Cubs News: 2023 Season Report Cards: Center Fielders |
We have reached our final position of the season report card series before going to the pitchers, as center field is the last position to discuss. This was a position of need for the Cubs this offseason and one that they not only addressed but would like to retain a certain someone for the foreseeable future.
Should that happen, this roster will be in a much better spot for the next several seasons than finding a new player to hold down CF. Either way, the Cubs have a top 100 prospect who will be the future in CF, but with him needing more seasoning at AAA, it is becoming a mystery as to what this team is thinking come opening day next season.
Undoubtedly, one of the biggest and perhaps best offseason moves was the Cubs acquiring Cody Bellinger. Signed to a one-year 17.25 million dollar deal, the hope was for the former NL MVP to bounce back to potentially flip him at the deadline for pieces. Not only did he bounce back, but the Cub's plans to flip him drastically changed as they played themselves into contention, thus becoming buyers, not sellers. In the process, they are now faced with a challenging situation as they need to keep Bellinger around long-term, but they know it will be tough to do so. Bellinger loved Chicago and made it clear since the day he got here that he loved Chicago. The Cubs also loved him as he led the team in every major offensive category, hitting .307 with 26 homers and 97 RBIs while adding 20 steals. Keep in mind, he missed a month of action as he was sure to hit 30-plus homers and drive in 100 runs had he not missed a month. This is the perfect bat for the Cubs to have in the middle of their lineup, and they need him just as much as he wants to be here. Grade: A+: I understand he faded slightly down the stretch, but so did most of the team. That shouldn't take away from the job he did this season. No one expected him to do what he did, and to see him produce at the level he did while hitting .300 is huge. He also struck out at a career-low rate, showing that he not only has power but knows how to be a two-strike hitter. If the Cubs don't retain him long-term, it will kill the mojo they had and will put this team in a tough spot both defensively and offensively.Cody Bellinger
Mike Tauchman
Like many of the Cubs recent offseason acquisitions, Tauchman was added to this roster as a minor league free agent with an invite to spring. After spending two seasons in Korea and playing well, Tauchmen had a great spring and was one of the final cuts once the season broke.
Once in Iowa, Tauchman played in just 24 games and hit .278 with three homers, 15 RBIs, and 21 walks to 21 strikeouts. That is when the Bellinger injury happened, and Tauchman was then promoted to the Cubs and never returned. Sure, there were plenty of times when he struggled, but across 108 games, Tauchman solidified the leadoff spot and gave this team way more than they expected.
A .239 career MLB hitter, Tauchman was consistently in the .270 range most of the season before finishing at .252. He did that while hitting eight homers and driving in a career-high 48. His 56BB/86K shows a keen eye at the plate, which is why he had such a high on-base percentage in the leadoff spot. The question is whether the Cubs will bring him back on another short-term deal or if he will try his luck elsewhere.
Season Grade B: I really like what Tauchman did for this team this season, and I'm sure most of the fans will agree. This was someone seen as a placeholder once Bellinger went down, and all he did was emerge as the everyday starter in CF for about three months while also being the leadoff hitter they lacked. This is the classic case of someone just needing a chance to show what they can do, and Tauchman got his chance to prove he is worthy of a roster spot somewhere.
The Cubs also had Pete Crow-Armstrong see time in CF, but with no hits in 14 career at-bats, he earns an incomplete for an offensive grade given his limited plate appearances. You could give him a B+ defensively, as he made several excellent plays early on, but also had some costly misplays down the stretch.
