CHICAGO (670 The Score) — When Cubs manager David Ross is asked to describe what he has in his club this season, he often points to the importance of accomplished veterans like Eric Hosmer and Trey Mancini.
Between the two first basemen, Hosmer and Mancini have played a combined 20 MLB seasons and each has won a World Series championship – Hosmer's coming in 2015 with the Royals and Mancini’s last fall with the Astros. For his part, Hosmer is a former All-Star and a four-time Gold Glove winner. Both players signed one-year deals with the Cubs this past offseason and understood their roles on a team striving for contention.
It’s part of why Ross raves about the presence of Hosmer and Mancini in the Cubs’ clubhouse.
“I love the intangibles and the winning cultures they’ve been a part of,” Ross said Friday. “Their professionalism, their off-the-field leadership and the way they carry themselves in the locker room.
“They’re really good examples. They impart a lot of winning.”
The Cubs have enjoyed success early on this season, carrying an 11-7 record into their matchup against the Dodgers on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field. The club is playing the type of baseball that the front office envisioned, with an emphasis on winning games with run prevention as much as run scoring.
The 33-year-old Hosmer in particular seems to fit the stylings of this Cubs team. He's a consistent contact hitter who has proved to be one of the best defensive first basemen in the game. Hosmer no longer carries the power he did earlier in his career with the Royals, but he's proud to play a role and lead for the Cubs.
“That brings out the young guys, that makes them feel that they belong here and then ultimately that’s how you win at the end of the day,” Hosmer said. “You got to have everybody on your roster contributing. You got to have everybody on your roster feel like they belong here. That’s stuff I’ve learned from the past when I was that young guy.”
The Cubs signed Hosmer and Mancini to one-year deals with the belief that 25-year-old prospect Matt Mervis is their future at first base. In 2022, Mervis had 36 home runs and 119 RBIs over 137 games across three levels in the minor leagues, and he posted an impressive slash line of .309/.379/.605 (.984 OPS). In 2023, Mervis has picked up where he left off, with four homers and 15 RBIs while slashing .255/.412/.549 (.961 OPS) over 15 games at Triple-A Iowa.
At the big league level, the Cubs’ first basemen have just two home runs and 10 RBIs while posting a slash line of .236/.267/.361 (.628 OPS). Ross has found comfort in writing out a lineup card each day that features second baseman Nico Hoerner, shortstop Dansby Swanson and left fielder Ian Happ in the first three spots, while the Cubs’ first basemen have been slotted lower in the batting order due to their lack of production.
Mervis’ MLB debut will likely be sometime this season, but it doesn’t seem to be on the immediate horizon. The Cubs don’t see much value in using Mervis as an everyday designated hitter – even as they’ve struggled to solidify that role in the lineup as well.
Though the Cubs are seeking greater production from their first basemen, Ross is pleased with what Hosmer and Mancini have brought to the club.
“They've done a nice job fitting in here really fast,” Ross said. “Asked to do multiple roles and different things that some guys of their statures haven’t been asked to do in their careers, and they’ve been on board with whatever it takes. They understand there’s a talented groups around here and they work well together. They’re just constantly coming in with good attitudes, lifting guys up and going out and playing really good baseball. Just continue to ask them to buy in and lead.
“We lean on them as a group.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
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