Chicago Cubs Season Report Card: Catchers |
With another disappointing season coming to a close, the Chicago Cubs are prepping for what is expected to be an interesting offseason. With most of their roster under contract through next season and beyond, the Cubs will have to be creative when adding pieces to avoid running it back again.
Before we get to that point, it's time to look back at the year that was as we enter our season report card series. This is when we can look back at each player and position individually and grade out how they performed this season. It is all about the catcher position today, as this is one of the question marks heading into the offseason. The Cubs' catcher position produced little to no production during the season's first month and became a liability until around the All-Star break. After that, the Cubs' catchers started to show signs of life and ended the season with respectable numbers compared to what they could have done.
Coming off one of the best seasons of his career in 2023, the Cubs elected to bring Gomes back for the 2024 season as they picked up his option. Given the year he had the season before and the way he worked with the pitchers, especially the young guys, it was a move that made sense at the time. This was one of those cases where a move didn't work out, as Gomes struggled out of the gates and played himself out of a starting role before being released midseason. Across 34 games this season, Gomes logged 91 at-bats and only 14 hits. That comes to a .154 average while picking up two homers and only seven RBIs. His 2BB/36k were also a concern, as Gomes couldn't get anything going. Season Grade F: You have to feel for Gomes a bit, especially coming off the showing he had in 2023. He could not get into a rhythm at the plate for whatever reason, as he was an automatic out most of the season. Even more disappointing was his defensive effort, as Gomes struggled to throw guys out and keep the ball in front of him at home plate. Age caught up to Gomes this season and caught up to him quickly.Yan Gomes
Miguel Amaya
Once seen as the Cubs catcher of the future, Amaya was the top overall prospect several years ago until a rash of injuries derailed his career. Eventually, Amaya battled through those injuries and made his MLB debut in 2023, when he showed some promise.
Still an unproven player, Amaya entered the season as the team's backup, but by June, he was the team's top option, as Gomes was released due to poor play. Looking at Amaya's play at the time, many wondered what he did to deserve more time, but it was right around the all-star game when Amaya not only changed his swing but started to produce at the level the Cubs had hoped he could.
While his .232 average is still lower than you would like to see, he hit a .271 post-all-star break, showing how he saw the ball. He did that while connecting for eight homers and 47 RBIs as he started to tap into more power than expected. As was the case in 2023, Amaya struggled when it came to throwing out runners, but even that part of his game improved in the second half of the season.
Season Grade C: Although Amaya is expected to be with this team next season, his role will be the most significant question mark. Despite showing improvement as the season went on, many wonder if he has what it takes to be an everyday catcher or better suited to be in a backup role. If the Cubs see him as a backup, look for them to target Logan O'Hoppe or another catcher this offseason to take over the starting spot.
Christian Bethancourt
Not only did the Cubs have a hard time getting production from their starting catchers, but they also had difficulty finding a reliable backup behind their starters. It took them nearly four months to find a backup capable of producing, but Christian Bethancourt changed everything.
Signed as a Minor League free agent in May, Bethancourt saw limited playing time with Iowa but did produce well enough to get promoted to the show in the summer. Once in Chicago, Bethancourt was precisely what the Cubs were looking for in a backup and will undoubtedly make it hard for the Cubs to decide on his future.
Bethancourt may not have played in many games (24), but he was very good in those games. He hit .281 with three homers and 15 RBIs, including a seven-RBI game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in August.
Season Grade B-: This was a difficult grade based on his lack of playing time, but the overall production can't be ignored. This is one of those players you would've liked to see get more playing time to see what they could do. He also did a great job against the run, and Bethancourt earned himself a contract somewhere next season.
The Cubs also had Tomas Nido on their team as the backup catcher for a month, but with less than ten games played before suffering a season-ending knee injury, he earned an incomplete for his grade.
