NEWSLETTER
To the extent you needed confirmation – or a reason to be irate – the Cubs have no intention of letting outfield prospect Nelson Velazquez gets starts while he’s up with the big league team. *Maybe* some starts against lefties. *Maybe* some pinch-hitting opportunities.
And you will absolutely love the role David Ross describes:
A role similar to how Clint Frazier was used while he was on the roster. Truly incredible stuff.
The same Clint Frazier who WAS NOT USED, even when there were AMPLE opportunities to do so after Seiya Suzuki was injured. The same Clint Frazier who got so little action that the Cubs figured it would be better to just DFA him and try to sneak him to Iowa.
Jason Heyward is simply an unholy lock to get starts right now, especially against righties. It is nonsense. Absolute nonsense. But it is the reality. The Cubs have decided that they absolutely must keep and consistently play one of the worst hitters in baseball, even after the defense has clearly declined.
Meanwhile, at least in the case of Velazquez, vis a vis Frazier, this was expected to be a short time up with the big league team in any case. It is ridiculous that he isn’t starting, but it isn’t necessarily a career-changer. This isn’t quite the same situation as Frazier, even if the role comparison is the same.
Oh, hey, but bonus: while Velazquez is up on the big league team riding the pine, it opens up further starts for Frazier at Iowa, so hey, they really are connected!
When Seiya Suzuki returns – next week? the week after? – the starts in right field were going to go away anyway. Of course, then the question will become: surely the Cubs won’t keep starting Heyward in center field at the exclusion of Christopher Morel AND Rafael Ortega, right? Maybe Morel goes to second base frequently after that, but what about when Nick Madrigal returns? Or David Bote? Or many other guys you want to see getting near-term starts ahead of Heyward. SURELY he wouldn’t still have a mortal lock on a starting job to the exclusion of all others? SURELY NOT, RIGHT?!?! (Narrator: You already know.)
