Who will play third base for the Cubs until Kris Bryant arrives?

Last season, about this same time, I did a series on who would be the Cubs starting third baseman to open the season. Some of the names have changed, and the outcome of it is all but temporary. Because whoever wins the job out of camp is simply keeping it warm until the arrival of Kris Bryant in April.

In case you aren’t in the loop, it’s widely believed that Bryant won’t make his debut with the Cubs until sometime in April, to help from starting his arbitration clock. If he has an amazing spring, I personally believe you put him on the roster. But it’s a business, so the Cubs will do as they will. So assuming that is the plan, who will man the hot corner until his arrival?

The options are fewer entering next season, with the two likely candidates Luis Valbuena and Mike Olt. After winning the starting job in the spring, Olt found himself struggling to make consistent contact. When he did, they generally left the yard. But with 100 strikeouts in 225 plate appearances, that greatly overshadowed his 12 home runs. The curious question to me, is with numbers eerily similar to Olt (95 strikeouts in 213 at-bats), with less home runs (nine) and only a slightly better average why are people so sure of Javier Baez? Both were an organization’s top prospect. Both have immense power, and neither has made consistent contact in a very similar sample size.

The good news for Olt, is that even with the demotion last year, they still believe he can turn it around. But at this point, they realize that he may need to adjust to playing positions other than third. He’s spent time playing first, where he will at best spell Anthony Rizzo. So learning a corner outfield position will be imperative for Olt. What he will need to do is show that he can adjust and make consistent contact, while in all likelihood not getting consistent at-bats.

Upon his demotion to Iowa, Olt seemed to make those adjustments, and while his strikeout numbers were still high (33 in 115 PA), he batted .302 and put the ball in play more frequently. The potential for Olt to be a contributor is there, but a team can only have so many strikeout prone hitters in a lineup. His role with the team, if any will depend once again on a solid showing in the spring, and that he’s made adjustments over the winter.

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Luis Valbuena has been somewhat of an underappreciated player in his time with the Cubs. He’s filled in at second and at third on a regular basis, playing in 149 games for the Cubs last season. It was a career year for him, and he set highs in home runs (16, RBIs (51), games played (149), on-base % (.341) and slugging % (.435). His .249 average was only a point below his career-high.

But at every turn, Valbuena’s name comes up in seeming every trade talk. The 29-year old, seven-year veteran has become one of the Cubs more reliable hitters over the past two seasons, and without him would have found a gaping hole over at third base. One thing that seems to be overlooked is his versatility. With all the talk of acquiring a veteran, and someone to help the depth of the middle-infield – Valbuena would be that type of player if any other team was looking.

Defensively, Valbuena has become one of the more reliable third baseman the league. In 2014, he finished fifth in the National League with a .969 fielding percentage. In his 21 games played at second base, he fielded 1.000. So what he may lack in the power that Olt has, it’s made up for defensively.

Each of these two can be reliable everyday players, but nothing to the extent of what the Cubs anticipate from Bryant. So while Spring Training will go a long way to deciding the Opening Day third baseman, it will also decide the roles for each of them when the calendar shifts to 1 A.B. (After Bryant).

Next: What to expect from the Cubs youngsters in 2015

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