David Bote returned to the Chicago Cubs from Triple-A Iowa this weekend in St. Louis, whereas Iowa first baseman Matt Mervis hit his thirtieth dwelling run in three minor-league stops Sunday and was named the group’s minor-league participant of the month.
Bote, 29, hit .224 with two dwelling runs and 10 RBIs in 76 at-bats for Iowa after being demoted Aug. 4. Mervis, 24, hit .305 with 4 dwelling runs, seven doubles, 12 RBIs and a .926 OPS in 24 video games at Iowa in August.
It would’ve made sense to name up the left-handed-hitting Mervis as an alternative of Bote on Sept. 1 to see what Mervis might do in opposition to major-league pitching within the last month. But the Cubs opted to deliver again Bote, a struggling infielder whom former Cubs President Theo Epstein signed to a five-year, $15 million extension in 2019 that pays him $12 million from this 12 months by way of 2024 with two choices by way of 2026.
Why not Mervis?
It’s straightforward to level out that few gamers make the soar from Class A to the majors in a single season, however the Cubs simply did it with reliever Jeremiah Estrada, who was introduced up as an alternative participant final week in Toronto after Justin Steele and Adrian Sampson had been positioned on the restricted listing for not getting vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19. Estrada was returned to Iowa, then promptly known as up with Bote on Thursday, when rosters expanded to twenty-eight.
Cubs director of participant improvement Jared Banner stated Saturday at Busch Stadium that the door isn’t closed on calling up Mervis earlier than the season ends.
“Anything is possible whenever you go to Triple A and perform the way he has, put yourself on the radar,” Banner stated. “But we’re taking things day by day, looking at helping him keep improving on a daily basis. That’s our focus. Everything else will take care of itself.”
The minor-league season runs by way of Sept. 28, so Mervis will proceed creating at Iowa and can play within the Arizona Fall League after the season. While Banner insisted that it’s “possible” Mervis might be up with the Cubs in September and that “nothing is written in stone,” it doesn’t appear to be Cubs President Jed Hoyer is in any hurry to see what Mervis might deliver to Wrigley Field.
Banner stated Mervis, who started the season at High-A South Bend, has the bat pace that bodes nicely for his future each time he does get the decision. Cubs director of hitting Justin Stone in contrast him offensively to Anthony Rizzo in an interview with the Tribune’s Meghan Montemurro, although Mervis is much less vulnerable to strikeouts than Rizzo, who was known as as much as the majors at 21.
“He really gets the bat through the zone quickly, so when he makes contact he does a lot of damage,” Banner stated. “And he makes a lot of contact, right? So when you have a hitter with that much power who doesn’t strike out a lot, it’s a pretty good combination.”
Mervis has performed solely first base and designated hitter, which is one purpose he’s ranked solely twenty first on MLB Pipeline’s listing of the group’s prime prospects, proper behind shortstop Ed Howard, a former first-round decide. The Cubs have mentioned Mervis enjoying some left area, and Banner stated Mervis has taken some fly balls “here and there” at Iowa.
“That could be something down the road eventually,” Banner stated.
Mervis has been known as “Mash,” an alliterative nickname reflecting his uncooked energy. Banner nonetheless calls him Matt however likes the sound of “Mash Mervis.”
“I can’t imagine he doesn’t like it,” Banner stated. “It’s a great nickname.”
The argument for protecting Mervis at Iowa the remainder of the season is straightforward sufficient to invest on. MLB guidelines have modified to permit solely two September roster additions, and somebody on the present Cubs roster doubtless must go if Mervis obtained the decision.
The Cubs aren’t but keen to eat Bote’s contract, though the $9.52 million he’s owed the following two years is comparatively small as compared with the $22 million they’ll eat on Jason Heyward’s deal in 2023. Yet Bote wasn’t within the beginning lineup for any of the three video games in St. Louis, making the call-up slightly curious.
The days of organizations rewarding gamers for dominating at Triple A with a September call-up are principally over. Few groups wish to begin a participant’s free-agency clock in the event that they don’t need to, and with the Cubs nicely out of competition, Mervis’ presence wouldn’t change something within the standings.
So whereas it’d appear to be a pleasant gesture to Cubs followers to allow them to watch Mervis attempt to mash within the large leagues within the last month, it’s not precisely a precedence.
Meanwhile, the Cubs plan to start out 35-year-old left-hander Wade Miley on Tuesday in opposition to the Cincinnati Reds, rewarding the veteran for sticking with what has been a season-long effort to get on the mound. Miley has made 4 begins and pitched solely 19 innings in 2022.
As a lot because the Cubs brass has been busy touting the workforce’s future, the current appears to be like so much just like the previous.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com