Chicago Cubs getting much more from David Bote in first full season

Last season, David Bote came up clutch on countless occasions. But in his first full year in the big leagues, the Chicago Cubs infielder is doing much, much more.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget listening to Pat Hughes’ call of David Botes‘ walk-off grand slam for the Chicago Cubs against the Washington Nationals last summer. My wife and I were getting ready for bed when I remarked, “How crazy would it be if Bote hit one right now? We’d always remember that we were putting away laundry when he hit it.”

Lo and behold, Bote delivered, the Cubs pulled off what felt like a monumental win against one of the best teams in the National League and I still remember folding that laundry. We’ve already gotten some Bote heroics in the young 2019 campaign, but I don’t know if anything will ever measure up to how clutch he was after his midseason call-up last year.

And, you know what? That’s not a bad thing, because Bote has become much more than just a clutch bat in the Chicago lineup. He’s become a legitimate big league threat. Gone are the swing-and-miss tendencies we saw take over his game late last summer, replaced by a more patient approach that has yielded tremendous results.