Finding the final bench bat

While the Cubs’ pitching staff has been a revolving door of relievers and spot starters, their group of position players has been very consistent. Except for injuries to Seiya Suzuki and Matt Shaw, there has not been a need to replace any other regulars or primary bench players.

That’s not to say that they are happy with the production of those players, just that they have stayed healthy.

Here is the definitive top 12 who will (when healthy) be on the major league team:
LF Ian Happ
CF Pete Crow-Armstrong
RF Seiya Suzuki
3B Alex Bregman
SS Dansby Swanson
2B Nico Hoerner
1B Michael Busch
C Carson Kelly
C Miguel Amaya
DH Moises Ballesteros
DH/OF Michael Conforto
IF/OF Matt Shaw

That leaves 1 spot when everyone is healthy, and then an additional spot for anyone on that previous list who is injured. They have tried several guys this season, but none have sticked so far:

Dylan Carlson – he had a very nice spring, and I felt that he would be the primary backup to PCA in center. But Matt Shaw took on that role, and Carlson was expendable, especially with Conforto being added during the Spring. Carlson only got 4 at bats for the Cubs, before being designed for assignment when Suzuki returned. He accepted a minor league deal, and played 10 games in Iowa (posting a .600 OPS), before being released and signing a minor league deal with the Phillies. He’s not done much better for their AAA team in Lehigh Valley, with a .449 OPS in 21 games.

Scott Kingery – I was very surprised he made the team on opening day, but with Matt Shaw seen as the fill-in for Seiya Suzuki, the Cubs needed a backup infielder. He was used primarily as a pinch runner, but In one of his few chances to play in the field, he committed two errors at third base on April 21st. He also had only 4 at bats, going 1 for 4. He was DFA’d and optioned to Iowa, where he has a very poor .505 OPS in 22 games.

Nicky Lopez – Old friend Nicky Lopez returned for a brief stint to replace Kingery, and provided a more solid defender. He had been with the Rockies organization, and was hitting .333 for their AAA team, with a surprising .906 OPS. He only played in 5 games for the Cubs, going 0-5 at the plate before being released. He is now with the Texas Rangers, where he has a decent.681 OPS in 28 plate appearances.

Pedro Ramirez – technically, Ramirez relace Matt Shaw, who went on the IL with back tightness. But he was also replacing Lopez, who was released the next day, as the primary backup infielder. Ramirez was raking in Iowa, with a .312/.395/.547 slash line. And he’s gotten much more of a chance to play than Carlson, Kingery or Lopez, especially due to Shaw’s injury. His numbers so far are not great, slashing .250/.286/.300 in 21 plate appearances. His hart hit percentage has been good at 47.4%, but it has not translated into much slugging. But a BABIP of .263 with that many hard hit balls would seem to be bad luck, which should turn around. When Matt Shaw comes back, I would be surprised if Ramirez was sent back down. His switch-hitting makes him a valuable player off the bench. The only mitigating factor would be that the Cubs would want him to get regular at bats in Iowa.

Kevin Alcantara – he was called up when Kingery was released, and has servers primarily as a pinch runner and pinch hitter, going 1 for 9 at the plate. He had also been hitting very well at Iowa, with a .242/.339/.567 slash line, and 15 home runs in only 41 games. Unfortunately, he still hasn’t managed to bring down his strikeout rate, and he has K’d 4 times in his 9 at bats in the majors. I predict he’ll be sent back down to Des Moines when Shaw returns from his rehab assignment there. He still may be in the Cubs long-term plans to take over for Suzuki in right next season, or he might be a trade chip yet this year.

At this point, I hope Ramirez keeps his spot on the roster, and continues to get regular at bats. He has been solid on defense and has been hitting the ball hard in some bad luck. But we’ll see what the Cubs decide to do when Shaw comes back.