Cubs manager David Ross points to Christopher Morel when talking to players who felt that their chance in the big-leagues was too brief.
“The one thing he did was put himself on the map really early with his performance,” Ross said, “and it’s hard to take them out of the lineup when they do that.”
Now, as the Cubs prepare for an offseason that president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer promised would be spent being “aggressive” filling roster holes “in the best way possible,” Morel’s value is evident from another angle.
From a teambuilding standpoint, his versatility gives the Cubs flexibility when prioritizing holes to fill.
Putting aside their pitching needs for a moment, the Cubs could use fortification in center field, first base and third base – with room to improve up the middle, depending on whether defensive standout Nico Hoerner remains at shortstop next year or moves back to second base.
Morel played centerfield and every infield position but first base this past season. Which is his future?
For assistant coach Jonathan Mota, who works with the infielders and has known Morel since he was a teenager, the answer is all of them at once.
“There’s not many guys in the big-leagues that can do what he does,” Mota said, “the consistency he’s shown at times in each position.”
Mota sees Morel’s potential to develop into a player like Kris Bryant, Chris Taylor or Kiké Hernández.
“If there’s a certain position that they want me to play next year,” Morel said through team interpreter Will Nadal, “or they move me around certain positions, the day that I’m playing each defensive position, I’m going to focus on it as if it’s the position that I’m playing throughout the whole year.”
Morel’s debut season leaves a reasonable expectation for year to year improvement. Injuries to middle infielders Nick Madrigal and Nico Hoerner in mid-May sped up Morel’s introduction to the major leagues.
He was in Double-A but hitting and already on the 40-man roster, which made Morel an easy choice to fill in. Then, he never left.
“My goal was really just to start in the minor leagues and hopefully end up in the big leagues at the end of the season,” he said. “And thanks to God, it did work out. I only lasted more than one in the minors, so it was pretty good.”
Looking ahead to the winter, the length of the major-league season is font-of-mind for Morel on both the mental and physical sides of his offseason work.
Morel homered in his debut and went on a franchise-record 22-game on-base streak to start his career. But he cooled off late in the season, finishing the year with a .235 batting average.
His defensive highs – showcasing his arm strength, athleticism and versatility – were mixed with 10 errors, the most glaring of which came on overthrows in the infield.
“A lot of his inexperience, and the youth, and being in Double-A [when he was called up] has shown at times in the field, and he’s had a lot of growing moments,” Ross said. “But then he’s also come out of those a better baseball player. And he’s a better baseball player here now than he was when he started the season.”
Morel’s already thinking and talking about carrying that theme forward.
“A lot of experiences, a lot of highs and lows,” he said when asked to reflect on his year. “A lot of things that I take with me that I can use for the next season.”
