(670 The Score) One of the most pressing questions on the minds of Cubs fans these days is simple.
When will first base prospect Matt Mervis get promoted to the big leagues from Triple-A Iowa?
Even Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer isn’t sure about that answer, though he does believe it will happen sometime this summer.
“We’re very much paying attention to how he and (Christopher Morel) and those other guys down there are playing and having those discussions a lot,” Hoyer said on the Parkins & Spiegel Show on Wednesday afternoon. “And I think that we would be doing the organization a disservice not to have those discussions. I think at some point this summer, I have no doubt he’ll impact us. We also know that we want to get other guys on the roster going. I think it’s really important not to – we’ve played 22 games so far, I think it’s just so important not to overreact both on the positive and the negative. We have a long way to go. This is a really small sample. I wouldn’t want to be an organization that just overacts all the time to what a 50-game sample looks like. You always want to be taking a bigger view and giving guys a chance. Because any 100-plate appearance snippet of the season, you’re going to have guys that play exceptionally well, you’re going to have guys that struggle. You have to realize the ebbs and flows.”
The lefty bat Mervis, 25, is hitting .275 with five homers, 21 RBIs and a .953 OPS in 69 at-bats for Triple-A Iowa this season. Cubs first basemen -- primarily Eric Hosmer and Trey Mancini -- have combined to hit .262 with three homers, 14 RBIs and a .720 OPS in 22 games while playing the position this season.
Hoyer and the Cubs previously expressed the need for Mervis and Morel to get consistent at-bats early in the season, which is why they believed sending them to Triple-A was the best move to start the season.
“They’re both really good players,” Hoyer said. “They’re both going to impact the Cubs a lot this summer. We’re obviously paying attention to what’s going on there, and I think both of those guys know they’re going to get their shot. We want to make sure when they get their shot, they’re ready and they’re playing every day.
“We’re going to need them. Things are going to happen.”
Listen live to 670 The Score via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker