{"id":67008,"date":"2024-02-22T07:00:22","date_gmt":"2024-02-22T12:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=67008"},"modified":"2024-02-21T12:17:55","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T17:17:55","slug":"christopher-morel-cubs-third-base","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/02\/22\/christopher-morel-cubs-third-base\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cubs Will Have This Young Player Get Consistent Looks at Third Base"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With the full Chicago Cubs roster reporting to camp in Mesa less than a week ago, more answers were provided about the third base position for the Cubs. With <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/chapmma01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-21_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Matt Chapman<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/02\/02\/matt-chapman-fit-cubs\/\" target=\"_self\">still unsigned<\/a>, manager <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/counscr01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-21_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Craig Counsell<\/a> told the media that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/morelch01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-21_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Christopher Morel<\/a>\u00a0will take reps at the hot corner daily.\u00a0<a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/01\/17\/takeaways-from-cubs-con-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Morel was a major topic of discussion<\/a>\u00a0for Cubs fans everywhere this offseason. Where would he play? Would he even be a Cubs by Spring Training amid trade rumors? It\u2019s good to see the organization attempting to give Morel a defensive home, but whether it can last is the real question.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Christopher Morel talks third base <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Cubs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Cubs<\/a> \u2b07\ufe0f <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/DUfBV2EE3g\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/DUfBV2EE3g<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ryan Herrera (@ryan_a_herrera) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ryan_a_herrera\/status\/1759264068807147549?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 18, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Christopher Morel to Focus on Playing Third Base<\/h2>\n<h3><b>The Concerns\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>There is a reason why Morel has never had a regular defensive home in his short time as a major leaguer. His work in the field could have been better in multiple spots for one main reason. Morel\u2019s arm has proven to be an issue throughout his career in the field. Whether roaming the outfield or playing on the grass, it has been a problem. The 24-year-old has a cannon; there is no denying that.<\/p>\n<p>However, the arm strength doesn\u2019t mean much when he struggles with accuracy. In his 173 games at the highest level, Morel has spent time in all three outfield spots, the middle infield and third base. With Morel looking to play third base more regularly, the reps will be paramount. Of those 173 games, only 23 have come at the hot corner for Morel.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Christopher Morel and Nick Madrigal taking reps at third base. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TdUmhFDhOD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/TdUmhFDhOD<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WatchMarquee\/status\/1759646820391616782?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 19, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><b>Long-Term Outlook for Morel at the Hot Corner\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">For the 2024 season, Morel will probably get the bulk of the work at third base.\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/madrini01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=www.baseball-reference.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-21_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nick Madrigal<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mastrmi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-21_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Miles Mastrobuoni<\/a>, and even\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/buschmi02.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-21_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Michael Busch<\/a>\u00a0<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">will also work in the position, but it&#8217;s hard to believe it isn&#8217;t Morel&#8217;s spot to lose. With spring training games beginning on Friday, Morel starting every game at the hot corner (where the routine guys are playing) is essential.\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Having a potent bat, Morel will always find him a spot in the order. The slugger combined for 37 homers last season between Triple-A and the majors. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">He registered 26 long balls across 388 at-bats in 107 games with the big club. In the game of baseball, having a bat of Morel&#8217;s caliber almost always guarantees you a spot in the order. There will be a place for him if his production stays at the plate (and his strikeout rate stays down).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Looking beyond 2024 regarding Morel&#8217;s future defensive outlook can be challenging. Having him at third base could seem great on paper. However, it&#8217;s yet to be determined if he&#8217;ll even stick at the position by mid-June or beyond. The big talk within the organization has been to <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/02\/02\/matt-chapman-fit-cubs\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">find guys to hold the fort down at third base<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0until it&#8217;s time for\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=shaw--000mat&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-21_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Matt Shaw<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=triant000jam&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-21_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James Triantos<\/a> to crack the roster. Morel could be suitable for just that. Having too many cooks in the kitchen is a good problem for Jed Hoyer, and if Morel becomes a defensive wizard at the hot corner, the possibilities for the future of this infield are endless.<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo: \u00a9 David Banks-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the full Chicago Cubs roster reporting to camp in Mesa less than a week ago, more answers were provided about the third base position for the Cubs. With Matt Chapman still unsigned, manager Craig Counsell told the media that Christopher Morel\u00a0will take reps at the hot corner daily.\u00a0Morel was a major topic of discussion\u00a0for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5007,"featured_media":67042,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[6192,2238,1913,6352,2693,2025],"class_list":["post-67008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cubs","tag-christopher-morel","tag-craig-counsell","tag-matt-chapman","tag-matt-shaw","tag-michael-busch","tag-nick-madrigal"],"modified_by":"Matt Graves","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5007"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67008"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67008\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}