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Chicago Cubs: Where are they now? Vol. 2
It’s time for another installment in our series highlighting past Chicago Cubs. Today, we look at three guys who weren’t given enough appreciation for their time in Cub uniforms…no matter how short it was.
Chris Coghlan
Chris Coghlan, who has always been a guy who plays with lots of grit, originally came to the Cubs in 2014 on a minor league deal and spent the first month of the season in AAA. Coming up in May of that year, he had a resurgence in his career. Coghlan hit .283, with a .352 OBP, and a .804 OPS, while tying his career high in home runs, with nine. Coghlan stayed with the Cubs through the 2015 season and was pretty solid again, slashing .250/.341/.443, with a .784 OPS. Cogs set a new career high in home runs with 16.
In the off season after 2015, the Cubs traded Coghlan to the Athletics, in exchange for Aaron Brooks. However, in June of 2016, the Cubs reacquired him in return for Arismendy Alcantara. Coghlan, after struggling mightily in Oakland, was once again a good, solid player for the Cubs, slashing .252/.391/.388, with a .779 OPS.
Coghlan currently plays for the Blue Jays and is on the disabled list with a wrist injury. Cogs is currently posting a .200/.299/.266 slash with the Jays, and has a play of the year candidate, with THIS play in St. Louis against the Cardinals:
Matt Szczur
This was simply a case of a player not getting enough playing time. Matt Szczur was drafted by the Cubs out in the fifth round in 2010. A dual-sport athlete in college, the former Villanova star decided to stick to baseball full time in 2011. Matt first came up to the big leagues in 2014, hitting .226/.273/.355. Szczur would constantly flip flop between the minors and majors before earning a full-time roster spot in 2016. In 2016, Szczur hit .259/.312/.400, with a .712 OPS, and five home runs.
In May of 2017, Szczur was traded to the San Diego Padres in exchange for pitcher Justin Hancock. Since joining the Friars, the man they call “salad” has hit .212/.368/.388, with a .756 OPS. He is taking a lot more walks, 20 BB, 20 K, with three homers. With his backstory, Szczur is such an easy guy to root for.
Dan Straily
The last guy in this edition is a very brief Cub. Dan Straily was sort of “the other guy” in the Addison Russell/Jeff Samardzija/Jason Hammel swap. He came over from the A’s in early July of 2014 and only made one start with the Cubs. He gave up seven runs in five-plus innings, taking the loss. Straily made six other relief appearances, and they were not memorable. In a total of seven games with the Cubs, he gave up 18 ER in 13.2 innings, with nine BB, 13 K, and an 11.85 ERA. However, Straily was instrumental in playing a key part of the Cubs over the next two seasons.
In January of 2015, Luis Valbuena, along with Straily, was traded to the Astros for Dexter Fowler. It’s no secret the impact that Fowler brought to the Cubs for two years, being a stalwart at the top of the order and playing a decent enough center field.
Next: Cubs sweep Braves, Bryant questionable
Since leaving the Cubs, Dan has bounced around. After his brief stint with the Astros, he was traded to the Padres. And before even pitching a game with the Padres, they designated him for assignment, in which the Reds picked him up. Straily had a breakout year with the Reds, pitching to a 3.76 ERA in 191.1 innings, striking out 162, while walking 73. Then, after the Reds, he was yet again. Yep, traded. This time to the Marlins, where he has been even better this season. Currently, he’s pitching to a 3.32 ERA, in 108.1 innings, with 98 strikeouts, and just 29 walks. Straily seems to get better with more experience. Good for him.