(670 The Score) In a solid debut season, Cubs rookie Christopher Morel has logged time at four different defensive positions. He has started 41 games in center field, 26 at second base, 14 at third base and three at shortstop.
So what position does the 23-year-old Morel project to fill for the Cubs in their long-term plan? A lot of them, if manager David Ross is to get his way.
"I don't think he'll play one, to be honest," Ross said on the Bernstein & Holmes Show on Tuesday afternoon. "I think he'll be a super-utility (player). I think he'll kind of be that one-man bench that can give guys days off on a regular basis. Christopher has a lot of growing still ahead of him. He's new at third trying to figure out the footwork, the pace of the game over there, the little intricacies that come along with runners on base, bunt situations, when to lay back on balls, when to charge balls, who the runners are. When you get into that second base-shortstop mix, you got a lot more time and the body works a lot differently, how it prepares to throw the ball to first base or to turn a double play, as well as center field. I think he'll be a guy that will continue to get better in different spots. I think ideally, he can move around pretty consistently and give you above-average defense at different positions and see what the bat continues to do."
Morel is hitting .246 with 13 homers, 36 RBIs and a .751 OPS in 89 games entering play Tuesday, when the Cubs were set to host the Reds to open a three-game series at Wrigley Field.
"It's a lot of about letting them go out, play, develop, find the spots of success, find the spots of failure and try to nudge them to continue to learn from those experiences," Ross said.
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