered by @Mitel. pic.twitter.com/bFmJUH9c6V
— MLB Replay (@MLBReplays) April 8, 2018
Maybe Rizzo would’ve stretched and made the catch anyway, but it was an impressive – and crucial – play nonetheless.
Earlier in the game, Caratini handled the catch, swipe, and tag components of a back-pick from Willson Contreras (which are notoriously unexpected and extremely fast):
.@Cubs challenge call that Lorenzo Cain is safe at 1B in the 1st; call overturned, runner is out.
Powered by @Mitel. pic.twitter.com/mVjMifgLOs
— MLB Replay (@MLBReplays) April 8, 2018
It might not have been the ninth inning, but getting an unexpected double play and removing any runners from the bases is certainly welcome at any time, especially at the very beginning of the game when the tone is still being set.
And finally, in between these two gems, Caratini managed to track down another errant throw, only this time it pulls him off the bag, and perfectly executes a swipe tag:
Smooth glove work all the way around. pic.twitter.com/eYBU1v2goY
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 8, 2018
Nicely done, rookie. Thanks for filling in.
