NEWSLETTER
Even if Nick Madrigal hadn’t been slowed by a hamstring injury, and even if Patrick Wisdom hadn’t been slowed by a quad injury, the Chicago Cubs were committed to giving Christopher Morel a primary look at third base this spring. The organization, and more specifically new manager Craig Counsell, wants to know whether Morel could handle third base well enough to hold down the position all year. If so, the Cubs can more easily keep his potent bat in the lineup, while leaving open the designated hitter spot to optimize match-ups and keep other players fresh.
But there’s actually a lot that goes into that whole “could handle third base well enough” question. Answering it is not as simple as holding up some defensive numbers against some offensive numbers and seeing if the net is positive. There is some of that, of course, but you have to consider the impact across the roster, you have to consider the potential for player development, and you have to consider how you can put Morel in a position to generate the most possible value throughout the year.
We know that there’s line past which bad defense negates all the positive value provided by having Morel’s bat at third base, specifically. We also know there has to be an allowance for some development at the position, especially given how little experience Morel had in the minor leagues before being pulled up to the bigs at 22 (on the strength of his bat).
So, as rough as Morel has looked at times this spring – he’s had some ugly errors, to be sure – there has to be some measure of patience there if the Cubs are actually committed to seeing what this could be. Moreover, it’s not like Morel doesn’t also flash moments of brilliance. He has all the tools to be an acceptable third baseman.
So far, Counsell is preaching that patience and development theme, and seemingly will be well into the regular season.
“Frankly, I want mistakes because you learn from mistakes,” Counsell said of the work in Spring Training, per Marquee. “I want action — balls hit to you. That’s what I’m rooting for in the game …. This is not something we’re assessing over six weeks, either. This is something to assess over a long period of time to just keep getting better. And we could assess every player in that spectrum, right? What we’re accomplishing with this is consistency of work. And it’s a daily consistency. Lots of reps …. He’s on the field every morning and getting that accomplished and so we’re in good shape.”
I appreciated this read at The Athletic on the work Morel is doing to improve at third base, with a lot of informative quotes from infield coach Jonathan Mota. There are mechanical and consistency issues to keep working on, of course (it’s not hard to spot the periodic issues with his footwork and arm stroke), but it’s just as important for Morel to know the organization has his back in this process.
“We have high expectations for him, he does too,” Mota told The Athletic. “But mistakes are going to happen. We just need to move on. More than anything, keep him centered between the ears. He’s done a great job with that.”
An allowance for mistakes – especially in March – is a critical part of a successful development process, especially when it’s all happening at the big league level in tandem with (1) a team that is trying to compete, and (2) an interest in seeing the bat take another step forward. To truly know what is or is not possible with Morel, I’ve gotta believe it is necessary that he’s working at third base with some kind of peace of mind. Otherwise, a game with a couple errors could start to get into his head about what happens next. Am I going to lose this job? Is it going to affect me at the plate? Am I doing as well as the team needs me to do? So on and so forth.
It makes me happen, then, to know that not only do Counsell and the coaching staff expect mistakes, they want those to be the basis for continued work. And moreover, Counsell indicated that it’s not as if the Cubs are planning to pull the plug on Opening Day if Morel isn’t a finished defensive product by then. This process will have to continue into the regular season, and may even require considerable lumps in the first half. But the payoff, if Morel developed through this process, could be enormous in 2024 and beyond.
