The beginning of Christopher Morel’s season has been a tale of extremes. On the one hand, the Cubs cleanup hitter is slashing an utterly ridiculous .381/.409/.762 (198 wRC+) through his first five games, including two home runs (plus one of the little league variety).
He’s also struck out just once through those five games, as he’s somehow managing an absurd (and surely unsustainably low) out-of-zone swing rate:
That’s just silly for any batter, but especially Morel, who swung at 28.8% of pitches out of the zone last year, when he struck out 31% of the time. But bottom line he’s been seeing the ball well, making contact often, and absolutely SMOKING it: 92.4 MPH average exit velocity, 21.6 launch angle, 20% barrel rate, 50% hard-hit rate.
On the other hand, however, there’ve been some defensive issues. Expected, sure. Early, absolutely. But they’ve been glaring at times.
Christopher Morel’s Defense
Christopher Morel has started three games at third base this season and has already been charged with two errors. And there was one – probably two, really – other play during the Rangers series that he probably should’ve made, but was ruled a hit. So, yeah, he basically has almost as many (or more) errors as games started at third. And by the eye test, I can already tell you that in addition to the issues with his throws across the diamond, Morel seems to have some trouble fielding those hard-hit line drives and one-hoppers that give the hot corner its nickname.
But we knew this would be part of the process, and it’s SO EARLY. The Cubs seem intent to remain patient.
โThe way heโs going to get better is by playing,โ Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said via The Athletic. โWeโve never given him that opportunity in a Cubs uniform. Weโve never just given him the position and told him to go work on it every day and get comfortable and acclimate. The hope is that he continues to get better and better because it is really important.”
No doubt it’s important, as the Cubs rotation is not built for strikeouts. This is a group that will allow a lot of balls in play, which likely means even more opportunities for Christopher Morel in the field than a typical third baseman. Occasionally, the Cubs will start Nick Madrigal at third, and he’s already flashed some leather early on. And they’ll also use Madrigal as a defensive replacement late in games. But if Morel can turn into a passable third baseman, his bat can turn him into a legitimate superstar (frankly, he might already have enough stick to be super value as a DH-only, but he’s way too young and athletic to go that route just yet).
It’s All About Reps and Consistency
For now, the Cubs are just going to have give him as many reps as possible and hope that the bat covers up some mistake.
โThis is about consistency for Chris,โ Cubs manager Craig Counsell said via The Chicago Sun Times, โand kind of getting him over there every day, and getting practice over there every day. And then we measure this in (some) bigger chunks to keep improving …. But I think heโs getting better. And heโs going to have to pass tests, of course. But weโre making progress …. Heโs going to have some bad days. Weโre gonna have to live with that, and thatโs OK. But just keep making progress.”
For his part, Christopher Morel is saying all the right things, talking about doing whatever it takes to help the Cubs get a win on any given day, willing to DH whenever the manager asks, etc. But getting him up to even slightly below average at third would be a huge win for the organization. In the meantime, at least, his bat is clearly doing enough to paper over any mistakes he makes in the field.
Timing and Planning
With all of that said, Craig Counsell and the Cubs would be wise to continue limiting his exposure with groundball pitchers on the mound (or other matchups that favor Nick Madrigal’s approach/splits at the plate). Because Madrigal, when healthy, can still provide at least some value in the lineup and much better defense at third base. And as long as the designated hitter spot is still open, that means the Cubs don’t have a terribly tough decision to make on the days both of them play.
But that’s also the sticking point. Right now, the Cubs don’t have an everyday designated hitter, but that might not be true for the entire season. For example, as soon as Pete Crow-Armstrong is ready for a promotion, you’re going to see Cody Bellinger move to first base. And that could push Michael Busch into the DH spot on most days.
By that point (maybe a month or two from now?), you’d like to see enough defensive improvement from Christopher Morel at third base to avoid needing to start Nick Madrigal there on most days. Madrigal can still be a value late-inning defensive replacement and occasional starter at third or second, but the best version of a future Cubs lineup features Christopher Morel’s bat at third more often than not.