(670 The Score) The Cubs have counted on Christopher Morel to be a productive bat in their lineup and also a versatile player in the field this season. Now, they’re considering providing him with more stability in his everyday role.
The Cubs could begin using Morel primarily at third base instead of in a super-utilityman role, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said on the Mully & Haugh Show on Monday morning.
“He’s done a nice job sort of bouncing around, but I do think that for some guys, it’s important to find a position and settle in,” Hoyer said. “We’d love to be able to find that spot. I think third makes some sense. His hands work really well. He probably needs to spend a lot of time working through some footwork things. He’s got such a strong arm, he should be able to do it.
“We’ve talked about it a lot. What is the right spot and do we sort of hone in his focus a little bit defensively so he isn’t moving all around? Because I think it makes it really hard for a young guy to do it. Not many guys can do sort of what Javy (Baez), which is bounce around as a young player. Most guys need some stability, and we haven’t really given him that. I think that makes his performance that much more impressive.”
Morel has started 14 games in the outfield, 12 at designated hitter and three at second base this season. He hasn't been used at third base in 2023, but he made 18 appearances, including 16 starts, there in 2022. The Cubs have struggled to find stability at third base with Patrick Wisdom, Nick Madrigal and Miles Mastrobuoni mixing in at that position.
Morel is hitting .291 with 13 home runs, 28 RBIs and a 1.042 OPS in 31 games this season. He has 29 home runs and 75 RBIs over 144 career MLB games.
“He’s probably going to have some ups and downs,” Hoyer said. “He’s probably going to be a little bit streaky. But the nice thing with him is the hot streaks are so hot and the production is so real, it’s really nice to have a guy in the middle of the lineup like that that can change the score so quickly, change the whole game. He hits righties, he hits lefties, he hits good stuff. It’s impressive what he’s doing. It’s hard to say what his ceiling is because he does some unique things on a baseball field.”
The Cubs open a three-game series against the Pirates on Monday evening in Pittsburgh. Pregame coverage on 670 The Score begins at 5:30 p.m. CT.
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